AI & IAM: Where Security Gets Superhuman (Or Supremely Stuck) - Matt Immler, Heather Ceylan, Alexander Makarov, Nitin Raina, Dor Fledel, Aaron Parecki - ESW #427

At Oktane 2025, leaders from across the security ecosystem shared how identity has become the new front line in protecting today's AI-driven enterprises. As SaaS adoption accelerates and AI agents proliferate, organizations face an explosion of human and non-human identities—and with it, growing risks like misconfigured access, orphaned accounts, and identity-based attacks. In this special Enterprise Security Weekly episode, we bring together insights from top experts: Dor Fledel (Okta) explains how teams can gain visibility into AI agents, uncover risks, and enforce appropriate access controls. Alexander Makarov (Adyen) shares how a global fintech unified and streamlined identity with Okta, improving both security and employee experience across 200+ countries. Aaron Parecki (Okta) highlights the importance of open standards—like IPSIE, MCP, and A2A—for building secure, interoperable AI ecosystems and centralized control over AI-driven interactions. Heather Ceylan (Box) discusses how Box embeds AI into workflows to enhance data protection, even for highly regulated industries. Matt Immler (Okta) offers lessons from the field on strengthening defenses with behavioral monitoring, automation, and a security-first culture to counter attackers who now "log in" instead of hacking in. Nitin Raina (Thoughtworks) warns about AI-driven social engineering—from deepfakes to multi-channel phishing—and shares practical strategies like phishing-resistant MFA, zero-trust architecture, and better employee training. From open standards to privileged access management and AI-powered defense, these Oktane 2025 conversations explore how identity-driven strategies are shaping the future of enterprise security. Segment Resources: https://www.okta.com/newsroom/articles/old-security-challenges--new-ai-risks--managing-authorization-in https://www.okta.com/newsroom/press-releases/okta-introduces-cross-app-access-to-help-secure-ai-agents-in-the/ https://www.okta.com/blog/ai/securing-the-ai-agent-ecosystem/ https://www.okta.com/customers/adyen/ https://www.okta.com/newsroom/?sort=featured&filters=okta%3Acategories%2Fidentity-security https://www.okta.com/customers/thoughtworks/ This segment is sponsored by Oktane by Okta. Visit https://securityweekly.com/oktane to learn more about them! Visit https://www.securityweekly.com/esw for all the latest episodes! Show Notes: https://securityweekly.com/esw-427