Show Notes
Rick Scot, Global CIO and CISO at Elevate Textiles, joins Jim and Jeff to talk about how he went from leading a data team to holding both the CIO and CISO seats at a global manufacturing company. Rick shares the moment that pulled him into security, how his tight-knit Charlotte cyber community shapes his thinking, and how he balances speed and control when the two roles pull in different directions. The conversation moves into identity for the age of AI agents: whether an agent is a human or non-human identity (Rick argues it's neither), who should own accountability when something goes wrong, and how session termination has to extend beyond turning off an account. Rick also digs into shadow AI, the real cost of tokens versus flat-rate licenses, and how he evaluates new identity technology against his organization's size and risk appetite. The episode closes with what excites and concerns him most about AI over the next three to five years, his advice for identity practitioners, and a lighter look at hobbies people wouldn't expect.
Connect with Rick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rickscot/
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 - Intro and community shoutouts 07:06 - Introducing Rick Scot, Global CIO and CISO at Elevate Textiles 07:46 - How Rick got into cybersecurity 09:22 - Charlotte's tight-knit cyber community 11:18 - The moment that made security the focus 13:06 - Balancing the CIO and CISO roles 16:17 - What "Identity at the Center" means to Rick 19:26 - Where to start when building an IAM program 23:29 - Balancing risk and innovation with AI 27:46 - Who should own accountability for an AI agent 29:38 - A hierarchy for agent identities 33:31 - Terminating access and sessions, not just accounts 36:25 - Dealing with shadow AI 41:37 - Standing up a governance process for new AI projects 43:19 - Evaluating new identity technology and token costs 48:51 - Training and governance around AI usage 52:22 - Established vendors versus disruptive startups 56:56 - Looking three to five years ahead 1:00:20 - Advice for identity practitioners 1:01:41 - Lightning round: hobbies and surprises 1:08:40 - Closing and where to find Rick
IDAC, Identity at the Center, Jeff Steadman, Jim McDonald, Rick Scot, Elevate Textiles, CIO, CISO, identity and access management, IAM program, identity governance, AI agents, non-human identity, agentic identity, shadow AI, session management, offboarding, token costs, Charlotte cybersecurity community, identity leadership
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