AI adoption is accelerating across the Middle East, bringing a new generation of identities into enterprise environments as AI agents and other non-human identities gain greater autonomy. This shift is placing identity security, governance and real-time access control at the centre of enterprise cybersecurity strategies.
In an interview with TahawulTech.com at GISEC Global 2026, Kamel Heus, Vice President of Sales-MEA, Saviynt, discusses the company’s Zuma AI Identity Security platform, the growing role of identity as a control plane for AI, the convergence of identity governance and privileged access, and Saviynt’s expanding presence across the Middle East.
What will Saviynt showcase at GISEC Global 2026, and how do these capabilities address the Middle East’s identity security priorities?
We are showcasing two key solutions: Zuma, our AI Identity Security platform, and Saviynt Enterprise Identity Cloud. Zuma provides visibility into AI agents, manages their lifecycle and controls what agents are authorised to do at runtime. Enterprise Identity Cloud brings together identity governance, privileged access management, application access governance, identity security and posture management on a unified platform. With AI adoption accelerating across the Middle East, organisations need a different approach to securing AI agents. Unlike human identities, agents are non-deterministic and can take different routes to achieve an objective. Runtime security helps ensure their actions remain aligned with their intended purpose.
Why is identity becoming the control plane for secure enterprise AI adoption?
Identity is the foundation of modern cybersecurity because it underpins every access decision and digital interaction. Assigning unique identities to AI agents and linking them to accountable human owners enables organisations to understand who or what is taking an action, enforce appropriate guardrails and manage agents throughout their lifecycle. This makes identity a critical control plane for secure enterprise AI adoption.
How does Zuma support the shift towards AI identity security and real-time authorisation for AI agents and non-human identities?
Zuma addresses three critical areas: visibility, governance and access control. Visibility enables organisations to discover AI agents across their environments, while governance ensures agents are linked to accountable human owners and managed throughout their lifecycle. Runtime access control is particularly important because AI agents are non-deterministic and can take unexpected routes to achieve an objective. For example, an agent without calendar access could retrieve meeting information through another agent with access to emails. Zuma evaluates such actions at runtime to determine whether they align with the agent’s intended purpose, an approach Saviynt calls Intent-Aware Runtime Authorisation (IARA).
How is the convergence of identity governance, privileged access and AI governance changing enterprise security strategies?
Traditionally, organisations used separate solutions for identity governance and privileged access management. Our unified platform brings together IGA, privileged access management and application access governance, providing granular visibility across applications, including platforms such as SAP. This convergence strengthens visibility, governance and accountability across the identity landscape.
How are regulatory requirements, data residency expectations and Saviynt’s regional expansion shaping its Middle East growth roadmap?
The Middle East is one of the more advanced regions in cybersecurity regulation, with identity and access management central to many requirements in markets such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Regulatory frameworks are strengthening cybersecurity decision-making and increasing awareness of identity security, while the market is also shifting beyond compliance towards business enablement. Saviynt has offices in Dubai and Riyadh and operates as a channel-first company, working closely with global and local system integrators, partners and distributors. Our focus is on raising awareness around identity security, bridging skills gaps and helping organisations pursue digital initiatives with confidence that identities and data remain protected.
Image Credit: Saviynt
Source: Tahawul Tech