In this sponsored episode of the Identity at the Center Podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim speak with Nitin Sonawane, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Zilla Security. Nitin shares insights about disrupting the identity security and governance space with innovative solutions such as Zilla Universal Sync (ZUS) and how AI and ML can streamline and enh…

In this episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, Jeff and Jim discuss the intricacies of authentication with Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director and CEO of the FIDO Alliance. The conversation covers various aspects of authentication including different use cases, the importance of passkeys, and regional adoption trends. They also highlight the…

In this sponsored episode, Jim McDonald hosts Eric Woodruff, Senior Security Researcher at Semperis, to discuss the company's approach to identity security. They delve into Semperis' tools like Purple Knight and Forest Druid, focusing on their capabilities in detecting and mitigating Active Directory and Entra ID vulnerabilities. The conversation c…

In episode 300 of the Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim celebrate their significant milestone by discussing the origins and future of the podcast. They delve into the complexities of identity management in educational settings and explore the philosophical underpinnings of the term 'identity at the center.' Highlighted questions fr…

Confused over this year's ever-shifting cotton acreage and production numbers? We are, too. So, we asked Dr. O.A. Cleveland to explain.By Jim Steadman

In this episode of Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim delve into Microsoft's approach to identity and access management with guest Merill Fernando, a product manager at Microsoft. Merill shares his journey into the identity space, the current state and future plans for Entra ID, and the importance of DevOps and governance in identit…

In this episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim delve into the complexities of creating effective RFPs (Request for Proposals) for Identity and Access Management (IAM) systems. They provide critical advice for both the customer and vendor sides, stressing the importance of defining clear objectives, understanding technical…

Ken Legé, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Cotton Specialist in Lubbock, joins the podcast to discuss the high hopes - and potential remaining challenges - regarding this year's West Texas cotton crop after two years of extreme drought.By Jim Steadman

In this episode, Jeff and Jim discuss various Identity and Access Management (IAM) topics with their guest, Chris Power, Senior Manager of IAM at Sallie Mae. They tackle the evolution and challenges of non-human identities, the potential sunsetting of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in favor of policy-based methods, and the organizational design o…

In this episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim engage in a lively discussion with Allan Foster, who shares his extensive journey in the identity and access management (IAM) space. Alan reminisces about his time starting ForgeRock in a London pub, the inception of the Digital Identity Advancement Foundation (DIAF), and his…

Why is the cotton market slump continuing and where did an extra million planted acres over spring projections come from? Dr. John Robinson joins the podcast to explain.By Jim Steadman

In this episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim engage in a lively discussion with Joseph Carson, Chief Security Scientist and Advisory CISO at Delinea. They explore Joseph's extensive career journey in identity and access management, cybersecurity, and his hands-on experiences in Estonia's pioneering digital identity ecos…

In this episode of the 'Identity at the Center' podcast, Jeff and Jim discuss the complexities of managing Privileged Access Management (PAM) and the challenges of balancing various responsibilities like real jobs, podcasting, and attending conferences. They highlight upcoming conferences like Identity Week America and the Authenticate conference, …

In this episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, Jeff is joined by Martin Sandrin, IAM Product Lead for IKEA. They discuss a variety of topics including their upcoming attendance at several identity conferences like Identity Week in DC and Authenticate in October. The key focus is on the potential and challenges of deploying passkeys for iden…

Dr. Larry Steckel, Tennessee Extension weed specialist, joins the podcast in our annual plot-side interview to discuss current weed management issues and challenges, plus some promising new solutions.By Jim Steadman

In this special 5-year anniversary episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim dive deep into the ongoing debate between centralized and decentralized identity management. They discuss key concepts such as single sign-on, the importance of evaluating and questioning identity management strategies, and the need to balance usabi…

In this lively episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman kick things off with a humorous mishap involving Jim's tech setup before diving into the latest happenings. They discuss the sweltering summer heat, Jim's recent "Greatest Dad of All Time" award, and their upcoming plans for Identity Week in Washingto…

Two years after legislation banned imports into the U.S. containing cotton from China's Xinjiang region, a recent report shows it's still slipping through in multiple products. Bob Antoshak of Gherzi Textil Organization and MaiLin Wan of Applied DNA Sciences join the podcast to discuss why and steps needed to tighten import monitoring.…

In this engaging episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman sit down with special guest Joni Brennan, President at the Digital ID and Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC). They dive deep into the intricacies of digital wallets, the evolving landscape of digital identity, and the importance of choice and …

In this episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, hosts Jeff and Jim return from Identiverse 2024 and share their experiences from the conference held in Las Vegas. They discuss notable moments, including unique conference swag and memorable interactions. Special guest Adam Michael, CISO and adjunct professor at Texas A&M University, joins the…

In this engaging episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman wrap up their Identiverse 2024 experience with a thought-provoking panel discussion. Joined by Alex Bovee, CEO and Co-Founder of ConductorOne; Ian Glazer, Founder and President of Weave Identity; and Lance Peterman, Identity Lead at Dick's Sporting Goods and Professor at UNC Charlotte, …

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman welcome Andrew Shikiar, Executive Director & CEO at the FIDO Alliance, for his 7th appearance on the Identity at the Center Podcast. They discuss what's new with the FIDO alliance and what to expect from the upcoming Authenticate event. The conversation also includes some yet to be determined to…

Buddy Allen of the American Cotton Shippers Association joins the podcast to discuss the range of work the organization provides to the U.S. cotton industry, plus some history leading up to the group's upcoming 100th anniversary.By Jim Steadman

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman are live from Identiverse 2024, where they catch up with old friends and meet new faces. They dive into the highlights of the conference, including the overwhelming support from listeners and the buzz around Jim's infamous jacket. Joining them are Ian Glazer, Arynn Crow, and Allan Foster from th…

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman are live from Identiverse in Las Vegas, engaging in a lively conversation with Danny de Vreeze, VP of Identity and Access Management at Thales. They dive deep into the transformative potential of AI in identity management, discussing how conversational AI can revolutionize user interactions by e…

In episode 284 of the Identity at the Center Podcast, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman sat down with George Roberts, Global Access & Identity Director at McDonald’s at Identiverse 2024. The discussion started with George's journey into the field of identity, followed by a deep dive into his role at McDonald's, and his previous experiences at Id…

In this episode, hosts Jim and Jeff talk about the Identiverse conference taking place this week in Las Vegas before diving into the Hypr report about the State of Passwordless Identity Assurance. They discuss the alarming statistics that 91% of breached organizations cite credential misuse or authentication weaknesses as a root cause, and the aver…

Cotton Incorporated recently updated its survey of precision and agricultural technology adoption trends in cotton. Dr. Ed Barnes of CI joined the podcast to discuss the study's findings.By Jim Steadman

On this episode of Identity at the Center, Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman are joined by Chad Wolcott, Managing Director at RSM US LLP, to peel back the layers of the identity industry. They delve into the complexities of identity consulting, discussing the challenges and triumphs of implementing and managing IAM solutions. From Chad's early days of…

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman welcome Henrique Teixeira, Senior Vice President of Strategy at Saviynt. Henrique shares his journey into the identity field and reveals how he became a leading figure in digital identity. He discusses his time at Gartner, where he shared his expertise as the conference chair of the IAM summit a…

In this episode of Identity at the Center, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman delve into the intricate world of authorization within the IAM space with Omri Gazit, co-founder and CEO of Asserto, and co-chair of the AuthZEN working group at the OpenID Foundation. They tackle the evolution of authorization, from the days of basic role-based access …

Dr. O.A. Cleveland returns to the podcast to explain the recent fall in cotton prices, how current factors continue to impact the market, and share thoughts on what's ahead for this season.By Jim Steadman

In this episode of the Identity at the Center Podcast, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman sit down with Patrick Harding, Chief Product Architect at Ping Identity, to discuss the fascinating intersection between AI and the IAM industry. They explore Harding's journey into the IAM industry, his view on the definition of AI, and dive into a thought-…

In this Sponsor Spotlight episode of Identity at the Center, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman sit down with Venkat Raghavan, founder and CEO of Stack Identity. They dive deep into the critical issue of identity security in the cloud, shedding light on the pervasive problem of over-provisioned access and the risks it poses to organizations. Venk…

In this episode, hosts Jim and Jeff reached a major milestone with 300,000 downloads. They took the opportunity to answer mailbag questions using AI, providing their own critique of the AI responses. Questions ranged from key IAM metrics for organizations to track, challenges of implementing IAM strategies in large multinational companies, and upco…

Ever wonder how old favorite cotton varieties compare to today's high-powered options? Jay Mahaffey of the Bayer Learning Center joins the podcast to discuss his Antique Alley research study and the ways that today's varieties have evolved from the leading standards of the mid-1990s.By Jim Steadman

In this thought-provoking episode of Identity at the Center, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman engage in a candid conversation with security researcher Kat Traxler from TrustOnCloud. They delve into the intricacies of cloud identity management, discussing the unique challenges and strategies for securing assets in cloud environments like GCP and…

In this episode, Jim and Jeff welcome back Sandy Bird, the CTO and Co-Founder of Sonrai Security, for a sequel to their first sponsor spotlight. Sandy returns to discuss the groundbreaking Cloud Permissions Firewall with Permissions on Demand. The trio dives into how this new solution revolutionizes the way organizations can clamp down on excessive…

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman engage in a far-reaching discussion with John Podboy, a Senior Vice President in Cybersecurity for a major bank. They delve into the evolving landscape of identity in the banking industry, the impact of AI and indicators of compromise on identity data, and the potential future innovations like F…

Chad Brewer, Executive Director of the Cotton Foundation, joins the podcast to discuss the role of the Foundation, what it does, where it fits within the U.S. cotton industry, and what benefits it provides to cotton growers.By Jim Steadman

In this episode, hosts Jim and Jeff sit down with Martin Kuppinger, Founder and Principal Analyst at KuppingerCole Analysts. Making his fourth appearance on the show, Martin shares what he's been up to since the last time they spoke in July 2023. The conversation also explores Martin's insights on who should be in charge of IAM and the role of the …

In this sponsored episode, our hosts Jim and Jeff have an in-depth conversation with Gil Hoffer, the Co-Founder and CTO of Salto. They explore Gil's journey into the world of identity, the inception of Salto, and how the company is setting new standards in the field. The discussion delves into the unique features and benefits of Salto's services, a…

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman welcome Jeff Reich, Executive Director at the Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA), back to the IDAC Podcast for his third appearance. The main topic of discussion is Identity Management Day 2024. They deep dive into what's new with the IDSA, the exciting content to expect on Identity Manag…

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman sit down with guest Hannah Sutor, a Principal Product Manager at GitLab and IDPro Board Member, for a public conversation about privacy. They explore various topics such as the right to anonymity on the internet, privacy expectations as an employee and a consumer, and the interpretation of priva…

The recent dicamba ruling put the challenges facing EPA back in the spotlight. University of Georgia Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper joins the podcast to discuss some of those challenges and what they mean for new registrations and weed management programs for cotton.By Jim Steadman

This episode of the Identity at the Center podcast, a Sponsor Spotlight, is fully sponsored by Zilla Security. In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman sit down with Deepak Taneja, CEO & Co-founder of Zilla Security. The trio discuss a variety of topics including how Zilla Security differentiates itself in the crowded IAM market, the r…

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman welcome back Andi Hindle, Conference Chair for Identiverse. The trio dives into an in-depth discussion about the planning and unique aspects of the Identiverse conference. The conversation explores whether Identiverse is a Digital Identity conference or an IAM conference, and how these terms int…

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman welcome back Paul Mezzera. Paul, who last joined us in November of 2022, takes us through what has been happening in his world since then. The conversation delves into the rapidly evolving field of Privileged Access Management (PAM), where Paul unpacks the driving forces behind these changes and…

In this episode, hosts Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman engage in a fascinating conversation with guest Nick Mothershaw, Chief Identity Strategist at Open Identity Exchange (OIX). They delve deep into topics such as the concept and functionality of digital wallets, the role of governments in issuing these wallets, and the exciting future of smart and…

The Cotton Grower staff was pleased to present the 2023 Cotton Grower Cotton Achievement Award to Bart Davis during a recent luncheon. Listen in to the presentation, including Bart's remarks about the importance of industry involvement.By Jim Steadman