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AI Agents Need Logins Too: Identity, Security, and the Future of AI | Greg Keller, CTO, JumpCloud

Mar 5, 2026 · 2 min read · Get 90 days of Fellow free at Fellow.ai/coo AI is moving fast. Most companies are focused on tools. The real challenge may be identity. In this episode of Between Two COOs, Michael Koenig sits down with Greg Keller, co-founder and CTO of JumpCloud, to explore why identity access management is beco

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Mar 5, 2026

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In this episode, Michael Koenig speaks with Greg Keller, co-founder and CTO of JumpCloud, about identity access management and why it’s becoming one of the most important operational systems in the age of AI.

Greg explains how traditional identity systems were designed for office-based companies running Microsoft infrastructure and why that model broke as companies moved to SaaS, cloud infrastructure, and remote work.

The discussion then turns to the next big shift: the rise of AI agents and synthetic identities inside organizations.

As companies deploy more AI tools, the number of machine identities may soon outnumber human employees. Managing what those systems can access will become a critical security and operational challenge.

Topics Covered

What a CTO actually does

Greg explains the different types of CTO roles and how technology leaders help companies anticipate where the market is headed.

Identity Access Management explained simply

IAM answers three core questions inside every company:

Who are you?

What can you access?

How is that access managed?

Why the old IT model broke

Traditional identity systems were built for on-premise offices and Microsoft infrastructure. Modern companies now operate across:

SaaS applications

cloud infrastructure

remote work environments

multiple operating systems

How JumpCloud approaches identity

JumpCloud was built to manage identity across devices, applications, and infrastructure regardless of platform.

Where Okta fits in the ecosystem

Okta helped modernize browser-based authentication through Single Sign-On, while JumpCloud focuses on broader identity infrastructure.

AI, Security, and Synthetic Identities

Why COOs should push AI adoption

Greg argues AI adoption is no longer optional. Companies must encourage teams to improve productivity and efficiency using AI.

The rise of synthetic identities

AI agents, bots, APIs, and service accounts are becoming new actors inside companies that require identity governance.

Bots may soon outnumber employees

Organizations will soon manage more machine identities than human ones.

AI as a potential insider threat

AI systems can become security risks if they are granted excessive permissions or misinterpret policies.

The API key governance problem

Many AI integrations rely on API keys, which are often poorly managed and can create hidden security risks.

Key Takeaway

As companies adopt AI, identity access management becomes the control layer that determines what both humans and machines are allowed to do inside the organization.
The companies that manage identity well will move faster and operate more securely.

Links:

Michael on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/michael-koenig514

Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorykeller/

JumpCloud: https://jumpcloud.com/

Between Two COO’s: https://betweentwocoos.com

Episode Link: https://betweentwocoos.com/ai-agents-identity-access-greg-keller

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