
#426 - Sponsor Spotlight - Crowdstrike
Show notes
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