Identity & Access Management , Security Operations , Video

CyberArk CEO on Why Venafi's Machine Identity Chops Matter

Venafi's expertise in machine identity security and certificate lifecycle management complements CyberArk's existing capabilities around secrets management, according to CEO Matt Cohen.

See Also: OnDemand | Extended Access Management: Securing Access for All Identities, Devices and Applications

A rise in devices, workloads and applications has resulted in a proliferation of machine identities, which Cohen said are more numerous and complex than human identities since they're ephemeral and require automation to manage. The firm will combine Venafi's certificate lifecycle management and CyberArk's secrets management next year before uniting human and machine identities on one platform in 2026 (see: CyberArk to Secure Machine Identities with $1.54B Venafi Buy).

"We were in the machine identity space, but in this kind of narrow view of secrets management," Cohen said. "Our customers were saying, 'Could you help us a little bit more broadly with the strategy than just secrets?' That brought us to explore everybody in the industry, and we found our perfect match with Venafi, who really created the category of certificate lifecycle management."

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group, Cohen also discussed:

• The strategic rationale for CyberArk's $1.54 billion acquisition of Venafi;
• The most significant differences between human and machine identities;
• Short- and long-term integration plan for Venafi's machine identity tools.

Cohen joined CyberArk in 2019 as chief revenue officer and was promoted to chief operating officer in late 2020 and CEO in early 2023. He spearheaded CyberArk's transition to a subscription business model and transitioned the enterprise sales organization from a product-centric sales focus to a platform motion. Previously, Cohen spent two years as executive vice president of field operations at PTC.