

Identity at the Center
Identity at the Center
Identity at the Center is a weekly podcast all about identity security in the context of identity and access management (IAM). With decades of real-world IAM experience, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman bring you conversations with news, topics, and guests from the identity management industry. Do you know who has access to what?
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 4, 2019 • 39min
Identity At The Center #15: KuppingerCole Consumer Identity World Conference Part 2
Jim and Jeff recap intriguing highlights from a recent consumer identity conference. They tackle crucial themes like privacy, consent management, and the implications of data breaches. The duo discusses the impact of GDPR and the tension between true compliance and minimal checkbox tactics. User expectations around multi-factor authentication are on the rise, while consent pop-ups earn their fair share of criticism. The show also delves into the threats posed by deepfakes and stresses the importance of strong connections with law enforcement for effective breach responses.

Oct 2, 2019 • 38min
Identity At The Center #14: KuppingerCole Consumer Identity World Conference Part 1
Jim and Jeff dive into the KuppingerCole Consumer Identity World conference, exploring key workshops and discussions. They debate the impact of evolving IAM guidelines and ponder future protocols like UMA and decentralized identity. The duo examines the imbalance in spending on breach prevention versus detection, highlighting AI's role in enhancing security. They also share insights from a breach response workshop and reflect on the importance of effective media communication during crises. Their conference takeaways include food praise and networking gems.

Sep 27, 2019 • 29min
Identity At The Center #13 - Conference Attendance Strategy with Jaime
Jaime Lewis-Gross, Global Director of Solution Strategy at Saviynt, shares expert insights on selecting conferences that align with professional goals. She discusses the differences between learning-focused and sales-oriented events, highlighting key IAM conferences like RSA and Identiverse. The trio dives into the art of networking, weighing quantity versus quality of connections, and shares their personal philosophies on conference swag and session selection. With tips on managing work while attending, this conversation is packed with practical strategies for maximizing conference attendance.

39 snips
Sep 20, 2019 • 40min
Identity At The Center #12: Battling the Resistance
Discover the top reasons why people resist change when implementing identity access management (IAM) in organizations. The hosts categorize resistance into financial, personal, and strategic buckets, highlighting real-world examples of pushback. They discuss the fears of job loss and discomfort with automation. Learn how to build trust through small, low-risk integrations and the importance of effective communication. They emphasize the need for stakeholder involvement and selling IAM as a valuable product for users.

Sep 13, 2019 • 37min
Identity At The Center #11: Managing IAM in the Hybrid Cloud
Morgan McNamara, an engineer at Identropy with expertise in cloud migrations and IAM, dives into the complexities of managing identities across multi-cloud environments. He discusses why organizations adopt multi-cloud strategies and the challenges posed by mergers and acquisitions. Morgan emphasizes the importance of centralized identity management for visibility and control, sharing insights on strong authentication and secrets management. He also highlights the value of collaborating with development teams to successfully implement IAM practices.

Sep 6, 2019 • 43min
Identity At The Center #10 - South of the Border with Arturo Cordoba
Arturo Cordoba, Senior Advisor on the cybersecurity team at CEMEX, shares insights into identity and access management (IAM) in Mexico. He discusses the regional differences in IAM maturity compared to the U.S., challenges in sourcing talent, and the impact of remote work culture. Arturo highlights the importance of creativity in hiring and the typical business use cases for IAM. He also explores the role of blockchain in identity solutions and the implications of privacy regulations like GDPR, shedding light on the evolving landscape of digital identity.

Aug 30, 2019 • 36min
Identity At The Center #9: Authentication Talk with Mario from Callsign
Mario Dusaj, a solutions architect at Callsign, shares his expertise on creating seamless, user-friendly authentication experiences. He discusses the transformative role of AI/ML in real-time authentication and emphasizes the importance of behavioral biometrics. Mario outlines five key elements for effective authentication: speed, accuracy, intelligence, flexibility, and ease of use. He also highlights the significance of adaptive methods and user consent, making a case for integrating authenticators into applications to enhance user experience.

13 snips
Aug 23, 2019 • 39min
Identity At The Center #8: Talking IAM with Ash Motiwala
Join Ash Motiwala, Managing Partner and co-CEO at Identropy, as he dives into the evolving world of Identity and Access Management (IAM). Hear about the origins of Identropy and the driving force behind its founding. Ash shares insights on transitioning from implementation to advisory services and developing innovative products like Squid. Discover emerging technologies such as analytics and adaptive authentication, and the implications of privacy regulations like GDPR on future IAM trends.

15 snips
Aug 16, 2019 • 45min
Identity At The Center #7: How the IAM Value Proposition Has Changed
Luis Almeida, VP of Business Development at Identropy with over 15 years in identity management, shares insights on the evolving IAM value proposition. He highlights the transition from IT optimization to governance, driven by regulations like SOX. The discussion covers the challenges of early implementations, the significance of access visibility, and how data breaches have heightened security concerns. Luis also critiques the current hype around AI in IAM while advocating for practical integrations with behavior analytics.

14 snips
Aug 9, 2019 • 33min
Identity At The Center #6: Black Hat 2019
At the Black Hat conference, a deep dive into the world of cybersecurity unfolds. Warshipping, a method of using mailed devices for network attacks, raises eyebrows. The talk shifts to military changes, like wearable identity tokens replacing CACs, enhancing security but presenting new risks. Deepfakes enter the conversation, revealing how AI creates convincing impersonations. Detection methods are discussed, emphasizing physical indicators and industry responses. Overall, attendees gain insights into future threats and innovative solutions.


