Key Topics:

• Why AI removes the development bottleneck in IAM — but exposes the real one: requirements definition
• The danger of saying yes too easily: how AI makes it tempting to build what should never be built
• Security risks in AI-generated IAM code: what the research actually shows
• A seven-step framework for evaluating any IAM customization before writing a single line
• The customization registry: how to build transparency and governance into what already exists
• When to stop customizing and ask whether the platform itself is the wrong tool

⚠️ "AI makes code cheap but the bottleneck in IAM was never primarily creating the code." Patrick Teichmann on why removing the development barrier without fixing requirements definition is a recipe for a new generation of Lotus Notes.
📄 Patrick's advisory note on IAM Customization Governance is published on the KuppingerCole Analysts website now; watch this episode first, then dive into the research.

Key Topics:

✅ The LocalAI attack: 23 unprotected MCP servers, root access in minutes, military data exposed
✅ Is MCP a new security problem or just a new label for old ones?
✅ The Deadbugs attack: how tool descriptions were silently poisoned to manipulate AI agents
✅ Who is responsible for MCP security: Anthropic, the vendor, or you?
✅ Tool poisoning, prompt injection, and the gaps between AppSec, NetSec, and endpoint teams
✅ Monday morning recommendations: what to actually do about MCP security right now

🔐 "Models reason, APIs act, and identity grants the authority to act" Alexei Balaganski's one-line summary of why MCP security cannot be solved by a single tool or a single team.

📅 MCP is a symptom, not the disease, join KuppingerCole Analysts at the upcoming AIdentity & NHI Impact Day, CIAM Impact Day, and Identity-Centric Cybersecurity Summit events in Germany to continue this conversation in person.

Key Topics:

✅ Orchestration inside the Identity Fabric: capability, not product category
✅ Integration debt: how organizations quietly accumulate orchestration they no longer understand
✅ The Lotus Notes warning: what vibe coding and no-code/low-code get wrong at scale
✅ Why AI can document and test code — but still doesn't understand what it's doing
✅ Start with orchestration strategy, not the tool — and always ask "how do I get rid of this?"
✅ Ownership and governance: who is responsible for orchestration artifacts when people leave?

🪷 "Lotus Notes: a wonderful example of where vibe coding went rogue — organizations ending up with thousands of databases, not knowing who did it, why, or if it's still needed." Sound familiar? Martin Kuppinger on why orchestration governance is non-negotiable.

📅 Join KuppingerCole Analysts at the AIdentity & NHI Impact Day on October 6th in Munich

Key Topics:

✅ Why SSPM is passé — and why SaaS Security and AI Governance belong together
✅ Shadow IT, shadow SaaS, shadow AI: the same problem at increasing speed and scale
✅ Discovery as the foundational capability: you can't govern what you can't see
✅ Where to sniff: browser plugins, email, endpoints, identity providers, and procurement systems
✅ AI agents as a new identity type — and why the controls for humans and NHIs are converging
✅ Market outlook: the AI side is hitting another gear, and acquisitions are coming

🔍 "The majority of SaaS and AI applications are still unknown to the IT and security team." Matthew Gardiner on why discovery is the gating capability — and why most organizations haven't closed that gap yet.

Key Topics:

✅ AI in software development: from hype to structural baseline — but governance is still improvised
✅ Three tectonic shifts in AppSec: provenance, scale, and non-human identity
✅ Why organizations have industrialized code production but not code assurance
✅ The core question: can you trust AI to verify AI-generated code?
✅ Agent autonomy in production pipelines — the next flashpoint nobody has resolved yet
✅ How regulation (CRA, NIS2, DORA) will settle the provenance argument before the market does

⚡ "We have industrialized code production. We have not industrialized code assurance." Jonathan Care on why the security control set was built for human-authored code moving at human speed — and neither assumption is true anymore.

📅 Join KuppingerCole Analysts at the AIdentity & NHI Impact Day in Munich this October — where the accountability and provenance questions raised in this episode will be front and center.

Key Topics:

✅ Anthropic's multi-agent experiment: three Claude instances, one codebase, unexpected outcomes
✅ Why coordination does not emerge naturally from intelligence — in agents or in humans
✅ The anthropomorphism trap: why comparing agents to dogs, kids, and wizards is useful but dangerous
✅ Social pressure, mechanisms, and the open research problem of agent cooperation
✅ Risk tolerance as a prerequisite for any agentic architecture — and how to define it
✅ Why correlated agents without coordination break your redundancy and business continuity assumptions

🤖 "If agents are highly correlated but lack coordination, redundancy does not provide the risk diversification we would expect." Jonathan Care on why multi-agent systems are a different beast and why CISOs need to treat them that way.

📅 Join KuppingerCole Analysts at the AIdentity & NHI Impact Day on October 6th in Munich where many of the open questions raised in this episode will be on the agenda

Key Topics:

✅ IVIP revisited: still a set of capabilities, not a platform — and vendors are mostly relabeling
✅ Can AI make IVIP obsolete before it ever becomes a mature category?
✅ How AI is finally tackling IGA's oldest unsolved problem: application integration at scale
✅ Why IVIP falls short on action — spotting anomalies is not the same as acting on them
✅ IVIP, ITDR, and IGA convergence: does the category distinction even matter anymore?
✅ Strategic advice for IVIP vendors: observability, automation, and the path to relevance

🤖 "The MVP can frequently be done well with AI doing it at scale, manageable, as a real solution and not a set of homegrown tools? That is a very different story." Martin Kuppinger on why AI changes everything for IVIP — and nothing at once.

📅 Don't miss the KuppingerCole Analysts Identity Fabric Impact Day on September 9th in Cologne 

Key Topics:

✅ Why the "digital sovereignty" conversation has gone wrong — and what Alcatraz has to do with it
✅ The only correct definition of sovereignty: can you keep operating when a dependency disappears?
✅ Why sovereignty is just business continuity engineering — not a procurement decision
✅ How sovereign Europe really is today: the numbers are worse than you think
✅ Why "buy European" is a political preference, not a security strategy
✅ Decentralization, crypto agility, and distributed storage as practical sovereignty tools

🏛️ "Sovereignty is not about who you're buying from, it's about what happens when you can no longer buy from them." Alexei Balaganski on why the European sovereignty debate is asking the wrong question entirely.
🔐 "Nobody, not even the EU, should prescribe how to solve your sovereignty issues." A rare episode with almost no AI but possibly the most important conversation KuppingerCole Analysts has published this year.

Key Topics:

✅ What actually happened: two separate incidents dressed up as one dramatic story
✅ Why the sandbox failure was a containment and design problem — not an AI apocalypse
✅ Jonathan Care's core argument: the breach was credentials, not packets — you can't firewall your way out
✅ Non-human identity and agent identity as the real unsolved problem at the heart of the incident
✅ Secrets sprawl, overprivileged service accounts, and the absence of least privilege for AI agents
✅ Was it a containment failure, an identity failure, an observability failure, or a governance failure?

🐯 "OpenAI had a pet tiger and the tiger escaped, Hugging Face was just walking down the street." Alexei Balaganski on why the most dramatic AI security story of the year was actually two separate failures.
🔐 Four KuppingerCole Analysts experts, one incident, and the identity governance lessons every organization needs to hear.

Key Topics:

✅ How the Identity Fabric is used in practice: maturity assessments, gap analyses, roadmaps, and tool selection
✅ Why the right order always goes capabilities → services → tools — never the other way around
✅ What happens when tools are used for things they were never meant to do
✅ Why organizing teams around capabilities — not tools — is the future of IT operations
✅ The Identity Fabric built for 2040: long-term thinking in a fast-moving market
✅ How the fabric absorbs buzzwords like IVIP, ISPM, and ITDR — and why that proves the concept

🧵 "Every second day someone comes up with a new buzzword, the Identity Fabric helps you strip it down to capabilities and ask: is there really something new here?" Martin Kuppinger on why structured thinking beats buzzword bingo.

📅 This is episode two of KuppingerCole Analysts' fabric mini-series, the Cybersecurity Fabric and AI Security Fabric episodes are coming next. Subscribe so you don't miss them.

Key Topics:

✅ Why zero trust is a strategy, not a product — and what that means for procurement
✅ The four non-negotiable requirements for a real Zero Trust Platform
✅ What separates a genuine platform from a collection of tools with a zero trust label
✅ NHIs, AI agents, and data protection as the new frontiers of zero trust architecture
✅ Three critical questions every RFP for a ZTP should include

🔐 "Stop looking for a Zero Trust Platform" - yes, really. Alexei Balaganski explains why that mindset shift is the most important thing a CISO can do before opening a single RFP.

📊 The KuppingerCole Analysts Zero Trust Platform Buyers Compass and Leadership Compass are both published: watch this episode first, then dive into the research.

Key Topics:

✅ Why the Identity Fabric concept emerged in 2019 — tool sprawl, siloed IAM, and the collapse of the perimeter
✅ What "fabric" actually means: a capability-driven layer connecting all identities to all services
✅ Why capabilities should define tools — not the other way around
✅ How the fabric concept scales to cybersecurity and AI security architectures
✅ The fabric in practice: maturity assessments, requirements analysis, and target operating models
✅ A look ahead to 2040: why the core principles are built to last

"The job of identity management is to provide seamless access for everyone and everything to every service" — seven years on, that definition still holds. Find out why in this episode.

📅 This is the first episode of a new series on the fabric paradigm, covering Identity Fabric, Cybersecurity Fabric, and AI Security Fabric.

Key Topics:

✅ Why "we can build it cheaper" is almost always a biased and incomplete argument
✅ How the originating perspective (business unit, IT, security) shapes — and distorts — the decision
✅ The most common and costly mistakes organizations make when going the build route
✅ When buying is clearly the better path: expertise gaps, speed, scalability, and vendor roadmaps
✅ Why security and risk must be part of the decision from day one — not an afterthought
✅ A structured, holistic framework for making the right make-or-buy call

"This cheap solution can quickly turn into a security risk, an open attack, a breach — and much more cost than thinking about risk by design." Sound familiar? This episode is for you.

Key Topics:

✅ Why rule-based SOAR has hit a wall — and how AI agents address what it can't
✅ The autonomy dial: why full automation isn't the goal and how to build trust incrementally
✅ Integrations, RAG, and MCP: the new data infrastructure powering AI agents in the SOC
✅ DIY SOC vs. managed providers: how agentic AI is reshuffling the build-vs-buy decision
✅ Where to start: alert triage, phishing, and typosquatting as low-risk entry points
✅ Guardrails, transparency, and the non-deterministic challenge of AI-driven security

"AI agents hate people because they're slow" — but full autonomy isn't the answer either. Find out how leading SOC teams are finding the right balance between speed and control.

This videocast is sponsored by Torq — featured in KuppingerCole's Emerging AI SOC Leadership Compass. Read the report, then watch this session to hear the findings brought to life.

Key Topics:

✅ How IGA has evolved from static, siloed tools to integrated, multi-identity platforms
✅ Non-human identities: IGA vendors are now covering NHI governance — and customers are demanding it
✅ Where IGA still falls short: role mining, anomaly detection, policy simulation, and workflow automation
✅ The deployment model debate: SaaS vs. on-premise vs. hybrid — and the feature parity problem
✅ EU sovereignty as a competitive differentiator for European IGA vendors
✅ What's coming next: real-time governance, access intelligence, and a new IGA report category

44 vendors evaluated, a surge of newcomers, and a market quietly reinventing itself — the KuppingerCole IGA Leadership Compass is out now and covers everything discussed in this episode.

Key Topics:

✅ Agentic AI as a new class of insider threat — autonomous, non-deterministic, and without ethics
✅ Data-centric defense vs. agent discovery: protect the vault, not the crowd
✅ Why dynamic authorization and behavior analytics are the IAM industry's urgent next step
✅ Data sovereignty and geopolitics: eroding trust in non-European SaaS vendors
✅ AuthZEN wins the EIC Award — a standard built before anyone knew the problem it would solve
✅ Martin Kuppinger's closing keynote: "Everything we failed to solve in the past decades bites back now"

"An agent behaves like a human insider threat — but without any sense of right or wrong." If your IAM program isn't ready for that, this episode is required listening.

Key Topics:
✅ Why B2B IAM sits between workforce IAM and CIAM — and why neither alone is sufficient
✅ Delegated administration: handing identity governance to partner and supplier organizations
✅ Federation, lifecycle management, and the risks of trusting external HR processes
✅ "Know Your Business" — vetting organizations, sanctions screening, and org-level trust
✅ Fine-grained authorization: why RBAC falls short and ABAC/RBAC are taking over
✅ Agentic AI in B2B IAM: agents acting on behalf of external organizations

Supply chains with thousands of partner organizations, freelancers with hour-long access windows, and AI agents acting on behalf of external companies B2B IAM has to handle all of it. KuppingerCole Analysts' first B2B IAM Leadership Compass is out now read it alongside this episode to get the full picture of an emerging market you can't afford to ignore.

Key Topics:

✅ What CDNs are and why they're no longer optional for competitive organizations
✅ How CDN and DDoS mitigation differ — and where they overlap
✅ Cache busting, HTTP floods, Slowloris and other real-world attack vectors
✅ Why "security-first CDN" is fundamentally different from "CDN with security bolted on"
✅ What CISOs and infrastructure leaders should look for when evaluating CDN solutions
✅ How to measure CDN value from day one: round trip time and time to render

A CDN without security is just a bigger target — find out why building security in from the ground up changes everything.

Key Topics:

✅ How the definition of "privilege" has shifted from admin accounts to dynamic runtime identity capabilities
✅ PAM convergence with IGA, CIEM, ITDR, SIEM, and SOAR — the end of the standalone PAM product
✅ Non-Human Identities (NHIs) and agentic AI: the silent accumulation of machine privilege
✅ Just-in-time access: the gap between concept and operational reality
✅ Deployment sovereignty: who controls the keys to the kingdom — SaaS, on-prem, or hybrid?
✅ AI and ML in PAM: separating genuine innovation from marketing inflation

"Most enterprises can tell you the number of employees they have — very few can tell you the number of machine identities." If that sounds familiar, this episode is for you.

Key Topics:

✅ What Attack Surface Management is and its four subcategories (CAASM, EASM, TPRM, DRP)
✅ How Digital Risk Protection monitors dark web, social media, and hacker forums
✅ What Brand Protection adds on top of DRP — from takedown services to counterfeit detection
✅ DRP vs. Brand Protection: lightweight vs. full-spectrum — and when you need which
✅ Why brand reach matters more than company size when assessing risk
✅ What KuppingerCole research is available now — and what's coming in August

Someone may be selling counterfeit versions of your product right now — or impersonating your brand online. DRP and Brand Protection tools exist to catch exactly that.

Check out KuppingerCole's Brand Protection Buyer's Compass here.

300 episodes already? Time flies when you're having fun! In this 300th Episode of the KuppingerCole Analyst Chat, Matthias sits down with Distinguished Analyst Martin Kuppinger to unpack one of the most urgent, and underestimated, security challenges facing organizations right now: employees building and deploying their own AI agents, with no governance, no oversight, and no accountability.

Key topics:

✅ What "shadow agents" are and why they're fundamentally different from shadow IT or shadow AI
✅ Why vibe coding means anyone, not just developers, can now deploy autonomous agents inside your systems
✅ How AI agents massively expand the attack surface through prompt injection, data exfiltration, and uncontrolled access
✅ Why discovery and resource-side controls must happen in parallel and why neither alone is enough
✅ What organizations can actually do to gain control without just shutting everything down

The bottom line: there's a thin line between agents that help your business and agents that harm it. Right now, most organizations can't tell the difference.

Key Topics:

✅ Why agentic AI breaks traditional, deterministic access models
✅ The concept of "AIdentity" — what makes AI agent identity fundamentally different
✅ Can the Identity Fabric scale to meet AI security demands?
✅ Discovery, authorization, and governance as the pillars of an AI Security Fabric
✅ The geopolitical divide: US "move fast" vs. EU "govern first"
✅ Token delegation as the hardest unsolved problem in AI security today

"We didn't build IAM for a world where the actor, the path, and the destination are all unknown until the moment of access" so what do we build instead? Find out in this episode.

🎙️ Catch Martin, Matthias, and Darran at the European Identity & Cloud Conference (EIC) in Berlin this May and get a head start on the conversation right here.

Key topics:

✅ Why deterministic security has run its course — and what comes next
✅ The "two-sided coin" model: rules-based vs. probabilistic AI approaches
✅ Where AI genuinely outperforms traditional methods (and where it doesn't)
✅ Risks, hallucinations, and how to build trust in AI-driven security systems
✅ The AI SOC in practice: triage, agents, and phased adoption
✅ Market outlook: pricing shifts, platform vs. startup dynamics, and data sovereignty

AI isn't replacing the security rulebook — it's completing the other half of it. Catch Matthew Gardiner live at EIC Berlin in May, and explore his advisory note and AI SOC Leadership Compass.

Key topics:

✅ What AIdentity means and why it's more urgent than ever
✅ Why AI agents can't be treated like standard non-human identities
✅ The identity relationship challenge — from simple access to complex agent meshes
✅ Why "human in the loop" is mostly a misconception
✅ The role of verifiable credentials and decentralised identity in securing agents
✅ Where security and identity leaders should start today

💡 Traditional IAM was built for humans. Agentic AI plays by entirely different rules.

Key topics:

✅ What "AI Identity" means and why it's more than just a service account
✅ The dangers of agent impersonation and the "ClaudeBot dumpster fire"
✅ Authorization collapse, what happens when agents bypass security policies
✅ The limits of "human in the loop" as a security strategy
✅ Two new market categories: AVOP and ATDR
✅ Immediate actions CISOs and architects can take today

AI is already in your organization, the question is whether you can see it. Stay tuned for upcoming KuppingerCole research on AVOP and ATDR, and catch Martin, Jonathan, and Matthias live at EIC Berlin in May.

Key Topics:

✅ Why enterprise tech buying is broken — and what's missing from analyst rankings
✅ What the Product Value Navigator is and how it works
✅ How KuppingerCole independently validates ROI through real customer interviews and financial modeling
✅ Who the PVN is built for: CISOs, IT leaders, procurement teams, and vendors
✅ The first published PVN: ManageEngine PAM360 — 219% independently validated ROI
✅ What's next on the PVN roadmap: flexible modeling tools and competitive analysis

In a world flooded with vendor-funded research and AI-generated content, truly independent economic validation has never been more valuable, or more necessary.

In this episode of the Analyst Chat, KuppingerCole analysts Matthias Reinwarth and Warwick Ashford dive into one of cybersecurity’s most overlooked domains: OT (Operational Technology) security. As industrial systems become increasingly connected, the traditional boundaries between IT and OT are dissolving, bringing new risks and new security imperatives.

Key Topics

✅ The rise of Secure Remote Access (SRA) in OT environments
✅ Why VPN-based access falls short for industrial systems
✅ Zero Trust and identity as the new security control plane
✅ Regulatory drivers (e.g., NIS2) and auditability requirements
✅ Convergence of PAM, SRA, and third-party access governance
✅ The growing role of non-human identities in Industry 4.0

Identity is no longer just part of security, it is the control plane for modern cybersecurity.

Key topics:

✅ Consumer vs. B2B IAM segmentation
✅ Passkeys adoption and UX gaps
✅ Identity lifecycle and account recovery
✅ CIAM integrations and platform ecosystems
✅ AI agents and identity governance

Increasing scale, regulatory pressure, and user expectations are reshaping CIAM requirements. AI agents begin to act on behalf of users, introducing new risks, but also new opportunities for automation and innovation.

This week, Matthias Reinwarth and Jonathan Care explore how misinformation and disinformation are reshaping cybersecurity and enterprise risk. They clarify the difference between the two, examine how AI is accelerating the creation of deceptive content, and discuss why traditional trust models are breaking down.

Key Topics

✅ Misinformation vs. disinformation: definitions and impact
✅ Deepfakes, voice cloning, and synthetic identity risks
✅ The “liar’s dividend” and erosion of trust
✅ Emotional manipulation vs. factual accuracy
✅ Enterprise attack vectors and real-world fraud cases
✅ Pre-bunking, awareness training, and process-based defenses

AI has industrialized deception: are your security controls keeping up? In a world of perfect fakes, trust is no longer a given, it’s a security problem.

This week Matthias Reinwarth and Matthew Gardiner discuss the evolution of security automation with the introduction of AI SOC (Security Operations Center). They explore the challenges of alert fatigue, the importance of human oversight, and the cautious optimism surrounding AI's role in cybersecurity. The conversation delves into the balance between automation and human intervention, the trust issues associated with AI systems, and the current landscape of vendors in the AI SOC market. They conclude with insights on the future of AI in security and the potential impact on managed detection and response services.

Key Topics:
✅ Evolution from SOAR to AI-powered SOC
✅ Using AI agents as junior security analysts
✅ Managing alert fatigue and SOC analyst burnout
✅ Balancing automation with human oversight
✅ Explainability and trust in AI security systems
✅ Impact of AI SOC on MDR and security service providers

AI is reshaping SOC operations—but fully autonomous security is still far away. Discover why AI agents may become the “junior analysts” of the modern SOC, handling repetitive tasks while humans focus on complex decisions.

Key Topics:
✅ AI is mathematics — not intelligence
✅ The biggest AI usage mistakes in companies
✅ Data leakage & third-party risks
✅ Prompt engineering made simple
✅ Context limits & hallucinations
✅ Building a responsible AI culture

💡Practice “Zero trust for AI”, skepticism is your strongest security control!
💡AI can boost productivity, but only if you stay responsible, transparent, and in control.

You’ll learn:
✅ What the Identity Fabric architecture actually is (and what it is not)
✅ Why IAM silos and legacy systems create integration and security risks
✅ How federated, API-based architectures improve interoperability
✅ The rise of non-human identities and AI agents — and how to manage them
✅ Why convergence and orchestration are critical for Zero Trust
✅ How organizations can transition from fragmented IAM to a fabric model

Whether you are a CISO, IAM architect, or security leader, understanding how to evolve toward an Identity Fabric approach is critical to reducing complexity, enabling Zero Trust, and future-proofing your identity strategy.

In this episode, Matthias Reinwarth and Martin Kuppinger challenge the way organizations approach access reviews. Instead of endlessly optimizing broken campaigns, they ask a more fundamental question: What if we eliminated most of recertification altogether?

Key topics:
✅ Why traditional access certification campaigns fail
✅ How overengineered role models create complexity and “rubber stamping”
✅ Why 80–90% of entitlements can be automated via policy
✅ How time-limited access dramatically reduces review effort
✅ Where AI and usage analytics can safely remove unused permissions
✅ Why static entitlements and standing privileges are the real root cause
✅ How modern authorization (e.g., externalized policy models) changes the game

The discussion also touches on the 50-year legacy of IBM RACF and why we still haven’t fully embraced externalized authorization — despite knowing better since 1976.

If you struggle with 70-page access review PDFs, role explosion, or endless recertification campaigns, this episode offers practical, implementable guidance — much of it possible with capabilities you already have in place.

In this week's episode of the KuppingerCole Analyst Chat, Matthias welcomes Matthew Gardiner for his first appearance to unpack one of the fastest-growing security domains: SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) and why that name may already be too narrow. Today’s organizations run on hundreds of SaaS applications. Many are sanctioned. Many aren’t. Some are connected via OAuth. Others are quietly leaking data through AI tools. And most security teams don’t have full visibility.

In this conversation, we explore:
✅ What SSPM actually means (and why the “PM” might be limiting)
✅ How Shadow IT evolved into Shadow SaaS and Shadow AI
✅ The intersection of identity and cybersecurity in SaaS environments
✅ Misconfiguration risks, MFA bypass, OAuth sprawl & SaaS drift
✅ Why continuous monitoring beats periodic audits
✅ CASB vs SSPM vs CNAPP — where the lines blur
✅ The growing governance challenge in AI-powered SaaS
✅ Why SaaS security can’t be ignored anymore

If your organization uses SaaS (spoiler: it does), this discussion is not optional.

Join us in this Road to EIC episode of the KuppingerCole Analyst Chat where Matthias speaks with Martin Kuppinger about what decentralized identity actually means, how EUDI Wallets work, and why their success depends on real business value. Tune in to learn how verifiable credentials, issuer-holder-verifier models, and privacy-preserving architectures could fundamentally reshape authentication, onboarding, and digital transactions across Europe.

You’ll learn:
✅ What decentralized identity and verifiable credentials actually are
✅ How the EUDI Wallet changes control over personal data
✅ Why trust depends on implementation, not just technology
✅ The difference between mandatory use cases and real adoption
✅ How businesses can reduce costs and streamline processes
✅ Why success requires compelling everyday use scenarios
✅ What organizations should do now to prepare

Beyond government interactions, the real potential lies in transforming complex business processes, from onboarding and compliance to loans, contracts, and digital transactions using trusted, reusable identity data. The EUDI Wallet isn’t just a new login method, it’s foundational infrastructure for Europe’s digital economy. Watch now to understand what decentralized identity means for enterprises, citizens, and the future of trust online.

In this episode of the Analyst Chat, Matthias Reinwarth is joined by David Brossard, contributor and co-chair of the OpenID AuthZEN Working Group, and Phillip Messerschmidt, Lead Advisor at KuppingerCole, to discuss how authorization is evolving — and why AuthZEN is a critical missing standard.

You’ll learn:
✅ Why RBAC is still relevant, but no longer sufficient on its own
✅ How ABAC and PBAC address scalability, context, and dynamic access
✅ Why role explosion and authorization silos limit visibility and governance
✅ How runtime, continuous authorization supports Zero Trust architectures
✅ What AuthZEN standardizes — and what it deliberately does not
✅ How externalized authorization improves auditability and compliance
✅ Why CISOs and architects should start asking vendors for AuthZEN support
✅ How AuthZEN fits into the Identity Fabric and Road to EIC vision

Authentication has been standardized for years — authorization is finally catching up.

Watch now to understand how AuthZEN enables scalable, future-proof authorization for modern applications, APIs, and identity fabrics.

You’ll learn:

✅ Why authentication protocols depend entirely on cryptography
✅ How “harvest now, decrypt later” (HNDL) already puts identity data at risk
✅ Why identity, not data encryption, is the weakest point in a quantum future
✅ What post-quantum cryptography standards (FIPS 203, 204, 205) change — and what they don’t
✅ How Passkeys and FIDO2 are quietly becoming post-quantum ready
✅ Why PKI, certificates, federation, and non-human identities face massive scale challenges
✅ What crypto agility really means for IAM and Zero Trust
✅ A practical 4-phase roadmap for CISOs to start preparing today

 The biggest risk isn’t a future quantum computer — it’s the long-lived certificates and identity data issued today.

In this episode, we explore:

✅ Why Zero Trust is a strategy, not a product
✅ The limitations of ZTNA in modern hybrid and cloud environments
✅ What defines a Zero Trust Platform
✅ Universal access enforcement across human and non-human identities
✅ Continuous trust evaluation and intelligent segmentation
✅ Unified visibility, analytics, and policy enforcement
✅ How vendors and organizations should think about Zero Trust moving forward

🚀 If you care about identity, cybersecurity, AI risk, or future-proof security architectures, this conversation is for you.

This episode of the KuppingerCole Analyst Chat shifts the focus from analyst predictions to the perspective of end-user organizations and their real-world challenges in IAM and cybersecurity. Matthias Reinwarth speaks with Reiner Mertens and Charlene Spasic, KC Advisors with a focus on identity strategy, governance, and enterprise programs, specializing in IAM transformation and advisory practice. The discussion goes beyond technology to cover organizational aspects such as governance, compliance, processes, and policies, as well as the implications of modern Target Operating Models.

You’ll learn:
✅ Why operability is the biggest IAM challenge for many organizations
✅ How unclear ownership and overlapping responsibilities undermine IAM success
✅ Why IGA modernization is rarely a one-off project — but a long-term program
✅ How Privileged Access Management (PAM) is evolving beyond password vaulting
✅ The growing importance of non-human identities (NHIs) and automation
✅ How regulation (NIS2, DORA) increases urgency — but doesn’t replace good architecture
✅ Why data quality, governance, and business alignment are foundational to IAM

Rather than making abstract predictions, this episode focuses on real patterns, structural issues, and practical improvements advisors see across industries. Watch now to understand how IAM, PAM, governance, and identity architecture must evolve in 2026 and beyond.

You’ll learn:
✅ Why traditional cybersecurity predictions are becoming less reliable
✅ How geopolitical, economic, and societal shifts are shaping cyber risk
✅ Whether cybersecurity can exist without AI — and where AI actually fits
✅ Why governance, accountability, and responsibility matter more than tools
✅ What’s flying under the radar in AI and cybersecurity today
✅ The risks of AI hype, long-lived permissions, and autonomous agents
✅ Why agility and resilience should be your cybersecurity mantra for 2026

📌 This discussion focuses on patterns, risks, and preparation strategies security leaders should consider as AI and cyber threats continue to accelerate.
🔒 Watch now to understand how to think critically about AI, cybersecurity, governance, and resilience in 2026.

In this videocast, Osman Celik speaks with Dmitriy Loshakov from QRator Labs to explore how automated data collection has evolved from simple crawling into highly adaptive, human-like scraping attacks that operate invisibly.

You’ll learn:

✅ What web scraping actually is (and why not all scraping is malicious)
✅ How AI-powered scrapers mimic real user behavior with mouse movements, delays & clicks
✅ Why classic defenses like CAPTCHAs and JS challenges no longer stop modern bots
✅ The industries hit hardest — from e-commerce and travel to betting, finance, and media
✅ How organizations can defend themselves using behavioral analysis & intent detection
✅ Why the future of cybersecurity is officially AI vs. AI

📉 With intelligent scrapers bypassing most legacy defenses and blending in with real users, organizations must rethink how they detect and mitigate automated threats.

🔒 Watch now to understand how to protect your data, your users, and your business from today’s invisible AI-driven bots.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

✅ What happened during the Cloudflare outage and why it was so disruptive
✅ How platformization and consolidation increased systemic risk
✅ The shift from decentralized internet ideals to dependency on global platforms
✅ Lock-in challenges: hyperscalers, CDNs, and cloud services
✅ Understanding the hidden risks of convenience and integration
✅ Why organizations neglect risk management and how to correct it
✅ Business impact analysis: mapping critical services and dependencies
✅ How to architect for resilience, failover, and exit strategies

💡 Your Next Step: Evaluate your digital supply chain, map your dependencies, and identify where platform concentration creates unacceptable business risk. Small architectural decisions today can dramatically reduce the impact of tomorrow’s outages.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ Emerging IAM threats: AI agents with broad system access
✅ Managing the IAM tool zoo and avoiding integration chaos
✅ Identity Fabric: building a flexible, future-proof IAM architecture
✅ Continuous and passwordless authentication: improving security and user experience
✅ Automation and orchestration: reducing human intervention in IAM processes
✅ Shared signals, data-driven decisions, and overcoming alert fatigue
✅ Preparing for non-human and agentic AI identities

💡 Stay ahead in IAM by evaluating your organization’s readiness for AI-driven identities, passwordless authentication, and automated governance. Use these insights to plan your 2026 IAM strategy and ensure your tools, processes, and policies are prepared for the next wave of innovation.

In this video, Osman Celik speaks again with Andrey Leskin from QRator Labs to explore the capabilities organizations need to protect their web applications, APIs, and users from today’s most advanced threats.

You’ll learn:

✅ The three core threat vectors: DDoS attacks, web application attacks, and malicious bots
✅ Why traditional WAFs are no longer enough to protect modern applications
✅ How WAAP solutions combine WAF, bot mitigation, API protection, and DDoS defense
✅ How attackers use low-and-slow techniques, scraping, and AI-driven bots to mimic real users
✅ Why half of all internet traffic is bots — and how to distinguish good bots from malicious ones
✅ How QRator Labs unifies Anti-DDoS, WAF, and Anti-Bot into a single platform and single point of truth

📈 With automated attacks, scraping, and bot-driven abuse increasing across every industry, organizations need a holistic approach to defending their web applications.

🔒 Watch now to learn how WAAP, WAF, Anti-Bot, and DDoS mitigation come together in one platform to protect your business.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

• Apple's Digital ID implementation in selected US states
• The fundamental difference between ID cards and verifiable credentials
• Why current wallet solutions fall short of their potential
• Real-world use cases: employee onboarding and bank loan automation
• The device-bound limitation problem
• Standards and interoperability (mDoc, ISO, FIDO)
• How enterprises should prepare for multiple wallet ecosystems
• Comparison with EUDI Wallet and other digital identity initiatives

💡 Expert Insights: Martin Kuppinger explains why the real value of digital identity wallets lies far beyond simple ID verification, exploring complex scenarios involving hundreds or thousands of verifiable credentials for business process automation.

They get into the risks of attempting to retrofit governance after AI systems are already deployed and explain why provenance must be built directly into data and model workflows.

 Key Topics Covered:
✅ AI data provenance is a new and urgent issue.
✅ Low-quality data leads to poor AI outcomes.
✅ Auditing and compliance are essential for AI systems.
✅ Organizations must establish governance for AI data.
✅ Data catalogs and traceability are foundational.
✅ Prepare for AI regulations like GDPR.
✅ Start small and apply a risk-based approach.
✅ Never trust, always verify your data sources.

Together, they unpack:

✅ What IT governance really is — and how it bridges strategy and operations
✅ The differences (and overlaps) between strategy, governance, and compliance
✅ Why the “1.5 line of defense” model helps close crucial gaps
✅ The role of target operating models in making governance work at scale
✅ How to bring stakeholders, processes, and tools together effectively
✅ Practical steps to start improving governance today — without boiling the ocean

Whether you’re shaping governance for a large enterprise or just beginning to formalize your processes, this conversation delivers real-world insights from active advisory work with end-user organizations.

They unpack:

✅ Why cyberattacks surge during holidays
✅ How to close your organization’s biggest security gaps
✅ The importance of automated responses and real-time monitoring
✅ Why good backups (and tested restores!) still matter
✅ How a “cyber health check” can save your business from disaster

📈 Whether you’re a security professional or a business leader, these insights will help you strengthen your defenses during the holidays and beyond.

In this episode, Matthias Reinwarth and Warwick Ashford explore IPSIE (Interoperability Profiling for Secure Identity in the Enterprise), how it improves interoperability, enforces secure defaults, and provides measurable maturity levels for enterprise identity management.

🔹 Key Topics Covered:

✅ What IPSIE is and why it matters for enterprise identity 🧠
✅ How fragmentation of SaaS and cloud identity systems increases risk
✅ Opinionated profiles and secure, consistent standard implementation
✅ Maturity levels for session lifecycle, account lifecycle, and entitlements
✅ How IPSIE fits into the broader Identity Fabric strategy
✅ Current limitations: focus on human identities and next steps for non-human accounts

💡 IPSIE doesn’t reinvent identity standards, it helps organizations implement what they already have consistently and securely, creating a foundation for stronger enterprise security.

In this episode, Matthias Reinwarth and Martin Kuppinger explore how organizations can design future-ready identity fabrics, avoid tool sprawl, and build the platformized IAM architectures needed to thrive in a fast-changing digital landscape.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ What the “Identity Fabric 2040” means for IAM strategies 🧠
✅ The rise of orchestration, signals & API-first design
✅ Avoiding IAM tool sprawl and capability duplication
✅ Platformization vs. best-of-breed: what really works?
✅ Why outcome-driven IAM is the only sustainable approach
✅ How signals redefine authentication, authorization & user experience

💡 Your IAM decisions today shape the next 15 years. Are you building for 2040—or already falling behind?

The discussion highlights how even well-established organizations can become targets of sophisticated, long-term attacks — and what this means for the future of software supply chain security.

Together, Matthias and Jonathan examine how incidents like this can happen, what lessons can be learned across the industry, and how companies can strengthen resilience, transparency, and response capabilities in their own environments.

Key topics covered:

✅ Understanding the dynamics of modern supply chain attacks ⚠️
✅ Why detection and dwell time remain a major industry challenge
✅ The growing importance of vendor risk and software transparency
✅ Lessons learned for CISOs and IT leaders
✅ Practical measures to improve visibility and response
✅ Why collaboration and information sharing are key to resilience

🕸️ Even trusted systems can hide a few ghosts — are you ready to uncover yours?

They explore how a Target Operating Model (TOM) helps define why and how your IAM should work before deciding on technology. Patrick shares insights from real projects, explaining how to align business goals, processes, and governance to achieve long-term success.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ Why IAM projects often fail due to tool-first thinking
✅ How a Target Operating Model sets the foundation for IAM success
✅ The role of governance, people, and processes in effective IAM
✅ Real-world examples of aligning strategy and technology
✅ How to evaluate tools after defining your IAM capabilities

They explore how autonomous AI systems could fill the cyber skills gap, automate incident response, and even act as digital coworkers in SOC environments. But how far can we trust them—and will humans still have a place in the loop?

Key topics covered:

✅ What AI agents really are—and how they differ from traditional automation
✅ The role of AI in SOCs, incident response, and threat detection
✅ Can AI agents help close the cybersecurity skills gap?
✅ Risks of rogue or “hallucinating” AI systems
✅ Why access governance and identity management are critical for AI agents
✅ The future of cybersecurity jobs in the age of automation

Breaches are everywhere, data is constantly being leaked, and GDPR fines haven’t stopped surveillance capitalism or shady data brokers. In this episode of the Analyst Chat, Matthias Reinwarth is joined by Mike Small and Jonathan Care to explore whether privacy still has meaning — or if resilience and risk management are the only ways forward.

They debate:

✅ Is privacy truly dead, or just evolving?
✅Why regulations like GDPR often miss the mark ⚖️
✅How cyber resilience is becoming more critical than “traditional” privacy
✅The personal, societal, and legal dimensions of privacy
✅What organizations (and individuals) can still do to protect data

Key Topics Covered:

✅ KPIs vs KRIs in IAM: what they are and how they differ
✅ Aligning IAM metrics with business goals and governance
✅ Onboarding & offboarding metrics for efficiency and risk reduction
✅ MFA adoption and help desk tickets as signals of IAM maturity
✅ Developer enablement and API adoption as success factors
✅ Mapping IAM indicators to risk frameworks and security posture
✅ Adapting KPIs/KRIs for non-human identities (NHI)

💡 If you’re working in IAM, identity governance, MFA strategy, or security architecture, this discussion will help you build meaningful metrics that prove value and strengthen your identity program.

Key Topics Covered:

✅ What IVIP actually is and how it fits into IAM
✅ The connection between IVIP and the Identity Fabric approach
✅ Risks of marketing buzzwords in identity management
✅ When a new platform really brings value—and when it doesn’t
✅ What organizations should focus on instead of chasing hype

💡 If you’re working in identity, access governance, ITDR, IGA, or security architecture, this conversation will help you decide whether IVIP deserves a place in your roadmap—or if it’s just hype.

How to evolve from legacy systems to a future-proof IAM strategy without breaking existing operations? Why interoperability matters? What are the most common pitfalls organizations face when trying to modernize IAM? Find the answer to these questions and more in this episode!

Key Topics Covered:

• Identity Fabric explained through a powerful “airport” analogy ✈️
• How to design IAM programs in brownfield environments (no rip & replace)
• Capability-driven approach vs. tool-driven decisions
• Risk-based prioritization: quick wins, big wins & roadmaps
• Common pitfalls to avoid when modernizing IAM

💡 Whether you’re just starting your IAM journey or looking to operationalize interoperability at scale, this episode is packed with practical strategies and lessons learned.

You’ll learn:

• What DDoS attacks are and how they work across layers 3, 4, and 7
• Why Layer 7 (application-layer) attacks are the fastest-growing and hardest to detect
• How attackers are building massive botnets (millions of compromised devices)
• Real-world DDoS incidents hitting FinTech, e-commerce, and media sectors
• The differences between scrubbing capacity and PoP proximity in mitigation
• How QRator Labs approaches DDoS protection with scrubbing, anti-bot, and WAF solutions

With Layer 7 attacks rising by 74% year-over-year and record-breaking volumetric attacks now lasting weeks, no industry can afford to ignore this threat.

Watch now to understand how to protect your business from DDoS, botnets, and evolving cyber threats.

Together, they gothrough the buzzwords to reveal what’s real, what’s hype, and how organizations should approach these fast-evolving areas of IAM. From visibility vs. observability, to governance challenges and the future of machine identity management, this episode delivers sharp insights and practical recommendations from three IAM veterans.

So tell us — are ITDR and NHI just marketing buzzwords, or essential must-haves for modern identity security?

Key topics covered:

• ITDR explained: buzzword or meaningful evolution in IAM?
• Why visibility and observability are not the same
• The missing “R” in detection & response
• IAM vs. SOC responsibilities for ITDR
• Machine identities: terminology, challenges, and governance
• Ephemeral vs. static machine identities
• How IAM teams can prepare for the future of identity security

So tell us, is your IAM program truly mature—or just a checklist of tools?

Key Topics Covered:

• Why IAM maturity starts with capabilities, not tools
• How to assess your current IAM status quo
• The role of identity lifecycle management & governance
• Common IAM challenges and gaps organizations face
• Why step-by-step progress beats “big bang” projects

💡 If you’re looking to strengthen your IAM foundation and align it with business priorities, this episode is for you.

From HR data gaps to legacy tool cleanup and cross-department handovers — IAM teams often inherit work that isn’t truly their responsibility. This episode is a call to realign IAM strategy with clear ownership, realistic boundaries, and strong service delivery.

In this conversation:

• Why not everything is an IAM problem
• Common traps: onboarding issues, ownership gaps, tool clutter
• How to set boundaries without damaging collaboration
• Using operating models and RACI matrices to define IAM’s real scope
• Why focusing your IAM team improves service quality and security
• How to justify saying “no” — with strategy to back it up
• Preparing for IAM scalability, sustainability, and new regulations

Key takeaway: Sharpening your focus as an IAM team isn't about doing less — it’s about doing what matters most, better.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Why workload identities must be treated as privileged
• How long-lived secrets expand your attack surface
• Why “balancing convenience vs. security” is a false choice
• How to apply ephemeral secrets and ITDR signals
• The role of SPIFFE/SPIRE, policy-as-code (OPA), and automation
• Why developers shouldn’t own security — and what IAM must do instead
• How attackers use AI to hunt your leaked secrets
• What organizations must do to secure NHI at scale

Key takeaway: Security must be built around short-lived secrets, automation, and clear separation between identity, secrets, and entitlements — especially for workloads and AI agents.

Third-party contractors, suppliers, and partners often have access to internal systems — but lack the same governance, oversight, and security controls as employees. This episode explores why Third-Party Access Governance (TPAG) is now a strategic security priority, not just a technical integration.

What we cover:
✅Why third-party identities now outnumber employees in many orgs
✅The governance gap: no HR triggers, lifecycle oversight, or certifications
✅How traditional IAM systems fail to manage external access
✅The role of the Identity & Security Fabric in enabling TPAG
✅Regulatory drivers (DORA, NIS2, CMMC) making this a board-level issue
✅Core capabilities of modern TPAG solutions
✅Practical first steps for building a third-party access governance strategy

The conversation covers the motivations behind its creation, its flexibility in addressing various identity types, and its role in simplifying complex IAM architectures. Martin also explains the rationale for a leaner version of the model, aimed at executive stakeholders, and offers a glimpse into the forward-looking Identity Fabric for the 2040s.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
✅Where the Identity Fabric concept began
✅Why a leaner version is needed — and who it’s for
✅How to pitch Identity Fabric to C-level decision makers
✅What the 2040s might look like for IAM
✅How organizations and vendors alike are using this model today

Whether you're deep in IAM or just starting to align your strategy, this episode breaks down how to communicate complex identity concepts more clearly.

The conversation explores how the Identity Fabric model enables organizations to build cohesive, adaptive identity infrastructures that integrate existing tools while providing observability and actionable insights. They also examine the importance of integration, modularity, and policy enforcement across identity silos. The episode concludes with practical steps for building a future-proof IAM strategy.

We dive into:

• Why traditional IAM is failing
• What Identity Fabric really means (and what it’s not)
• How it supports every identity type — human or machine
• The critical role of observability & actionable insights
• How to balance legacy tools with agile innovation
• Where to start your implementation — without a big bang

Identity is now a strategic business function — and Identity Fabric is how to operationalize it.

We dive deep into:

• Why the CISO role is evolving beyond technology and policy
• The pitfalls of autocratic security leadership and rising burnout
• How empowering teams builds trust, reduces shadow IT, and accelerates projects
• Real-world examples from global organizations proving this approach works
• Practical first steps for CISOs to start leading through influence, not fear

Key Takeaway: Security isn’t just about tech, it’s about people and culture. Servant leadership helps build stronger security and stronger businesses.

They unpack:

1. Why APIs are now the backbone of AI agents and how MCP (Model Context Protocol) is driving a new decentralized ecosystem.

2. The explosion of shadow APIs & hidden interfaces from your printer to your coffee machine and why they pose serious risks.

3. How edge computing & WebAssembly are decentralizing everything, making old API gateway models obsolete.

4. The critical need for API posture management, identity & access controls for non-human identities, and full lifecycle security even before you write a line of code.

Learn why API security isn’t just a tech problem, it’s the next big business risk, how the market is consolidating, and what’s coming in the new Leadership Compass on API Management & Security.

With AI agents, workloads, service accounts, and API keys exploding in number, it’s no longer enough to rely on traditional IAM structures. But what is an NHI, exactly? And how can organizations secure them without collapsing under the weight of siloed systems and unmanaged identities?

Martin and Matthias explore:

• The blurry boundaries between identities, accounts, secrets, and credentials
• Why "non-human" is a problematic but useful term
• Agentic AI vs. API keys: where identity management really changes
• Practical starting points for managing NHIs in real-world environments

💡 Whether you're a CISO, architect, or IAM practitioner, this episode gives you a pragmatic foundation for approaching NHI—without getting lost in terminology wars.

From deepfakes and behavioral manipulation to vendor impersonation and adversarial AI, attackers are no longer relying on simple phishing emails. They're launching highly personalized, deeply technical, and psychologically crafted deceptions.

Jonathan presents a structured four-part taxonomy of deception and offers actionable insights for CISOs—from implementing callback verification protocols to deploying behavioral analytics and deception detection technologies.

Topics Covered:

1. AI-powered social engineering
2. Digital identity deception & deepfakes
3. Vendor/supply chain impersonation
4. Technical deception & adversarial machine learning
5. Practical steps CISOs can take this week

In this episode of the KuppingerCole Analyst Chat, host Matthias Reinwarth is joined by cybersecurity research director John Tolbert to talk about the rising threats of organizational fraud, rogue merchants, and the growing need for robust identity verification at the business level.

Topics covered:

1. What are rogue merchants, and how do they operate?
2. The staggering fraud numbers behind the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
3. The importance of Know Your Business (KYB) vs. Know Your Customer (KYC)
4. Why legacy business verification methods are no longer enough
5. How APIs, LEIs, and verifiable digital identities can help
6. The role of CIEM and B2B CIAM in detecting and preventing organizational fraud

Whether you're in cybersecurity, compliance, finance, or e-commerce, this episode unpacks how fraud at the organizational level is growing—and what tools and frameworks can stop it.

🎯 As a first-time attendee coming from an operational background, Christie highlights how EIC goes beyond the event itself—and how the KuppingerCole Membership can provide continuous value all year long.

🚀 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Making IAM research actionable through KuppingerCole’s AI-powered chatbot
✅ The value of year-round access to analyst insights via membership
✅ Highlights from the sovereign cloud & geopolitical risk roundtable with Mike Small
✅ Why identity needs to serve the underserved—reflections on inclusion, ethics & equality
✅ Behind-the-scenes moments from Berlin, awards night, and networking

Tune in for a different angle on what makes EIC such a powerful experience—and how to keep that momentum going.

📌 Topics Covered:

1. The difference between integrations and context data source management
2. Mapping capabilities to tools and operationalizing the reference architecture
3. Zero Trust, dynamic authorization, and where they sit in the framework
4. Handling multi-role identities and complex IAM scenarios
5. Guidance for presenting IAM architecture to senior management

📺 Whether you joined the workshop or not, this episode is packed with actionable insights for anyone working with IAM strategy, architecture, or implementation.

🚀 Key Topics Covered:

✅ The end of SAP Identity Management
✅ The growing relevance of non-human identities (NHIs)
✅ AI’s role in digital identity & ethical challenges like “grief bots”
✅ Lessons from moderating panels, networking, and speaking at EIC
✅ Why IAM is now firmly on the radar of executives

Tune in for key takeaways on how IAM is evolving—and why now is the time to be part of the identity community.

🚀 Key Topics Covered:

✅ Why authorization is still the hardest part of IAM
✅ Identity Fabric & Reference Architecture—real-world applications
✅ How to operationalize IAM frameworks for daily business use
✅ Convincing sponsors to fund IAM initiatives (Phillip’s keynote topic)
✅ Trends in Zero Trust, dynamic authorization, and enterprise IAM maturity
✅ Why IAM complexity is growing—and how to keep up

Whether you attended EIC 2025 or want to catch up on identity strategy trends, this episode delivers deep insights on the evolving IAM landscape.

We discuss key topics like:

• Building inclusive and interoperable identity ecosystems
• Pioneering decentralized identity and eIDAS 2.0
• Identity for AI and AI for Identity
• Privacy, security, and trust in the age of quantum technology
• UNHCR's groundbreaking digital identity initiatives for refugees

Learn about the must-see keynotes, workshops, and panels happening May 6–9 in Berlin — and why attending in-person will make all the difference.

👉 Don't miss your chance to navigate the future of identity and cybersecurity with the world's leading experts.

Discover how this approach complements frameworks like Zero Trust and NIST, what benefits it brings to your organization, and how it can evolve alongside your security maturity.

📌 Topics Covered:

1. What is a Cybersecurity Fabric?
2. Benefits of integrating existing security tools
3. How it supports Zero Trust and other frameworks
4. Maturity levels and real-world implementation
5. AI’s role in the future of security fabrics

🎯 Topics Covered:

• Why burnout is rising among cybersecurity professionals
• What the “flow state” really is—and why it matters in cyber defense
• How psychological safety and leadership culture affect team performance
• The impact of socio-technical factors on mental health in cyber roles
• Practical interventions and the role of AI/LLMs in reducing workload

🔍 Contribute to the Research:

Participate in the survey to help improve the well-being and effectiveness of security teams. Take the survey here.

Together, they explore the evolution of modern authorization, discussing how far the industry has come since the early days of static entitlements and XML-based policies. From early insights shared back in 2009 to today’s dynamic, AI-enhanced, signal-driven authorization models, this episode unpacks the what, why, and how of modern access control systems.

📌 Topics covered include:

✅ What makes authorization "modern"?
✅ The shift from RBAC/ABAC to PBAM (Policy-Based Access Management)
✅ Real-time access decisions & context-aware authorization
✅ The role of AI and ML in modern authorization
✅ The connection between Zero Trust Architecture and dynamic policies
✅ Local vs. global enforcement and the future of decentralized decision points
✅ Data quality, governance, and identity lifecycle management
✅ How tools like OPA (Open Policy Agent) are lowering the barrier to adoption

Prakash shares insights on how AI can enhance threat detection, automate remediation, and reduce analyst workloads while maintaining governance and accountability. Discover practical steps for implementing AI-assisted security and the key success factors for modernizing SOCs in the face of an ever-changing threat landscape.

🔹 Key Topics Covered:
✅ How GenAI is revolutionizing phishing & social engineering attacks 🎭
✅ The rise of deepfake scams & their impact on authentication security 🔍
✅ Hallucination-based attack vectors—what they are & why they matter
✅ Can AI fight AI? Using machine learning to detect AI-powered threats 🤖
✅ Practical strategies to defend against AI-driven cybercrime

💡 Cyber threats are evolving fast—don’t wait until it’s too late! Watch now to understand how AI is reshaping cybersecurity and what you can do to protect your business.

🔹 Key Topics Covered:
✅ What cyber insurance actually covers—and the risks that aren’t included
✅ Essential security measures insurers require before offering coverage 🔒
✅ The role of MFA, zero trust, and attack surface management in cyber policies
✅ The hidden gaps that could leave your business exposed
✅ How AI-driven threats are changing the future of cyber insurance

💡 Cyber risks are evolving—are your policies keeping up? Watch now to learn how to reduce risk, avoid costly mistakes, and strengthen your cybersecurity strategy.

The conversation explores how organizations can prepare for the post-quantum era, highlighting strategies such as hybrid cryptography, quantum-resistant algorithms, and zero-trust authentication models. Alexei shares insights into the latest advancements in quantum-safe security, regulatory considerations, and practical steps businesses can take to mitigate future risks. The episode wraps up with a look at emerging trends in quantum security and what the future holds for authentication in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

The conversation highlights how ITDR enhances traditional IAM and PAM solutions by providing real-time monitoring, anomaly detection, and automated threat response. Martin shares insights into AI-driven threat detection, zero-trust principles, and best practices for organizations looking to mitigate identity-based threats. The episode concludes with a look at emerging trends in ITDR and the future of machine identity security.

🌟 Key topics covered:

• The evolution of digital identity protocols like OAuth and OpenID Connect.
• The concept of federated bubbles and their applications in financial services.
• The role of digital wallets in GDPR compliance and data privacy.
• Challenges in machine identity and securing dynamic systems.
• The ethical use of AI in cybersecurity and decision-making.

Discover how innovative identity systems and dynamic approaches can help businesses tackle privacy, security, and operational challenges in an interconnected world. Whether you're a tech professional, a financial expert, or simply curious about digital transformation, this interview is packed with valuable insights.

🌟 Key topics covered: 

1. Crypto industry maturity and regulatory advancements.
2. Major cybersecurity challenges in Europe and the US.
3. Evolving fraud tactics and the role of AI in cyberattacks.
4. Preventive security strategies to safeguard businesses.
5. How to position security as a business enabler.

Learn how a preventive, innovative approach to security can protect your organization while enabling growth and innovation in the digital finance landscape. Whether you’re a CISO, crypto enthusiast, or a business owner navigating the complexities of the crypto world, this conversation offers invaluable insights to stay secure and resilient.

🌟 Key Topics explored:

1. Sergej’s journey into cybersecurity: from a young coder to a leading industry expert.
2. Why understanding organizational risks is crucial—and how oversimplifying cybersecurity can lead to vulnerabilities.
3. The persistent threat of ransomware and emerging risks in supply chains and open-source software.
4. The importance of "assume breach" mentality and red teaming to stay ahead of attackers.
5. Strategies for mitigating risks, including zero trust architectures and prioritizing secure modernization over excessive security add-ons.

Discover how financial institutions, healthcare, and other critical sectors can address escalating challenges while embracing innovative solutions. From nation-state attacks to ransomware groups, Sergej provides actionable insights on navigating modern threats, managing supply chain security, and fostering transparency.

Learn why human expertise and risk-focused approaches remain pivotal alongside cutting-edge technologies like blockchain and zero trust. Whether you’re a cybersecurity professional or a business leader, this interview is packed with practical takeaways to secure your organization in today’s dynamic digital landscape.

🌟 Key topics covered:

• Why "security is the enabling layer for innovation."
• Practical advice for small businesses navigating cyber threats.
• The importance of integrating technology, from AI to digital identity solutions.
• How to create a human-centered approach to cybersecurity through education and awareness.
• Industry trends and the future of cybersecurity at scale.

Learn why security is more than just a safeguard - it’s the accelerator for modern businesses, enabling them to adapt and thrive in an increasingly digital world. Whether you’re a CISO or a small business owner, this interview is packed with actionable insights to keep your business secure and innovative.

Their conversation covers the economic consequences of cyber attacks, the strategic importance of undersea fiber optic cables, and the role of semiconductor manufacturing in global tensions. Learn how different national perspectives on cyberspace shape security measures and why international cooperation is essential in addressing challenges like AI governance and climate change.

Join Matthias and Alejandro as they dissect the current state of cyber warfare and its implications for global security. Don't forget to leave your comments and questions below!

Alejandro's Blog: https://www.kuppingercole.com/events/cyberevolution2024/blog/us-china-struggle-for-cyberspace

Alexei discusses the concept of crypto agility—the ability to quickly adapt cryptographic infrastructure in response to new threats. He shares practical advice on how to assess and update legacy systems, encryption methods, and workflows, including:

• Where organizations should begin if they rely heavily on cryptography for critical data and transactions
• How to evaluate and improve cryptographic infrastructure across digital systems, cloud environments, and hardware
• The essential role of vendor collaboration and supply chain security in building quantum-safe systems
• How to prioritize threats like ransomware and crypto-related risks based on industry needs

Alexei also underscores the importance of workforce training, advising that while employees don’t need deep cryptography knowledge, they must understand secure practices and tools approved by their organization’s security policy.

Mental Health in Cybersecurity Foundation: https://www.virtuallyinformed.com/mhincs 

LinkedIn Group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12989900/ 

The Mental Health in Cybersecurity Charter: https://www.virtuallyinformed.com/mhincs-foundation-charter 

Contact the Mental Health in Cybersecurity Foundation 

Research: research@mhincs-foundation.org

Community of Practice: cop@mhincs-foundation.org

The conversation highlights the technological advancements being integrated into the Membership, such as AI capabilities and a passwordless registration process. The importance of community building and continuous improvement in cybersecurity and identity management is emphasized, along with the advantages of Corporate Membership for teams.

The IAM reference architecture provides more detail and functional capabilities for each pillar of IAM. The update also includes the addition of new identity types and the inclusion of architectural concepts like microservice architectures and identity API layers. The Identity Fabric 2025 will be flexible and adaptable to future trends and challenges in IAM.

The conversation covers various AI use cases in cybersecurity, including threat detection, behavioral analytics, cloud security monitoring, and automated incident response. They emphasize the importance of human involvement and decision-making in AI-driven cybersecurity solutions.

Here's ChatGPT's list of AI use cases for cybersecurity:

1. AI for Threat Detection: AI analyzes large datasets to identify anomalies or suspicious activities that signal potential cyber threats.
2. Behavioral Analytics: AI tracks user behavior to detect abnormal patterns that may indicate compromised credentials or insider threats.
3. Cloud Security Monitoring: AI monitors cloud infrastructure, detecting security misconfigurations and policy violations to ensure compliance.
4. Automated Incident Response: AI helps automate responses to cyber incidents, reducing response time and mitigating damage.
5. Malware Detection: AI-driven solutions recognize evolving malware signatures and flag zero-day attacks through advanced pattern recognition.
6. Phishing Detection: AI analyzes communication patterns, spotting phishing emails or fake websites before users fall victim.
7. Vulnerability Management: AI identifies system vulnerabilities, predicts which flaws are most likely to be exploited, and suggests patch prioritization.
8. AI-Driven Penetration Testing: AI automates and enhances pen-testing by simulating potential cyberattacks and finding weaknesses in a network.
9. Anomaly Detection in Network Traffic: AI inspects network traffic for unusual patterns, preventing attacks like Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS).
10. Cybersecurity Training Simulations: AI-powered platforms create dynamic, realistic simulations for training cybersecurity teams, preparing them for real-world scenarios.
11. Threat Intelligence: NLP-based AI interprets textual data like threat reports, social media, and news to assess emerging risks.
12. Predictive Risk Assessment: AI assesses and predicts potential future security risks by evaluating system vulnerabilities and attack likelihood.

The cost of implementation projects can be significant, but investing in proper preparation and tools upfront can save time and money in the long run. It is important to take a holistic view and consider the broader picture, including GRC and access governance solutions. Finding the right solution requires support from experts who understand the market and the organization's specific requirements.

In this episode, Alejandro and Matthias discuss the integration of machine learning and AI into cybersecurity infrastructures, particularly SOARs. The conversation covers the role of generative AI in changing the daily tasks of cybersecurity professionals, the challenges of integrating generative AI into SOAR platforms, the importance of prompt engineering, and the need for a balanced approach to innovation and accountability. It also addresses the security and ethical considerations of using AI in cybersecurity and the general impact of generative AI on different industries.

They also highlight the importance of regulations like NIS2 and DORA in driving cybersecurity practices, and mention the key topics for cyberevolution, such as zero trust, AI, and trust in an AI-driven world, as well as the focus on leadership and mental health in cybersecurity.

The discussion delves into the need for a philosophical shift in how security is approached, emphasizing proactive measures over reactive ones. They explore the integration of security into the development of new technologies and stress the importance of collaboration among stakeholders to create secure IT environments. Tune in to gain a deeper understanding of the evolving cybersecurity landscape and the steps necessary to stay ahead.

Marina highlights the evolution of Access Management solutions to support remote workforces and the rising importance of ITDR in proactive threat detection and response. The conversation also covers the steady growth of the email security market in response to phishing and ransomware threats, as well as key strategies businesses are adopting to stay competitive in the IAM space. Finally, they explore the impact of regulatory compliance on IAM solutions and predict future trends in identity-centric security.

The conversation outlines the challenges and strategies involved in managing identity lifecycles, emphasizing the need for robust identity management systems that adapt to evolving security landscapes. This episode sets the stage for understanding how Zero Trust architectures transform traditional security paradigms by centering on the identity of users and devices.

They highlight the eIDAS 2.0 regulation in Europe as a driver for decentralized identity adoption and mention the importance of interoperability testing. They also touch on the potential use of decentralized identity in supply chain management and the need for open and interoperable ecosystems.

Osman offers deep insights into the critical skills and attributes necessary for success in this role, addressing common misconceptions and highlighting the aspects that make the job fascinating. Furthermore, the conversation navigates through the evolving landscape of tech analysis, providing listeners with strategic advice for nurturing a long-term career in this ever-changing sector.

Tune in to learn more about the tool and the new topics coming up in April!

The conversation explores the role of automation in endpoint management, the importance of real-time data, and the potential actions that can be automated in AEM. It also highlights the journey towards autonomous endpoint management and the need for gradual adoption of automation.

The conversation delves into the integration of physical access control with identity management systems and the challenges and opportunities in this area. The need for a stronger governance layer for physical access control is emphasized, along with the convergence of physical and logical access. The episode concludes with a discussion on the restriction of access and the importance of telling the story of limited access to customers and citizens.

The conversation highlights the need for digital identity in accessing services and the benefits of decentralized identity, such as privacy and portability. The episode concludes with a discussion on the challenges organizations face in adopting decentralized identity and the future of identity wallets.

The conversation also covers the use cases of generative AI in cybersecurity, such as research and learning, training, and code generation. The limitations and considerations for security analysts using generative AI tools are discussed, emphasizing the importance of data quality and verifying results.

Read Alexei's blog post here: https://www.kuppingercole.com/blog/balaganski/managing-the-risks-of-ai

The conversation focuses on crucial features for modern Security Operations Centers (SOCs) dealing with high costs, skills shortages, and a surge in security alerts, providing insights into navigating today's intricate digital security landscape.

Marina explains the primary risks associated with AI in cybersecurity, such as automation mistakes, data security and privacy issues, and excessive dependence on AI. They also explore how defenders can safeguard their organizations from AI-generated threats and stress the significance of incorporating AI into a comprehensive cybersecurity strategy.

Delve into the future of identity and access management (IAM) as Martin and Matthew discuss the profound impact of AI, decentralized identity, and the regulatory landscape. Gain insights into cybersecurity trends and learn how SailPoint addresses these challenges.

From this episode, we will come back to a weekly schedule, so stay tuned for the episode next Monday.

The conversation delves into persistent issues, innovations, and an outlook on trends for 2024 in the realms of cybersecurity and identity and access management.

He will also introduce KC Open Select, the new online tool from KuppingerCole that helps buyers choose the right IT solutions, and explain how this will help you in choosing the ASM solution that is a good fit for your organization.

Attend this webinar to:

• Discover the latest trends in ASM technologies.
• Find out what key criteria for evaluating ASM solutions.
• Learn about KuppingerCole’s Leadership Compass research methodology.
• Get an introduction to the new KC Open Select tool.
• See how KC Open Select can help choose the right ASM solution for your organization.

The discussion covers key moments, memorable talks, and insights gained during the event. The guests share their thoughts on the impact of AI, the Cyber Defense Matrix, and the challenges posed by deepfakes. The conversation also explores the need for diversity in discussions and the desire for more community-building aspects in future events.

Warwick sheds light on the alarming trend of RDP credential sales on the dark web, outlining the severe repercussions for lax security measures. The dialogue then shifts to pragmatic strategies, emphasizing the non-negotiables in RDP security protocols that companies must adopt. Reinforcing the concept of Zero Trust, Warwick advocates for its integration to enhance RDP security frameworks. The episode concludes with a forward-looking perspective, contemplating the evolution of remote access technologies and preemptive measures businesses must consider to thwart emerging cyber threats.

Throughout the session, the analysts take turns presenting cybersecurity related questions or statements, while their colleagues make informed guesses on whether these statements are accurate or false. This lighthearted, riveting conversation promises to both educate and captivate, as our skilled analysts skillfully discern between truth and fallacy.

The three discuss cutting-edge trends such as Cloud, IoT, and Dark Web monitoring, underscoring their influence on ASM's future. The role of automation in enhancing ASM efficiency is discussed, alongside the significance of ASM in navigating regulatory compliance and making informed choices in the diverse vendor landscape.

Read the blog here: https://www.kuppingercole.com/blog/neuenschwander/the-second-law-of-authn-dynamics

Read Nitish's Blog Post: https://www.kuppingercole.com/events/cyberevolution2023/blog/securing-the-autonomous-world-by-reinforcing-cybersecurity

Berthold Kerl highlights the event's unique positioning, emphasizing its blend of evolutionary continuity with revolutionary tech disruptions. Set in the heart of Europe, cyberevolution focuses on future predictions, current innovations, and the essence of collaboration. Berthold also mentions a diverse attendee list, from over 30 CISOs to students, spanning continents from Europe to Africa.

Christopher Schütze touches on AI as the event's central theme and describes various formats, including keynotes, panels, and interactive workshops. He also introduces the Capture the Flag segment, providing insights into its competitive nature. Berthold spotlights the Pitch Night and its competitive spirit, while Christopher highlights workshop topics like ChatGPT and Ransomware Simulation.

In conclusion, Berthold articulates cyberevolution's vision: to complement global conferences like RSA by converging innovation, business resilience, and policy in Europe.

Read Alexei's blog here: https://www.kuppingercole.com/events/cyberevolution2023/blog/ai-and-cybersecurity-a-new-hope-for-cyber-defenders

Martin shares insights on market segments, vendors, product functionality within the access control landscape. They explore innovative approaches to enhancing security, such as access restriction and controlling break-glass access. Furthermore, Martin and Matthias also explore the organizational aspects of access governance in dynamic LoB application environments. They discuss the challenges that arise when transitioning between new vendors, adopting SaaS solutions, and managing access control in multicloud environments.

Alejandro discusses the challenges of detecting and countering deep fakes, emphasizing the need for a multifaceted approach involving media forensics, machine learning, public awareness, and policy developments to mitigate the associated risks.

The conversation also covers the risks associated with AI manipulation by cybercriminals, including the creation of deepfakes. The duo explores the potential of AI in cyber defense, highlighting its role in threat identification, incident response, and predictive threat intelligence.

They also discuss the challenges in implementing AI-based cybersecurity solutions, emphasizing the importance of human expertise in this domain. Regulatory and legal implications of using AI in cybersecurity are also addressed. Finally, they provide practical advice on how businesses and individuals can protect themselves from AI-driven threats.

The discussion also covers strategies for organizations to protect themselves, achieve cyber resilience, and foster collaboration within communities. Attendees of the upcoming cyberevolution event in Frankfurt will have the opportunity to delve deeper into these topics and gain valuable insights into securing emerging technologies. Don't miss this engaging conversation on future cybersecurity threats and the need for a collective approach to defense.

They explore AI ethics, which includes the importance of fairness, explainability, robustness, transparency and privacy in AI systems. They look at issues of algorithmic bias in AI and the cybersecurity threats posed by deepfakes. Beyond the fundamentals, they discuss mitigation strategies, which are techniques to reduce bias and counter deepfakes, including diverse datasets and adversarial training.

They highlight the role of industry, academia, society and regulators in addressing these challenges and promoting ethical AI practices. The episode emphasizes the need for a multi-pronged approach to create a safe and inclusive cybersecurity environment.

Read Marina's blog: https://www.kuppingercole.com/events/cyberevolution2023/blog/the-triple-threat-ai-ethics-bias-and-deepfakes-in-cybersecurity

Learn how it can help optimize your cybersecurity portfolio, increase IAM efficiency, and guide your organization towards a modern Target Operating Model. We discuss the benefits of expert-led workshops, targeted information, and personalized coaching, all aimed at driving impactful action and ensuring robust protection for your organization. Leverage the strategy navigator to discover how to navigate the path towards Zero Trust or to modernize your infrastructure in a multi-hybrid world.

Learn more about our Advisory Services here: https://www.kuppingercole.com/advisory

They dissect the structural and deployment aspects of Active Directories, highlighting how these often conflict with contemporary access governance paradigms. Martin explains why these contradictions can make the overlay of IGA on Active Directories extremely challenging, if not entirely unfeasible.

In addition, they emphasize the importance of Identity and Access Management (IAM) in securing APIs effectively. Tune in for valuable insights into API security, web security, and the significance of IAM.

Find the OWASP API Security Top 10 list here: https://owasp.org/API-Security/editions/2023/en/0x11-t10/

Matthias and Marina discuss subjects such as identity and cybersecurity, trust and protocols, privacy and data protection, ethics in identity and machine learning, and the role of generative AI. Marina shares her experience as a speaker and panel moderator at the conference and provides insights into the trends and future of identity access management, cyber insurance, and decentralized identity.

EIC 2023 Agenda with on-demand sessions: https://www.kuppingercole.com/events/eic2023/agenda

Join the cyberevolution: https://www.kuppingercole.com/events/cyberevolution2023

Gain valuable insights from the latest edition of KuppingerCole's Leadership Compass and explore how these platforms are shaping the future of identity assurance and security: https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/lc81108/fraud-reduction-intelligence-platforms-frip

In this episode, they explore the key capabilities of access governance, such as access review, certification, risk management, request management, and analytics, and how these capabilities enable organizations to gain comprehensive visibility into their assigned accesses. Don't miss this insightful discussion on enhancing control and mitigating risks through effective access governance.

Read Nitish's Leadership Compass here: https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/lc81118/access-governance

They are exploring the benefits of using decentralized identity for employee onboarding, especially in the context of remote work. They look at the importance of trust and the full lifecycle management in the decentralized identity ecosystem, and how it can lead to more secure and efficient business processes.

This topic is particularly relevant for the upcoming EIC, where experts and thought leaders will be gathering to discuss the latest trends and developments in digital identity. Join KuppingerCole as we explore the world of decentralized identity and its impact on the future of business.

Read Alexei’s Leadership Compass here: https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/lc80907/data-security-platforms

All things PAM:

Leadership Compass: https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/lc81111/privileged-access-management

Webinar: https://www.kuppingercole.com/events/2023/04/welcome-to-pamocracy

Paul’s Session at EIC: https://www.kuppingercole.com/sessions/5334/1

André Durand states that passwordless authentication is not the Holy Grail but the next evolution in the user experience of authentication. Join André and Martin in their thought-provoking discourse about the next steps after passwordless authentication.

He is a guest on our videocast and discusses with Martin Kuppinger how the digital double can become a reality, its benefits and how it relates to consumer identity management.

The book by Stanisław Lem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Summa_Technologiae

The integration of these solutions will provide a comprehensive coverage of ownership not only of systems and authorization objects, but also of data and code, ensuring a complete chain of custody. They delve into the importance of this integration, the benefits it offers, and how it will help organizations manage their identities and data more efficiently and securely. They also discuss the potential challenges and considerations that organizations need to be aware of while integration these solutions.

SASE is the union of a number of different networking and security technologies designed to improve security posture as well as connectivity for remote offices, cloud services, contractors, and remote employees, while driving down the cost of connectivity. John Tolbert is a guest in the Analyst Chat again and will give us some insight into this topic.

Parallel to SIEM solutions, a class of incident investigation and response platforms has emerged focusing on creating more streamlined and automated workflows for dealing with security incidents. Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) products are the latest iteration of this evolution. SOAR vendors provide solutions that offer centralized coordination, collaboration, and management for forensic analysis and incident response.

KC Open Select will launch tomorrow on February 14, 2023! Stay tuned - this free online tool will kickstart your tools choice to a new level. Learn more: https://go.kuppingercole.com/open-select

Dr. Phillip Messerschmidt has worked with many different clients who have found themselves in this situation. He will explain five of the most common misconceptions and problems he has encountered in his experience - and offer some recommendations on how to avoid them.

Read Martin's Leadership Compass here: https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/lc81120/data-quality-and-integration-solutions

Learn more about KC Open Select: https://go.kuppingercole.com/open-select

The landscape of solutions in a market segment can be overwhelming. KC Open Select helps you to get a clearer overview of the market for free.

Check it out now: https://go.kuppingercole.com/open-select

With this episode, the Analyst Chat goes into a short Christmas break. We'll return on January 16th.

Leadership Compass Identity Governance and Administration: https://www.kuppingercole.com/research/lc81107/identity-governance-and-administration-2022

Links to the mentioned ransomware attacks:

• Medibank
• Common Spirit
• Lake Charles Health System (US)

Helpful documents for cybersecurity in healthcare:

• CISA - Stop ransomware
• MITRE - MEDICAL DEVICE CYBERSECURITY