SaviTalk by Saviynt

In this episode of SaviTalk, hosts David Lee and Henrique Teixeira sit down with Miguel Navarro, Head of Client Identity Verification and Authentication at KeyBank, and David Mahdi, Chief Identity Officer at Transmit Security, for a wide-ranging conversation on where identity security is headed — and what the industry is still getting dangerously wrong.

The conversation covers the industrialization of cybercrime, the uncomfortable truth that threat actors operate with the same organizational discipline as enterprises, and why the explosion of agentic AI adoption has created a security exposure most practitioners have not yet reckoned with. Mahdi draws from his years at Gartner — including his early work defining machine identity — to make the case that without clear definitions and open standards, agentic AI will repeat the same decade-long stumble the industry made with cloud. Navarro, approaching identity from the financial services frontlines, argues that bad actors are not lone hackers — they are organized, funded, and treating financial crime as one department among many.

If you work in identity, security leadership, or enterprise technology, this is one of the most honest conversations we have had on the real threat landscape and what it will take to get ahead of it. Follow SaviTalk on your preferred platform so you never miss an episode.

Anthony Viggiano joins SaviTalk for a candid conversation on why many identity programs still struggle to move beyond compliance-driven processes and into measurable security outcomes.

Drawing from years leading identity security initiatives at scale, Anthony shares practical insights on governance maturity, operational realities, organizational resistance, and the growing pressure security leaders face as identity environments become more complex.

The conversation explores why identity programs fail quietly, how organizations mistake activity for progress, and what it actually takes to build identity security programs that reduce risk instead of simply satisfying audits.

Follow SaviTalk for more conversations with the leaders shaping the future of identity security, governance, AI, and digital trust.

In this episode of SaviTalk, David Lee and Henrique Teixeira sit down with Ayan Roy, Cybersecurity Competency Leader and Partner at EY, to explore how identity is evolving into a core business control in modern enterprises.

Ayan shares a practitioner’s perspective from working with global organizations—breaking down how identity governance, risk, and AI are converging. The conversation moves beyond compliance to examine how identity programs actually scale (or fail), why governance remains the hardest problem in cybersecurity, and what leaders must rethink as AI accelerates complexity across human and non-human identities.

This is a grounded, real-world discussion on where identity is today—and what it will take to make it work at enterprise scale.

Follow SaviTalk for more conversations with the leaders shaping identity security.

Identity systems don’t fail because of technology; they fail because of people.

In this episode of SaviTalk, Eve Maler, Founder of Venn Factory and a pioneer in identity standards, joins David Lee and Henrique Teixeira to explore the often-overlooked human layer of identity. Drawing from her work on SAML and decades in standards development, Eve breaks down how identity is fundamentally about coordination, persuasion, and governance—not just infrastructure.

The conversation goes beyond traditional identity security topics, covering identity as a product, the Four P’s framework, and emerging challenges like digital identity after death, AI-generated likeness, and the growing complexity of digital relationships. Eve offers a clear message: identity leaders must think beyond systems and start designing for people, outcomes, and real-world impact.

Follow SaviTalk for more conversations shaping the future of identity security.

What if identity isn’t just a system—but something we’ve all been shaped by from the start?

In this episode, Tim York and Aaron Lentz (iC Consult) join David Lee and Henrique Teixeira to explore the human side of identity security. How culture, experience, and organizational realities shape the way identity programs are built and operated. From early identity challenges to today’s AI-driven landscape, they unpack why identity has struggled to evolve and what that means for security leaders today.

The conversation goes beyond frameworks and tooling into deeper questions: Why does identity still feel disconnected from security? Where are we overcomplicating things? And how do we rethink identity as both a control plane and a human system in the age of AI?

Follow SaviTalk by Saviynt for more real conversations shaping the future of identity and security.

Heather Flanagan has helped shape the internet — without ever being a developer.

From leading the RFC Series at the IETF to building peer-reviewed identity knowledge through IDPro, Heather has spent her career translating complex technical debates into global standards that quietly power how the internet works. In this episode of SaviTalk, she joins David Lee and Henrique Teixeira for a candid conversation about identity standards, AI acceleration, and what it really takes to build consensus at internet scale.

They unpack the tension between speed and governance in the AI era, why vendors avoid standards participation (and why that’s risky), and how “harmless but useless” specs still make it into production. If you care about IAM, AI agents, wallets, machine identities, or digital trust — this episode pulls back the curtain on how the rules of the internet actually get written.

Follow SaviTalk by Saviynt for more unscripted conversations with the people shaping identity security.

In this hosts-only leadership roundtable, the SaviTalk crew gets personal. Jim Routh, David Lee, Simon Gooch, and Henrique Teixeira unpack how they actually ended up in identity, from sports science and history majors to accidental CISOs and early IAM consulting days.

The conversation moves from career detours to bigger questions facing the industry: how people really learn, why communication and curiosity matter more than certifications, and what data science, identity, and AI mean for the next generation of security leaders.

Candid, funny, and opinionated, this episode is about the human side of identity security — the paths, mistakes, and mindset shifts that shape leaders long before job titles do.

Subscribe and follow SaviTalk by Saviynt for more real conversations shaping the future of identity.

Industry veterans Jeff Steadman and Jim McDonald walk through the evolution of identity architectures and outline what organizations must do to modernize in a cloud-first world. They highlight common challenges, leadership lessons, and best practices for securing complex identity ecosystems.

About SaviTalk:

SaviTalk is Saviynt’s official podcast featuring conversations with leaders in identity security, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.

IBM identity security leader Mike Amadei explores how AI is transforming authentication, user experience, and enterprise security. He discusses contextual access, identity at machine scale, and how organizations can prepare for the next wave of AI-driven identity challenges.

About SaviTalk:

SaviTalk is Saviynt’s official podcast featuring conversations with leaders in identity security, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.

Saviynt Chief Product Officer Vibhuti Sinha explains how AI, automation, and identity intelligence are redefining identity governance at scale. He explores why traditional IGA systems struggle, how cloud adoption impacts risk, and what organizations can do to modernize their governance frameworks.

About SaviTalk:

SaviTalk is Saviynt’s official podcast featuring conversations with leaders in identity security, cybersecurity, and digital transformation.