By Gary Miliefsky, Publisher
With more than 80% of breaches involving stolen or misused credentials, identity is the control point that matters most. Koushik Anand helps enterprises secure digital identities and privileged access across complex, hybrid environments. Drawing on deep IAM and PAM expertise, he aligns policy, process, and platforms to deliver frictionless access for users and strong protection for critical systems. Whether modernizing SSO and MFA, enforcing conditional access, or migrating CyberArk estates to SaaS, his focus is clear: security, compliance, and operational efficiency at scale.
Why identity and access now
Koushik Anand: “I focus on solving one of today’s most urgent challenges – securing digital identities and access across complex IT environments. Studies show that over 80% of breaches involve stolen or misused credentials, which underscores the urgency of privileged access and identity management done right. My mission is to help organizations operate securely, confidently, and efficiently in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.”
Context: Credential theft, password reuse, and session hijacking remain the top routes to enterprise compromise. As organizations adopt cloud, SaaS, and AI services, the effective perimeter moves to the identity layer. Strong authentication, least privilege, and continuous verification become the foundation for cyber resilience.
What he delivers
Koushik Anand: “I specialize in Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Privileged Access Management (PAM), with deep expertise in solutions like CyberArk, Okta, ForgeRock, SailPoint, Venafi, and Microsoft Entra ID. From on-premises deployments to SaaS migrations, I ensure organizations gain secure, compliant, and frictionless access for their users while protecting critical assets.”
Context: High-performing programs standardize on a small, well-integrated toolset, unify identities across directories, and consolidate access behind SSO with strong MFA. PAM extends this by vaulting secrets, brokering sessions, rotating credentials, and removing standing privileges in favor of just-in-time elevation.
How he modernizes architectures
Koushik Anand: “My approach is built on proven experience with technologies such as CA SiteMinder, LDAP directory servers, PingFederate, and Okta provisioning/SSO/MFA. I integrate and modernize security architectures to strengthen authentication, enforce conditional access, and support federated single sign-on in diverse, hybrid cloud environments.”
Context: Migrations succeed when identity is treated as product, not a project. Patterns that work include staged SSO cutovers, conditional access tied to device health and risk, step-up MFA for sensitive actions, and PAM controls embedded into developer workflows, CI/CD, and break-glass procedures.
Outcomes at enterprise scale
Koushik Anand: “In practice, I’ve successfully implemented solutions for enterprises handling tens of thousands of privileged accounts, ensuring compliance with frameworks such as PCI, NIS2, and CIS. I’ve migrated organizations from CyberArk on-premises to SaaS, integrated CyberArk with 20+ critical applications, and built scalable policies for superuser account management and dynamic password rotation.”
Context: Mature programs measure progress with outcome metrics – privileged account coverage, reduction of standing admin rights, secrets rotation cadence, SSO adoption rates, time-to-revoke access, and audit finding closure. The result is fewer credential-driven incidents and faster containment when anomalies appear.
Philosophy and purpose
Koushik Anand: “As organizations face growing identity threats, I believe securing privileged access is no longer optional – it’s mission-critical. My passion is delivering solutions that are not only secure and compliant, but also practical, scalable, and empowering for the businesses I work with.”
Sample IAM Tools Koushik Uses for Deployment
Client perspective
“Koushik Anand streamlined our CyberArk migration and gave us confidence in meeting compliance without disrupting operations.”
“With his knowledge on ForgeRock and PAM, we now have seamless SSO and MFA across our enterprise – something we had struggled to achieve for years.”
A practical playbook for CISOs
Quick wins checklist:
- Inventory human and non-human identities – map ownership, roles, entitlements.
- Enforce MFA for all users – add step-up for sensitive transactions.
- Implement PAM controls – vault secrets, broker sessions, rotate credentials, and adopt just-in-time elevation.
- Consolidate SSO across critical apps – minimize password sprawl and reduce helpdesk load.
- Tie conditional access to risk signals – device posture, geolocation, impossible travel.
- Integrate identity telemetry with SIEM and EDR – correlate signals and automate revoke workflows.
- Harden admin workstations and privileged pathways – separate management planes from user space.
- Test, audit, and rehearse – run joiner/mover/leaver and break-glass drills on a schedule.
Metrics that matter:
- % of privileged accounts under PAM governance
- Reduction in standing admin rights
- Secrets age and rotation compliance
- SSO adoption and password reset ticket volume
- Mean time to revoke high-risk access
- Closed audit findings across PCI, NIS2, CIS controls
Getting in touch
Koushik Anand: “I don’t just implement security tools – I help organizations unlock their full potential by securing the foundation of their business: identity. If you’re ready to strengthen your security posture and simplify identity management, I’d love to show you how.”
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/koushik-a-a9501b246
Hashtags: #IdentitySecurity #PrivilegedAccessManagement #IdentityAccessManagement
About the expert
Koushik Anand is a cybersecurity professional specializing in IAM and PAM. Currently serving as a senior IAM administrator, he has extensive experience designing and deploying enterprise-scale identity solutions using CyberArk, Okta, PingFederate, Microsoft Entra ID, ForgeRock, and CA SiteMinder.
Koushik has secured privileged accounts for global enterprises, led SSO and MFA rollouts, and executed complex authentication platform migrations.
His expertise spans advanced federation, CI/CD integrations for dynamic secrets management, and alignment to NIS2, PCI, and CIS standards.
By blending deep technical skill with governance and risk awareness, he helps organizations strengthen security while enabling seamless, business-aligned access.
About the Author
Gary Miliefsky is the publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine and a renowned cybersecurity expert, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker. As the founder and CEO of Cyber Defense Media Group, he has significantly influenced the cybersecurity landscape. With decades of experience, Gary is a founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a National Information Security Group member, and an active adviser to government and private sector organizations. His insights have been featured in Forbes, CNBC, and The Wall Street Journal, as well as on CNN, Fox News, ABC, NBC, and international media outlets, making him a trusted authority on advanced cyber threats and innovative defense strategies. Gary’s dedication to cybersecurity extends to educating the public, operating a scholarship program for young women in cybersecurity, and investing in and developing cutting-edge technologies to protect against evolving cyber risks. Logos and content in this article are for educational and news purposes, used under fair use of us copyright laws.
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