AI agent identity security is testing whether consolidated platforms can protect a growing class of machine identities. Palo Alto Networks Inc.’s acquisition of CyberArk Software Ltd. reflects broader consolidation in the identity security market.
Okta Inc. recently added an AI agent runtime gateway and formed the Blueprint Alliance with Amazon Web Services Inc. and CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. Even with those efforts, enterprises remain uncertain about where agent attacks will originate and which security layers should respond, according to Todd Thiemann (pictured), principal analyst for identity and access management and data security at Omdia, a division of Informa TechTarget Inc.
“I asked about 400 people, ‘What’s the primary inhibitor for you implementing identity security for AI agents?’ The number one answer that came back was basically confusion and also an uncertainty about where the attacks are going to come from,” Thiemann said.
Thiemann spoke with theCUBE Research’s Krista Case and co-host Rebecca Knight at Oktane, during exclusive coverage on theCUBE, SiliconANGLE Media’s livestreaming studio. They discussed why AI agent identity security requires coordinated controls across multiple layers of the technology stack. (* Disclosure below.)
AI agent identity security spans multiple layers
Security leaders also disagree about which type of platform should take the lead. In Omdia’s survey of 400 security leaders, Thiemann asked which platform should handle AI agent identity security.
“The number one answer was, ‘My data security platform.’ That’s Palo Alto Networks. Now they have CyberArk or Microsoft or something like that. The next answer was, ‘I want to use my identity platform,'” Thiemann said.
The Blueprint Alliance defines gateway capabilities such as authentication, authorization and visibility. Data security and other risks may still require controls from multiple providers, increasing the policies enterprises must coordinate and the potential for gaps, according to Thiemann. That complexity points toward defense in depth rather than one dominant platform.
“With AI agents, [it is] a bit of the Wild West — a lot of change happening,” Thiemann said. “That’s one of the issues … that’s going to have to work itself out.”
Here’s the complete video interview, part of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Oktane:
(* Disclosure: TheCUBE is a paid media partner for the Oktane 2026 event. Neither Okta, the sponsor of theCUBE’s event coverage, nor other sponsors have editorial control over content on theCUBE or SiliconANGLE.)