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Every chip in every device around you has at least one identity associated with it. Machine identities now outnumber human ones online. AI can replicate your face and voice with frightening accuracy. Welcome to the brave new world of identity security.

Jeff Reich, Executive Director of the Identity Defined Security Alliance (IDSA), brings over 45 years of security experience to this fascinating discussion about why identity has become ground zero in today's cybersecurity battles. The perimeter has shifted dramatically — from physical computer rooms to worldwide networks, and now to every connected device. With this expansion, traditional approaches to security have become dangerously inadequate.

Through vendor-neutral research and collaboration, IDSA is addressing critical gaps in our identity security practices. Their findings are sobering: 98% of organizations experienced identity-related security incidents. While most organizations have implemented basic protections like strong passwords, sophisticated threats like ransomware, identity theft, and deepfakes continue to evolve faster than our defenses.

Reich offers practical wisdom for security leaders navigating this landscape. He distinguishes between mere compliance and actual security, noting that "every major credit card breach occurred at organizations that were PCI compliant until the moment the breach occurred." For overwhelmed CISOs, he suggests focusing on communicating in executive language rather than technical terms, and accepting that sometimes the role functions as "Chief Scapegoat Officer" — concentrating on doing what's right rather than just protecting one's position.

As technology advances faster than our ability to adapt to it, non-human identities and AI-driven threats will dominate security concerns in the coming months. Organizations must look beyond checkbox compliance toward substantive, thoughtful approaches to identity security that can withstand the complex threats of tomorrow's digital landscape.

An Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...

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An Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the show

More at https://linktr.ee/EvanKirstel

Interested in being a guest? Email us at admin@evankirstel.com

Unified visibility has transformed from a luxury into a business-critical imperative for enterprises navigating today's complex IT landscape. In this revealing conversation with Sunitha Rao, who leads Hitachi Vantara's hybrid cloud business unit, we explore why this shift has occurred and how their newly launched VSP360 platform delivers game-changing capabilities.

The driving forces behind unified visibility's rise are compelling - AI's acceleration, evolving regulatory landscapes across regions, and the pressing need for financial agility as we approach 2025. Organizations struggling with fragmented visibility across hybrid environments can no longer afford the inefficiencies of siloed approaches. As Sunitha explains, "You really have the AI that's allowing you to have data insights that are explainable, that allow you to give a cross-domain visibility across the board."

VSP360's visibility-driven architecture represents a fundamental rethinking of enterprise storage management. Rather than bolting on capabilities, Hitachi has built a unified control plane that provides intelligent insights through what Sunitha calls a "single pane of smart glass." The platform leverages AI-powered observability to deliver real-time performance telemetry, predictive analytics, and automated recommendations that help organizations optimize their entire storage fleet - whether on-premises, in the cloud, or at the edge.

Perhaps most impressive is how VSP360 addresses the ever-present challenge of shadow IT and cloud sprawl. Through comprehensive visibility and AI-driven recommendations, organizations gain the ability to detect idle resources, misaligned storage tiers, and potential cost optimizations. One beta customer reported freeing up 60% of their IT team's efforts by leveraging these capabilities - allowing valuable technical talent to focus on high-value strategic initiatives rather than routine management tasks.

For CIOs embarking on this journey toward unified visibility, Sunita offers practical advice: start by acknowledging fragmentation as both a technical and business requirement, conduct a comprehensive asset assessment, and seek platforms that provide unified control with built-in governance. As she notes, "Your visibility is basically building efficiency, and efficiency is basically building you to transform the way you manage your data environments."

Curious about how unified visibility could transform your organization's approach to data management? Explore how Hitachi's visibility-driven architecture might help you gain control of your diverse IT landscape while preparing for the AI-driven future.

An Acxiom podcast where we discuss marketing made better, bringing you real...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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