Savitalk Episode 5: Identity Security at a Crossroads with Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman

Identity security is fast becoming the heartbeat of modern enterprise security — and in the AI era, it’s beating louder by the day. Non-human and Agentic AI identities are multiplying like rabbits, and companies are scrambling to catch up—modernizing and unifying their identity systems. 

But beyond the tech, there’s the messy human side: organizational politics, failed rollouts, and the constant question of whether we’re even doing the basics right. As Jim McDonald puts it bluntly: “So many organizations don’t even have a good inventory of their applications. You ask, ‘What apps do you have?’ They say, ‘Well, we had a spreadsheet… with like 10 applications.’ And they’ve got 20,000 employees!”

That’s why we were excited to sit down with Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman, the duo behind the wildly popular Identity at the Center (IDAC) podcast about digital identity in the context of IAM, and longtime leaders of RSM’s identity security practice.

Watch the episode now:

A Conversation You Don’t Want to Miss

Hosts David Lee and Henrique Teixeira call Jim and Jeff the “OGs” of identity podcasting, and this conversation shows why. It’s funny, fast-paced, and packed with truths that only come from decades in the trenches.

Jim and Jeff talk about how companies are still running identity off spreadsheets, why identity governance and management has as much to do with politics as it does with technology, and how community and mentorship are essential to the future of this profession.

They also pull back the curtain on the identity access managment cycles we’ve all seen. David says: “We’ve gone from big platforms to best of breed, and now everything’s swinging back again. But now buyers are smarter — they want SaaS pricing, one pane of glass, and outcomes, not just features.”

The bottom line? Identity may be complicated, but it doesn’t have to be boring. And with Jim and Jeff, it never is.

Key Takeaways

• Many companies — especially in the mid-market — are still fighting through identity with spreadsheets.

• Identity security success often comes down to navigating organizational dynamics, not just solving technical problems.

• AI is going to shake things up and accelerate much needed change.

• Community is everything: paying it forward to the next generation of identity pros matters as much as solving today’s problems.

• Customers care about simplicity and outcomes — not laundry lists of features.

The SaviTalk identity security podcast hosts conversations with industry leaders, innovators and security experts shaping the future of digital identity.

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