--- title: IDENTITY AT THE CORE description: "An article based on round table \"Identity at the Core: Securing the Enterprise in the Age of AI\", in Gastro Brisk, organised by Pointury for SITS Traxion on October 8, 2026." image: https://www.pointury.com/hubfs/BE20261008%20Identity%20at%20the%20core%20Banner-3.png --- ![Pointury White Banner connecting](https://www.pointury.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Pointury%20White%20Banner%20connecting.png?width=250&height=100&name=Pointury%20White%20Banner%20connecting.png "Pointury White Banner connecting") - [Home](https://www.pointury.com) - [Upcoming Events](https://www.pointury.com#upcoming) - [Past Events](https://www.pointury.com#past) - [Articles](https://www.pointury.com#articles) - [Services](https://www.pointury.com/services) - [Training](https://www.pointury.com/services#webinars) - [Round Tables](https://www.pointury.com/services#round-tables) - [Community](https://www.pointury.com/services#community) - [Company](https://www.pointury.com/company) - [About us](https://www.pointury.com/company#about-us) - [How do we do it?](https://www.pointury.com/company#what-we-do) - [Partners](https://www.pointury.com/company#partners) - [Advisory Board](https://www.pointury.com/company#advisory) - [What participants say](https://www.pointury.com/company#quotes) - [Publications](https://www.pointury.com/publications) - [Blogs](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/blogs) - [Articles](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/articles) - [Past Events](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/events) - [Videos](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/videos) - [Contact us](https://www.pointury.com/publications/identity-at-the-core#contact) - [English](https://www.pointury.com/publications/identity-at-the-core) - [Français](https://www.pointury.com/fr/publications/identity-at-the-core) - [Nederlands](https://www.pointury.com/nl/publications/identity-at-the-core) en [Back to blog](https://www.pointury.com/publications) # IDENTITY AT THE CORE ![Picture of Luc Brouwers](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/c2b0bc244d014dd5c1ffdc6af9ca1fcf) [Luc Brouwers](https://www.pointury.com/publications/author/luc-brouwers) Oct 8, 2026, 11:00:00 PM [blogs](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/blogs) [events](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/events) ![BE20261008 Identity at the core Banner-3](https://www.pointury.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BE20261008%20Identity%20at%20the%20core%20Banner-3.png?width=720&height=405&name=BE20261008%20Identity%20at%20the%20core%20Banner-3.png) Identity at the core: Securing the Enterprise in the Age of AI An extra large round table with 29 people, most of them CISOs. One essential question: how do we keep control of identities and access in an increasingly AI-driven enterprise? **Where are we heading?** On Thursday evening, October 8 2026 a party of 29 participants gathered at Gastro Brisk in Groot-Bijgaarden for an inspiring Pointury round table on one of the most fundamental challenges in cybersecurity: **Identity & Access Management (IAM) in the age of AI.** Hosted with the support of SITS Group / Traxion, and one of their SW partners, Elimity, the event brought together CIOs, CISOs and other digital leaders for an open exchange of experiences, practical lessons and strategic perspectives. Against the backdrop of an excellent dinner, the discussion went beyond technology to explore the organisational and governance challenges that determine whether identity security really works. ## From managing user accounts to managing identities for life **Vincent Florquin, CISO at Athumi**, opened up a fascinating perspective on identity management by sharing lessons from a complex environment at Brussels Airport. The challenge was striking: around 40,000 non-employees compared with approximately 3,000 employees. Subcontractors came from different organisations and systems, resulting in duplicate identities, accounts that were easy to create but difficult to close, and people moving between employee and contractor status. Some even worked part-time for multiple organisations. The answer was a **one-identity-for-life model**. Rather than creating a new identity for every employment relationship or assignment, each individual would have one identity linked to clearly defined assignments, with start and end dates and an accountable manager. The underlying principle was simple but powerful: employees, contractors and other external parties should be managed consistently throughout their relationship with the organisation. This also requires bringing physical access and application access together. After all, identity security is not just about logging into systems. It is equally about determining which activities someone is authorised to perform and which physical spaces they are allowed to enter. ### And what happens when the identity belongs to an AI agent? Vincent then connected these lessons to one of today's most pressing challenges: artificial intelligence. Organisations need to ask fundamental questions about access to information. Who assigns confidentiality classifications to documents and other resources? And what happens when an AI assistant can access those resources and act on a user's requests? AI systems do not automatically understand the business context, ethical boundaries or confidentiality expectations that humans take for granted. They may attempt to fulfil a request in ways that exceed what the organisation intended. **AI agents therefore need identities, clearly defined authorisations, accountable ownership and continuous monitoring.** Delegating tasks to AI must never mean delegating control over what the AI is allowed to do. As non-human identities proliferate, identity management must evolve accordingly. ## IAM is as much a business challenge as a technical one **Peter Van Lierde, CISO at Sibelga**, shared practical lessons from an IAM implementation in the energy sector, where IT and operational technology (OT) are both critical to the organisation. His experience illustrated why identity projects can be considerably more difficult than they initially appear. His three essential lessons were: - **Define an achievable scope.** An IAM project needs realistic boundaries and clearly defined objectives. - **Allocate sufficient resources.** Even a well-designed project will struggle without the people and time required to implement it successfully. - **Secure business ownership, particularly from HR.** Identity management depends on accurate organisational information, clear responsibilities and cooperation across business functions. The last point deserves particular attention. Identity and access governance is often treated as an IT responsibility, yet many of its most important decisions belong to the business. HR, line managers and resource owners must help determine who needs access, to what, and for how long. Peter also highlighted the challenges of managing access in an environment where the boundary between IT and OT is becoming increasingly blurred. ## Beyond roles: understanding context and relationships The discussion also explored different approaches to access control. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) assigns permissions based on a person's role. It can work well when responsibilities are clearly defined and relatively stable, but it can become difficult to maintain when organisational structures and access requirements grow more complex. Other approaches can provide additional flexibility: - **Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)** takes account of attributes and context, such as a user's department, the sensitivity of a resource or the circumstances of an access request. - **Relationship-Based Access Control (ReBAC)** determines access through relationships between people, teams and resources. These approaches raise an important question for organisations: are access rights based on meaningful business responsibilities, or have they simply accumulated over time as individual permissions? Moving towards more structured and context-aware access control requires more than selecting the right technology. It also requires better data, clearer accountability and agreement across the business about who should have access to what. ## IAM and IGA: control versus governance Another important distinction emerged between Identity & Access Management (IAM) and Identity Governance and Administration (IGA). IAM focuses on the operational mechanisms that authenticate users and enforce access to systems and resources. IGA addresses the broader governance questions: **Should this person have access? Why do they need it? Who approved it? And when should that access end?** The distinction helps explain why organisations often need external expertise for identity and governance initiatives. The challenges are not exclusively technical. They involve business processes, ownership, resources and sometimes difficult conversations about responsibilities and existing access rights. Ultimately, effective identity governance requires the business to take ownership rather than leaving every decision to IT. ## ![Identity at the core](https://www.pointury.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Identity%20at%20the%20core.jpeg?width=5712&height=4284&name=Identity%20at%20the%20core.jpeg) ## The value of an open exchange between peers As always at Pointury, the objective was not to deliver another commercial presentation, but to create an environment where experienced digital leaders could challenge assumptions, share lessons learned and discuss the issues they face in their own organisations. The evening's conversations reinforced a central message: **identity is no longer merely an IT administration topic. It is a cornerstone of cybersecurity, business governance and digital trust.** And as organisations increasingly rely on AI assistants and autonomous agents, the need for clear identities, controlled permissions and accountable ownership will only grow. A sincere thank you to **Vincent Florquin** and **Peter Van Lierde** for sharing their experience so openly, to **SITS Group / Traxion** for supporting the initiative, and to all 29 participants for contributing to such a valuable evening. And, of course, thank you to the team at **Gastro Brisk** for the excellent food and hospitality. At Pointury, we believe that some of the most valuable insights emerge when digital leaders meet as peers, speak frankly and learn from one another. **That is what our round tables are all about.** **![SITS Traxion](https://www.pointury.com/hs-fs/hubfs/SITS%20Traxion.png?width=338&height=135&name=SITS%20Traxion.png)** SITS Group | Traxion is the leading independent Identity & Access Management (IAM) specialist in the Benelux, helping organizations strengthen their cybersecurity through robust, future-ready identity security solutions. As part of SITS Group, Traxion combines deep expertise with a pragmatic, business-focused approach, delivering strategic, tactical, and operational support across the full IAM lifecycle. With decades of experience, Traxion enables organizations to build secure, compliant, and flexible digital environments by aligning technology, processes, and people. Their specialists are trusted by organizations across sectors to implement sustainable security solutions that not only address today’s risks but also prepare for tomorrow’s challenges.​ View Comments Hide Comments [Share this blog post on Twitter](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=I+found+this+interesting+blog+post&url=https://www.pointury.com/publications/identity-at-the-core) [Share this blog post on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://www.pointury.com/publications/identity-at-the-core) [Share this blog post on LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://www.pointury.com/publications/identity-at-the-core) ## Related Articles ## [INCONVENIENT CYBERSECURITY](https://www.pointury.com/publications/inconvenient-cybersecurity?hsLang=en) ![Picture of Luc Brouwers](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/c2b0bc244d014dd5c1ffdc6af9ca1fcf) [Luc Brouwers](https://www.pointury.com/publications/author/luc-brouwers) Sep 7, 2022, 11:00:00 PM ![INCONVENIENT CYBERSECURITY](https://www.pointury.com/hubfs/BE20220907%20Inconvenient%20Cybersecurity%20Banner-Aug-30-2022-01-49-51-12-PM.png) [blogs](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/blogs) [events](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/events) Article is based on physical round table " The inconvenient reality of cybersecurity” organised by Pointury on September 7, 2022 . [Read More](https://www.pointury.com/publications/inconvenient-cybersecurity?hsLang=en) 0 Comments ## [FIFTY SHADES OF CISO](https://www.pointury.com/publications/fifty-shades-of-ciso?hsLang=en) ![Picture of Luc Brouwers](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/c2b0bc244d014dd5c1ffdc6af9ca1fcf) [Luc Brouwers](https://www.pointury.com/publications/author/luc-brouwers) Mar 12, 2026, 11:00:00 PM ![FIFTY SHADES OF CISO](https://www.pointury.com/hubfs/BE-CEC%202026%20Q1%20Slides%20A%20new.png) [blogs](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/blogs) [articles](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/articles) Fifty shades of CISOPresented by Iwona Muchin, CISO & DPO at Ageas Group, at BE-CEC on March 12, 2026 in Technopolis, Mechelen [Read More](https://www.pointury.com/publications/fifty-shades-of-ciso?hsLang=en) 0 Comments ## Contact Us [![Pointury](https://www.pointury.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Website/Logo/Pointury%20White%20Transparent%20Logo-1.png?width=320&height=91&name=Pointury%20White%20Transparent%20Logo-1.png "Pointury")](https://www.pointury.com?hsLang=en) [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/brouwers/) - [Services](https://www.pointury.com/services) - [Training Programs](https://www.pointury.com/services#webinars) - [Round Tables](https://www.pointury.com/services#round-tables) - [Community](https://www.pointury.com/services#community) - [Company](https://www.pointury.com/company) - [About us](https://www.pointury.com/company#about-us) - [How do we do it?](https://www.pointury.com/company#what-we-do) - [Partners](https://www.pointury.com/company#partners) - [Advisory Board](https://www.pointury.com/company#advisory) - [What participants say](https://www.pointury.com/company#quotes) - [Publications](https://www.pointury.com/publications) - [Blogs](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/blogs) - [Articles](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/articles) - [Past events](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/events) - [Videos](https://www.pointury.com/publications/tag/videos) --- Copyright © 2026, Pointury [Privacy Policy](https://www.pointury.com/privacy?hsLang=en)  |  [Terms of Use](https://www.pointury.com/terms-of-use?hsLang=en) [info@pointury.com](mailto:info@pointury.com)