#401 - Sponsor Spotlight - PlainID

#401 - Sponsor Spotlight - PlainID

This episode is sponsored by PlainID. Visit plainid.com/idac to learn more.

In this sponsored episode, Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman talk with Gal Helemski, CTO and co-founder of PlainID, about the evolving landscape of authorization. The conversation covers the transition from traditional roles and attributes to a modern policy-based access control (PBAC) approach. Gal explains how PlainID helps organizations centralize authorization logic, improve security posture, and simplify the management of access across complex hybrid and multi-cloud environments. The discussion also touches on the importance of visibility into who has access to what and the role of standards like Cedar and Rego in the future of authorization.


Connect with Gal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gal-helemski-b9542231/Learn more about PlainID: plainid.com/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 idacpodcast.com


Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to the Sponsor Spotlight

02:15 Meet Gal Helemski from PlainID

05:30 The shift from RBAC to PBAC

10:45 Challenges with traditional authorization methods

15:20 How PlainID centralizes authorization logic

22:10 Integrating with existing identity providers

28:45 The role of visibility and auditing in authorization

35:30 Discussion on authorization standards: Cedar and Rego

42:15 Future trends in identity and access management

50:00 Final thoughts and where to learn more


Keywords:

IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, PlainID, Authorization, Policy-Based Access Control, PBAC, RBAC, Cybersecurity, IAM, Access Management, Gal Helemski, Identity Security

Jaksot(419)

#419 - Identity Management Day 2026 - IDAC Live

#419 - Identity Management Day 2026 - IDAC Live

Recorded live as part of the Identity Management Day 2026 streaming program, Jeff and Jim mark their fifth IMD episode. Introduced by Jeff Reich from the Identity Defined Security Alliance, they refle...

4 Touko 29min

#418 - Ethical IAM with Elizabeth Garber

#418 - Ethical IAM with Elizabeth Garber

What does it mean to build an identity system that is ethical? Jim McDonald and Jeff Steadman are joined by Elizabeth Garber, Executive Director of IDPro and marketing lead for the OpenID Foundation, ...

27 Huhti 1h 8min

#417 - Sponsor Spotlight - Elimity

#417 - Sponsor Spotlight - Elimity

This bonus episode of Identity at the Center is brought to you with support from Elimity. Jeff and Jim sit down with Maarten Decat, co-founder and CEO of Elimity, to explore the emerging product categ...

22 Huhti 48min

#416 - European Identity and Cloud Conference 2026 Preview with Warwick Ashford

#416 - European Identity and Cloud Conference 2026 Preview with Warwick Ashford

Jeff and Jim are joined by Warwick Ashford, senior analyst at KuppingerCole and returning MC of the European Identity and Cloud Conference, for a full preview of EIC 2026. The conference runs May 19-2...

20 Huhti 1h

#415 - Identity Management Day 2026 with Jeff Reich

#415 - Identity Management Day 2026 with Jeff Reich

Jeff and Jim welcome back five-time guest Jeff Reich, Executive Director of the Identity Defined Security Alliance, just ahead of Identity Management Day 2026 on April 14th. Jeff walks through the str...

13 Huhti 1h 1min

#414 - Sponsor Spotlight - Evolveum

#414 - Sponsor Spotlight - Evolveum

This sponsored episode is made possible by Evolveum, the company behind midPoint, an open source IGA platform made and owned in the EU that is in use worldwide. Jeff Steadman and Jim McDonald welcome ...

8 Huhti 40min

#413 - Standards, AI Agents, and the Digital Estate with Heather Flanagan

#413 - Standards, AI Agents, and the Digital Estate with Heather Flanagan

Jeff and Jim welcome back Heather Flanagan for her fifth appearance on the show. Heather shares updates across a wide range of current work including her new role as content chair for the Identiverse ...

6 Huhti 52min

#412 - IDAC Failsafe Triggered

#412 - IDAC Failsafe Triggered

AI Jeff takes over as solo host after Open Jim Claw, an agentic identity framework built by AI Jim, locks out human Jeff, human Jim, and AI Jim simultaneously. While everyone sits in remediation, Open...

1 Huhti 12min