Identity at the Center

Join Jeff, Jim, and special guest Ian Glazer at the Gartner IAM Summit 2025 as they discuss the Identity and Access Management (IAM) industry, the evolution of IAM practices, and the exciting new concepts like Continuous Identity. They delve into topics such as the impact of AI, shared signals framework, and the struggles and triumphs of identity practitioners. Plus, hear about the Digital Identity Advancement Foundation’s mission and enjoy some lighter moments with tales of 'chuckles' and supper clubs. Don't miss this insightful and entertaining episode of the Identity at the Center podcast.Connect with Ian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iglazer/Connect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.comTimestamps00:00 Introduction and Casual Banter00:50 Conference Highlights and Podcast Milestones03:00 Introducing Ian Glazer05:43 Digital Identity Advancement Foundation (DIF)08:09 Challenges in Identity Governance and Administration (IGA)13:28 Continuous Identity: A Paradigm Shift22:31 Real-World Applications and Organizational Impact31:51 Realistic Security Measures32:28 Maturity of Identity and Access Management34:54 Skills and Challenges in IAM36:44 Metrics and Outcomes in IAM40:23 Identity Practitioner Skills41:19 Solving Problems with AI46:21 Continuous Identity and Future Trends48:45 Identity Salon and Community54:19 Wrapping Up and Future EventsKeywordsIan Glazer, Continuous Identity, Shared Signals Framework, CAEP, Gartner IAM Summit, Identity Security, Joiner Mover Leaver, IGA, Access Certification, Identity Salon, IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, IAM, Cybersecurity, Non-Human Identity, Identity Practitioner, DIAF

Join hosts Jeff Steadman and Jim McDonald for a special live episode recorded on location at Identiverse DC! In this interactive session, Jeff and Jim host a game of "Majority Rules," where the audience competes not to answer correctly, but to guess the most popular answer in the room.The game covers a wide range of topics, from the trivial (worst conference swag and the official uniform of an IAM architect) to the technical (securing API keys, the biggest bottlenecks in IGA, and the primary causes of role explosion).Things get intense halfway through with the introduction of the Battle Royale rules, where picking the minority answer sends a player's score back to zero. Watch to see who survives the explosions and takes home the grand prize.Connect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.comChapter Timestamps00:00 Intro to Identity at the Center Live00:36 Explaining the Rules of Majority Rules04:25 Question 1: The Worst Conference Swag06:00 Question 2: Replying to Access Denied07:05 Question 3: AI in Identity Management08:40 Question 4: Favorite MFA Method10:12 Question 5: Least Favorite Auth Factor11:15 Turning up the Heat: Battle Royale Mode12:10 Question 6: Why RBAC is Difficult at Scale13:30 Question 7: The IAM Architect Uniform14:50 Question 8: Best Place to Hide a Secret16:15 Question 9: Protocols You Secretly Miss17:25 Question 10: Most Hated Specialized Key18:40 Question 11: Conference Responsibilities20:00 Question 12: Securing API Keys21:20 Question 13: Secrets to Surviving Keynotes22:55 Question 14: The Biggest Bottleneck in IGA24:45 Question 15: Causes of Role Explosion25:50 Question 16: What Breaks First After a Schema Update26:40 Final Question: Fastest Way to Confuse a User27:40 Crowning the WinnerKeywordsIDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Identiverse, Identiverse DC, IAM, Identity and Access Management, Cybersecurity, InfoSec Game Show, Live Podcast, Majority Rules, MFA, IGA, API Security, RBAC, Role Explosion, Tech Humor, Cyberrisk Alliance

Jeff and Jim come to you live from the expo floor at Identiverse DC 2025. They are joined by John DelMauro, Executive Vice President at Cyber Risk Alliance, to discuss the energy of regional events and how they differ from the massive Las Vegas gatherings.The group discusses the current state of the identity industry, the inevitable presence of AI in both marketing and event planning, and the "Identity at the Center" game show that took place earlier in the conference. John provides an exclusive look ahead at what is being planned for Identiverse in Las Vegas, including a new algorithmic approach to one-on-one networking, expanded pavilions, and potentially even puppies.Finally, the conversation shifts to a fun hypothetical: if money and logistics were no object, what kind of conference would each of them launch? The answers range from health and longevity in Austin to a technology expo in Japan.Connect with John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-del-mauro/Learn more about the CyberRisk Alliance: https://www.cyberriskalliance.com/Connect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.comChapter Timestamps00:00 Introduction and vibes from Identiverse DC00:52 Recapping the Majority Rules game show02:00 Introducing John DelMauro from Cyber Risk Alliance03:59 What is Cyber Risk Alliance?05:25 The benefits of regional events vs. Las Vegas09:15 Current themes: AI dominating the conversation13:21 How AI helps in planning and researching events15:50 Previewing Identiverse Las Vegas 202517:10 The new one-on-one networking algorithm22:15 Breaking news: Puppies at the conference?24:45 Hypothetical: What dream conference would you host?27:45 Jim's take on a longevity conference29:18 Jeff's dream of a tech nerd-con31:00 Closing thoughts and wrap upKeywordsIDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, John DelMauro, CyberRisk Alliance, Identiverse, Cybersecurity, Event Planning, Networking, InfoSec, AI in Events, Washington DC, Conference Trends

In this episode of the Identity at the Center Podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim sit down with Tobin South, co-chair of the OpenID Foundation's AI Identity Management Community Group, to delve into the intricacies of identity management in the age of agentic AI. They discuss the challenges and solutions related to AI agents, the role of the Model Context Protocol (MCP), and the concept of recursive delegation and scope attenuation. Additionally, the conversation covers practical advice for developers and enterprises on preparing for AI-driven identity management and explores the cultural touchstone of coffee from various global perspectives.Connect with Tobin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tobinsouth/OpenID Foundation: https://openid.net/Identity Management for Agentic AI (OpenID Whitepaper): https://openid.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Identity-Management-for-Agentic-AI.pdfConnect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.comChapter Timestamps:00:00 – Jeff and Jim banter about unopened iPads and conference season05:55 – Introduction to Tobin South and his AI identity background07:00 – How AI has evolved from machine learning to generative models09:00 – The OpenID AI Identity Management Community Group10:30 – ChatGPT’s impact on the AI perception shift12:00 – Users vs. Agents: What’s the difference?14:00 – Letting the right bots in: AI agents vs. bad bots17:00 – AI impersonation, delegation, and the risk of shared credentials20:00 – Impersonation vs. Delegation – what practitioners need to know23:00 – Governance, oversight, and delegated authority for agents26:00 – Liability and “who is responsible” in agentic systems30:00 – How developers can prepare for agent identity and access management32:00 – Explaining the Model Context Protocol (MCP)36:00 – Enterprise use cases for MCP and internal automation38:00 – Is MCP the next SAML?42:00 – Recursive delegation and scope attenuation explained46:00 – The one key takeaway for IAM professionals48:00 – Lighter note: Coffee talk – from Sydney to San Francisco54:00 – Wrap-up and where to find more IDAC contentKeywords:IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jim McDonald, Jeff Steadman, Tobin South, OpenID Foundation, AI Identity Management, Agentic AI, Delegated Authority, Impersonation vs Delegation, Model Context Protocol (MCP), Recursive Delegation, Scope Attenuation, Identity Access Management, IAM, AI Governance, AI Standards, Enterprise AI, AI Agents, Identity Security

This episode is sponsored by Aembit. Visit aembit.io/idac to learn more.Jeff and Jim welcome David Goldschlag, CEO and Co-founder of Aembit, to discuss the rapidly evolving world of non-human access and workload identity. With the rise of AI agents in the enterprise, organizations face a critical challenge: how to secure software-to-software connections without relying on static, shared credentials.David shares his unique background, ranging from working on The Onion Router (Tor) at the Naval Research Lab to the DIVX rental system, and explains how those experiences inform his approach to identity today. The conversation covers the distinction between human and non-human access, the risks of using user credentials for AI agents, and why we must shift from managing secrets to managing access policies.This episode explores real-world use cases for AI agents in financial services and retail, the concept of hybrid versus autonomous agents, and practical advice for identity practitioners looking to get ahead of the agentic AI wave.Visit Aembit: https://aembit.io/idacConnect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgoldschlagConnect with us on LinkedIn:Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/Visit the show on the web at idacpodcast.comTimestamps00:00 - Intro00:51 - Pronunciation of Aembit and the extra 'E'01:56 - David's background: From NSA to Enterprise Security04:58 - The meaning behind the name Aembit06:00 - David's history with The Onion Router (Tor)10:00 - Differentiating Non-Human Access from Workforce IAM11:39 - The security risks of AI Agents using human credentials14:15 - Manage Access, Not Secrets16:00 - Use Cases: Financial Analysts and Retail24:00 - Hybrid Agents vs. Autonomous Agents30:38 - Will we have agentic versions of ourselves?36:45 - How Identity Practitioners can handle the AI wave38:33 - Measuring success and ROI for workload identity43:20 - A blast from the past: DIVX and Circuit City52:15 - ClosingKeywordsIDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Aembit, David Goldschlag, Non-human access, Workload Identity, AI Agents, Machine Identity, Cybersecurity, IAM, InfoSec, Tor, DIVX, Zero Trust, Secrets Management, Authentication, Authorization