Identiverse 2024 Special Edition

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Identiverse 2024 Recap

My initial thoughts as I walked into Identiverse this year was: “CRA is hitting their stride.” You could immediately feel the impact of CRA on Identiverse this year. Increased number of staff members, more signage, elaborate vendor booth designs and it just felt like a “grown-up” conference. For those of us that have been coming to Identiverse for a long time we remember the days of the scrappy, family-friendly conference. It doesn’t quite have that feel anymore, but hasn’t become completely corporate yet either, so in my opinion it’s in the happy medium, and hopefully we can keep it there for many years to come.

Bigger and Better

Not sure if this was the most vendors the conference has ever had, but it certainly felt like it. Two sides of the Expo hall and the booth designs look fantastic. An introduction of “Startup Row” with feisty startup companies that are jumping into the identity space. You can check out the full list here at the link below under Startup Sponsors

I love the amount of innovative thinking we have coming in to this space, and while I didn’t get a chance to talk to all of them, I talked to enough to say this: The identity space is in full evolution mode. Now, the reality is all of these companies won’t make it. But they will leave a mark, and will drive change in the space. And that’s sorely needed.

More Diversity? Yes, please!

Ok time for the uncomfortable part. If you’re uncomfortable reading or talking about the need for real diversity, equity, and inclusion in the tech space then you should probably skip this part. In fact you might want to unsubscribe all together, just saying.

Ok, for those of you still here..lol. The last two years have seen an uptick in diverse faces and speakers at Identiverse, and I LOVE IT! I don’t have hard numbers for you ( and you know how much I love some stats), but anecdotally, I’ll say this: Last year, I noticed a sprinkle of brown faces; this year, I would dare say it was a dab. Like a Hot Ones style, last dab. Folks, we should celebrate and encourage this. We are on the precipice of some truly transformational technology when it comes to identity that can impact entire populations of people. We HAVE TO MAKE sure that we have everyone in the room designing, testing, and creating these solutions. We also HAVE to create an environment where they can learn, connect, and thrive, and Identiverse can play a huge part in that.

Jedi Masterclass

So this year I was fortunate enough to have my masterclass selected for Identiverse. I was so excited for this class, and I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to tell you all about it! But, wanted to be fair to those who would be attending Identiverse, but now that it’s over..lol. I created a course that focused on three areas/technieqes that I’ve used throughout my career to help lead successful IAM programs. But instead of just creating another presentation, I wanted to build an interactive session in which participants could get a chance do some “active learning”. So I created two interactive sessions to help reinforce the things I was presenting on. Overall I think it went well…I mean I had a great time..lol. And based on some of the feedback I received, attendees found it valuable as well. It was a little rushed, because I only had 50 minutes, but I’ll be releasing additional study materials, and a virtual version of the course soon.

But for now I’ll post the three main points covered in the session:

1) Master Asker

The art of asking questions. This by far has helped me the most in my career as I’ve worked to get great at asking questions. Mastering the open-ended question, and probing for follow-ups to get to the root of a problem, or observation.

2) Identity Centric Architectures

Making “Identity first” not just a buzzword but an actual practice. I talk about a simple tool I use that I call an Identity Blueprint. This serves as a guide for how a digital identiy is created and mainted in an organization. What are the attributes, where are they sourced from, who owns them, etc.

Also outcome driven goals vs maturity goals. What is the desired outcome you are looking to achieve from your IAM program? )

3) Communicating and aligning business value

Using the art of asking questions and creating defined outcomes and communicating those things clearly, and concisely with the business. Understanding what’s important tot he business and mapping those to IAM initatives.

Identity is so much more than just a technical project. Learning and mastering some of the “softer” skills are critical in achieving success.