As someone deeply involved in identity and access management, this article breakdown highlights the ecosystem’s complexity and specialization. Key technical insights include:

1. The necessity of distinct identity solutions for workforce (IAM), customers (CIAM), privileged users (PAM/PIM), and machines, each with tailored security and scalability challenges.

2. Access control’s evolution beyond RBAC to ABAC and PBAC enables more dynamic, attribute-driven authorization—critical for fine-grained enterprise policies.

3. Machine identity management is increasingly vital, given the volume and risk profile of non-human identities, with automation around certificate rotation and service account lifecycle being complex yet essential.

Integration remains a persistent challenge, requiring standards-based approaches and careful planning to avoid security gaps. Looking ahead, how are you balancing emerging trends like AI-driven risk analysis and zero trust in your identity infrastructures without overwhelming operational complexity?

Great overview of the major pieces of the identity landscape. I might add a bit more nuance or a few more players, but that's a nit.

Another great resource (not affiliated but I know the author) is this cyber security ecosystem map: https://strategyofsecurity.com/ecosystem