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Research Pillar 1 of 5

IAM Control Plane

Identity as the foundational security layer

Identity and Access Management (IAM) serves as the foundational control plane for modern security architectures. This pillar explores authentication (AuthN), authorization (AuthZ), federation protocols, policy-as-code implementations, and machine identity management across enterprise and critical infrastructure environments. From OAuth/OIDC to SPIFFE/SPIRE, from RBAC to ABAC, we examine how identity becomes the perimeter in a world without traditional boundaries.

Key Topics

Authentication protocols (OAuth 2.0, OIDC, SAML)Authorization models (RBAC, ABAC, ReBAC)Machine identity and workload authenticationPolicy-as-code and OPA/RegoFederation and identity brokeringPrivileged access management (PAM)Identity governance and administration (IGA)

Posts in This Pillar

3 articles
linkedinNov 15, 2025
Why Identity & Access Management Is the Most Underrated Security Discipline
After 15+ years designing IAM systems, here is the framework I wish existed when I started.
4,250312
linkedinSep 20, 2025
The IAM Framework Every Security Leader Needs
A comprehensive framework for building identity-first security architectures.
3,890287
linkedinJun 10, 2025
From Cloud IAM to National Cybersecurity Policy
How enterprise IAM principles scale to national infrastructure protection.
2,340198
Learning Path
Recommended progression through this pillar
1

IAM Fundamentals

Start with core concepts: subjects, objects, actions, and the authentication/authorization distinction

2

Protocol Deep Dives

Master OAuth 2.0 flows, OIDC claims, and SAML assertions

3

Machine Identity

Explore SPIFFE/SPIRE, workload identity, and service mesh authentication

4

Policy Engineering

Learn policy-as-code with OPA, Cedar, and attribute-based access control

Resources
Downloadable materials for this pillar

IAM Architecture Reference Guide

pdf

OAuth 2.0 Security Best Practices

pdf

Machine Identity Whitepaper

pdf

Related Pillars
Zero Trust Architecture
AI Agent Security

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