AI Agents Need Robust Identity Management Systems

Artificial intelligence has evolved beyond passive assistants to autonomous agents capable of reasoning, planning, and acting independently. Gartner predicts that by 2026, 30% of enterprises will deploy AI agents operating with minimal human intervention. However, traditional identity and access management (IAM) systems are ill-equipped for this new reality.

Shared Identity Needs Between AI Agents and Humans

AI agents and human users share critical identity requirements:

• Unique Digital Identities: Both need distinct identities for authentication and authorization.
• Delegated Authority: Agents often act on behalf of users, systems, or other agents.
• Zero Trust Enforcement: Both require least privilege access and dynamic policy enforcement.
• Credential Management: Agents rely on tokens, certificates, and keys that must be securely managed.
• Auditability: Every action must be traceable to a verifiable identity.

Unique Challenges of AI Agent Identities

AI agents present distinct challenges that traditional IAM systems cannot address:

• Ephemeral Lifespan: Agents may exist only for seconds, unlike long-lived human accounts.
• Massive Scale: Enterprises may deploy millions of agents, far outnumbering human users.
• Complex Delegation Chains: Agents can delegate to other agents, creating intricate trust relationships.
• Dynamic Identities: Agents need Just-in-Time credentials scoped to specific tasks.
• Cross-Domain Collaboration: Agents operate across systems and domains, requiring real-time federation.

Strata's Maverics Agentic Identity Solution

Strata's Maverics Agentic Identity is designed specifically for AI agents, offering:

• Just-in-Time Provisioning: Dynamic identity creation tied to specific tasks.
• OAuth Orchestration at Scale: Supports advanced OAuth capabilities like On-Behalf-Of flows and token exchange.
• Attribute-Based Authorization: Fine-grained, context-aware policies.
• Comprehensive Auditability: Detailed logs of all agent actions.
• Cross-Domain Trust: Enables secure collaboration across systems.

Why Act Now?

With AI agents already in use, enterprises must ensure their IAM systems can:

• Govern agents with the same rigor as human users.
• Apply Zero Trust principles at machine speed.
• Stay ahead of evolving standards in AI and identity management.

Ready to explore identity management for AI agents? Join the Maverics Identity preview.