Advisory · Agentic IAM Architecture
How should identity and access work when agents act for people and delegate work?
This advisory engagement helps you design identity, credentials, lifecycle, and delegated authority for agents, working with your existing IAM, PAM, and IGA investments.
For IAM leaders, Identity architects, CISO teams, PAM and IGA leaders, and AI platform teams.
Where the boundary sits
The identity provider establishes who the agent is and issues its token. Watchlight AI Beacon evaluates whether a governed action under delegated authority is allowed, enforces the decision, and records what happened.
IAM establishes identity and baseline access. Runtime authorization evaluates whether a particular action is permitted in context. The engagement designs the first, and shows where the second should connect.
What the engagement covers
Agent and non-human identity
How agents are identified, who owns each one, and how they move through their lifecycle.
Human-to-agent delegated authority
What a person can delegate to an agent, within what limits, and how those limits are expressed.
Agent-to-agent and agent-to-tool authorization
How authority passes between agents, and how agents are authorized to use tools.
OAuth, OIDC, and workload identity
Where OAuth 2.0, OIDC, and workload identity such as SPIFFE/SPIRE apply in your environment.
Credentials, JIT access, and revocation
Credential strategy, just-in-time and zero-standing-privilege access, and how access is withdrawn.
MCP identity and authorization
How MCP servers and the agents that call them are identified and authorized.
Integration with IAM, PAM/PIM, and IGA
How the design works with the identity investments you already run.
What you can leave with
Scope and deliverables are agreed for your environment. Architecture engagements typically run 2 to 6 weeks, with scope and investment agreed up front.
- Current-state assessment
- Target-state architecture
- Trust and delegation model
- Sequence diagrams and identity flows
- Control recommendations
- Reference architecture and implementation roadmap
From architecture to action
The engagement stands on its own. When you want to go further, the path is short and specific.
- 01
Map the identity and authority model
Establish who each agent is, who it acts for, and what authority it can hold and pass on.
- 02
Select one consequential workflow
Choose a workflow to assess or pilot, so the design meets real work.
- 03
Identify where runtime controls enforce the model
Decide where a governed action should be evaluated, and what evidence should remain.
- 04
Evaluate Watchlight AI Beacon where it fits
Beacon is one way to implement and validate those runtime controls. The architecture does not depend on it.
Next steps on the path: assess a workflow, pilot it, or deploy a proven pattern.
Where Beacon fits, if it fits
Beacon is optional here, and is a product separate from this advisory work.
Available today
Delegated-authority enforcement at runtime, and signed execution lineage of the delegation chain.
On our roadmap
Native SCIM provisioning, actor-token verification, and CAEP connectors. These are not available product features today.
Questions from IAM teams
What is Agentic IAM?
Agentic IAM is identity and access management for AI agents: how agents are identified and owned, what credentials they hold, how their access is granted and revoked, and how authority is delegated from people to agents and between agents. It extends the IAM, PAM, and IGA disciplines you already run.
How is Agentic IAM different from Agent Runtime Governance?
Agentic IAM establishes identity and baseline access. Agent Runtime Governance evaluates whether a particular action is permitted in context as the agent runs, enforces that decision, and records what happened. They meet at delegated authority, and an enterprise needs both to work together.
Does Watchlight replace our IAM, PAM, or IGA?
No. Watchlight AI Beacon works alongside them. The identity provider establishes who the agent is and issues its token. Beacon evaluates whether a governed action under delegated authority is allowed, enforces the decision, and records what happened. Agentic IAM Architecture is designed around the investments you already have.
What does an Agentic IAM Architecture engagement produce?
Scope and deliverables are agreed for your environment. They can include a current-state assessment, target-state architecture, trust and delegation model, sequence diagrams, control recommendations, and an implementation roadmap. Architecture engagements typically run 2 to 6 weeks.
Which standards and identity areas does it cover?
OAuth 2.0 and OIDC, workload identity such as SPIFFE/SPIRE where applicable, MCP identity and authorization, JIT and zero-standing-privilege access, and integration with PAM/PIM and IGA, along with agent ownership, lifecycle, and delegation.
Do we need Watchlight AI Beacon to do this work?
No. The advisory engagement stands on its own. Beacon is an optional way to implement and validate runtime controls when it is a fit. Agentic IAM Architecture is an advisory service, not a separate product.
Being asked how identity should work for agents?
Tell us about your environment. We typically respond within one business day.