A robust identity strategy is "T-shaped." The horizontal bar represents the entire user lifecycle (pre-auth access, phishing-resistant auth, post-auth session security). The vertical bar represents deep integrations beyond SSO, including lifecycle management, risk signal sharing, and system-wide session termination.
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For a mature product, a key growth lever can be removing identity friction. By allowing users to bring their existing accounts (e.g., Gmail) instead of forcing a new one (e.g., Yahoo.com), you lower barriers, solve the 'cold start' problem, and can dramatically increase adoption by delivering immediate value.
Managing human identities is already complex, but the rise of AI agents communicating with systems will multiply this challenge exponentially. Organizations must prepare for managing thousands of "machine identities" with granular permissions, making robust identity management a critical prerequisite for the AI era.
Instead of managing individual external users, host organizations should provide partners with user-friendly tools to manage their own team's access. Partners have better "intimacy" regarding who has joined or left, allowing them to revoke access promptly and reduce risks like orphaned accounts.
Digital trust with partners requires embedding privacy considerations into their entire lifecycle, from onboarding to system access. This proactive approach builds confidence and prevents data breaches within the extended enterprise, rather than treating privacy as a reactive compliance task.
The 48 minutes per month that users waste on login issues isn't just an annoyance; it's a direct productivity loss for the "extended enterprise." For a company with thousands of suppliers, this reclaimed time represents a significant ROI for investing in seamless, passwordless access.
While sophisticated AI attacks are emerging, the vast majority of breaches will continue to exploit poor security fundamentals. Companies that haven't mastered basics like rotating static credentials are far more vulnerable. Focusing on core identity hygiene is the best way to future-proof against any attack, AI-driven or not.
The modern security paradigm must shift from solely protecting the "front door." With billions of credentials already compromised, companies must operate as if identities are breached. The focus should be on maintaining session security over time, not just authenticating at the point of access.