This episode and the Identity at the Center podcast is supported by CrowdStrike. Learn more at crowdstrike.com.

Jeff Steadman and Jim McDonald sit down with Scott Kriz, GM of Continuous Identity at CrowdStrike, for a deep dive into continuous identity, zero standing access, and the convergence of identity and security. Scott traces his path from co-founding Bitium, to selling it to Google Cloud, to building SGNL and ultimately joining CrowdStrike. The conversation covers how continuous identity works in practice, why traditional PAM and IGA fall short in a real-time world, and what the rise of agentic AI means for identity governance at scale.

Connect with Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottkriz/

Learn more about Crowdstrike: https://www.crowdstrike.com/en-us/platform/next-gen-identity-security/caep/?idac

Connect with us on LinkedIn:

Jim McDonald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimmcdonaldpmp/

Jeff Steadman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffsteadman/

Visit the show on the web at http://idacpodcast.com

00:00:00 Introduction and welcome

00:01:21 How Scott got into identity and co-founded Bitium

00:03:55 Selling to Google Cloud and the inspiration for SGNL

00:05:02 Continuous identity and zero standing access explained

00:09:13 Defining continuous identity at CrowdStrike

00:10:20 How continuous identity differs from PAM and IGA

00:15:06 Data as the foundation for continuous identity

00:19:29 Open ecosystems, Shared Signals Framework, and CAEP

00:25:26 Agents, identity chaining, SPIFFE, SPIRE, and MCP gateways

00:33:02 Identity inside CrowdStrike's broader security strategy

00:37:27 Identity security budgets and ROI-driven purchasing

00:40:04 Agentic scale and the need for automated identity controls

00:43:39 The SGNL acquisition: what it means for both companies

00:50:25 Zero trust as a real architectural framework

00:54:00 Helicopter skiing, avalanches, and staying present

Keywords: IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Scott Kriz, CrowdStrike, SGNL, continuous identity, zero standing access, PAM, IGA, zero trust, agentic AI, non-human identity, NHI, SPIFFE, SPIRE, MCP, identity security, real-time authorization, cybersecurity