New Tech, Old Problems: The Reality of Modern Identity & Authentication

How do you secure a world where humans, machines, and autonomous agents all need an identity? In Episode 5 of Authentic Talks, our host Arielle Slama sits down with Simon Moffatt, analyst, advisor, and author, to unpack the biggest identity and cybersecurity themes emerging from the RSA Conference, which Simon attended just a few weeks earlier. Drawing on firsthand insights from the event floor, Simon separates real identity trends from vendor hype, explaining what actually matters for modern IAM and authentication strategy. With over 25 years in identity, Simon brings a pragmatic, deeply strategic perspective on what identity really looks like in 2026, plus where it's heading. This episode explores the realities that few people say out loud: AI is rewriting the identity threat model faster than enterprises can adapt Passwordless adoption is a cultural challenge, not a technology challenge Identity has moved from "infrastructure plumbing" to the center of business agility A well-defined IAMS strategy sets clear priorities for what IT teams should initiate in the next quarter to keep pace with industry requirements   Chapter Guide (0:19) Welcome & introducing Simon Moffatt (2:50) Trends at RSA: AI and the reality behind the buzz (5:02) Zero Trust maturity, legacy systems & the limits of organizational change (7:49) Adoption gaps: why passkeys aren't rolling out fast (10:50) The timeline mismatch between attacks and adoption (13:07) Tactics vs strategic roadmaps (16:14) Identity convergence: physical + digital worlds collide (17:18) Identity as a business enabler, not a security checkbox (19:20) The Three‑Body Problem: humans, machines, and AI agents (23:16) Securing unpredictable agents: behavior, scale, and life cycle (31:45) The human problem: emotion, phishing, and psychological attacks (36:00) IAM in 2035: identity, data, attribution & intent (41:46) Lightning Round (45:21) Final advice: identity must become strategic   Featured Guests Simon Moffatt — Analyst, Founder of Cyber Hut, Author Host: Arielle Slama —  Director of Product Marketing, HID Related Resources Download HID's Unified Identity Guide Follow HID IAM on LinkedIn - Stay up to date on the latest in digital identity, authentication, and enterprise security.