Identity Is the New Control Plane

Perimeters are gone. Applications are distributed. Data lives everywhere. In this new reality, identity has become the most critical security control an organization owns. Identity Is the New Control Plane explains why identity governance now sits at the center of modern cybersecurity strategy. It shows how identity underpins Zero Trust architectures, cloud security, and AI-driven systems, and why weak identity controls are at the root of today's most damaging breaches. Written for executives, security leaders, and architects, this book moves beyond tools and buzzwords to focus on control, accountability, and decision-making. It connects identity strategy to real business risk and explains how identity becomes the enforcement layer for users, workloads, APIs, and machines. Inside, you will learn how to: • Understand identity as the foundation of Zero Trust • Align identity governance with cloud and SaaS environments • Control privileged access in hybrid and multi-cloud architectures • Manage machine and AI identities alongside human users • Reduce breach impact by enforcing least privilege at scale • Communicate identity risk clearly to executives and boards Rather than treating identity as an IT implementation detail, this book reframes it as a strategic control plane that governs access, trust, and resilience across the enterprise. Identity Is the New Control Plane is an essential guide for organizations that want to secure cloud, AI, and digital transformation initiatives without relying on outdated perimeter-based thinking.