Governance & Risk Management,
The Future of AI & Cybersecurity
Insights on Modernization and Identity Management from CyberArk and Accenture Experts
The financial services sector is rapidly advancing its modernization efforts, driven by the adoption of artificial intelligence, automation, and DevOps-related cloud development. However, as these initiatives expand, they inadvertently increase the attack surface organizations must defend. Barak Feldman, CyberArk’s senior vice president of solutions engineering, and Rex Thexton, senior managing director at Accenture, emphasize the trend toward a reliance on non-human identities, which is complicating security management.
As businesses implement more AI-driven workflows, the associated “volume, velocity, and variety” of machine identities necessitates a new approach to security protocols for both cloud and on-premises environments. Feldman notes that traditional security measures may struggle to keep pace with these changes. “Clients can’t keep up on a legacy infrastructure,” Thexton adds, pointing to the risks posed by outdated systems that cannot effectively manage modern identity challenges.
To address these emerging risks, CyberArk and Accenture have established a strategic partnership aimed at assisting enterprises in transitioning from legacy systems to modern infrastructures. Their goal is to enable organizations to harness the full potential of AI while maintaining security compliance and protecting assets.
In a recent interview during AWS re:Invent 2025, both Feldman and Thexton elaborated on several key issues, including the surge in non-human accounts driven by AI advancements, the importance of automation in simplifying security management, and how their partnership enhances the scalability and resilience of organizational security frameworks.
Feldman, who joined CyberArk in 2001, brings over two decades of experience in crafting security and compliance solutions for Fortune 500 companies. Meanwhile, Thexton has more than 25 years in technology services and currently oversees Accenture’s global digital identity business, which encompasses strategic advisory, technology implementation, and security outsourcing.
In conclusion, as financial services firms continue to evolve in their use of technology, addressing the complexities posed by growing machine identities will be essential. Implementing modern security strategies, possibly aligned with frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK, can help organizations to better manage adversarial tactics, thereby mitigating risks that come with digital transformation.
