Oktane 2025 preview: Identity security as the public sector’s AI-ready control plane

AI is rewriting how every industry, including the public sector, works — from how residents discover services to how adversaries craft attacks. In that shift, identity has become the control plane that personalizes interactions, enforces policies, and makes new AI capabilities safe to use.

At Oktane 2025, our public-sector sessions will be built to help leaders and practitioners turn that idea into action. You’ll hear how a state is unifying millions of resident identities, how global integrators run identity as a shared service, how universities are modernizing decades-old stacks, and how security leaders are countering AI-powered threats with identity-first defenses.

If you work within the U.S. government or education ecosystem, this is your playbook.

Four big questions we’ll answer at Oktane

1) How do you make identity the foundation for modern resident and workforce experiences?

Session: The Public Sector CIO’s Playbook on Identity, Security, and Cultural Change in the Age of AI 

CIOs across the public sector are reshaping service delivery around a unified identity platform — not just to simplify logins, but to build a durable security layer and a business-led culture of transformation. Expect candid lessons from a top public sector leader on aligning policy and technology, sequencing modernization without service disruption, and measuring outcomes that matter to residents. Moderated by former Arizona CIO and Executive Government Advisor at AWS, Morgan Reed.

2) What does identity-as-a-shared-service look like in the real world?

Session: Identity challenges in an enterprise shared service model 

Running identity for complex, regulated enterprises is hard — especially when you’re integrating acquisitions, meeting global mandates, and hardening against evolving threats. Leaders from Huntington Ingalls Industries (Chris Soong, CIO), Leidos (J.R. Williamson, CISO), and ManTech (Mike Uster, CIO/CTO) will compare operating models, governance patterns, and the “gotchas” they wish they’d known earlier. Bring your toughest questions. Moderated by Okta’s VP of Federal, Amy Johanek.

3) How are higher education institutions leaping from legacy to leading edge?

Session: From legacy to leading edge: Identity transformation journeys in higher education 

Identity leaders from higher education institutions, including Harvard (Gretchen Gingo), will share how they moved from aging stacks to modern platforms — and what it took organizationally to get there. You’ll hear how identity can streamline student journeys, secure research, and unlock responsible AI on campus. Moderated by Okta’s Chief Security Officer, Sean Frazier.

4) How do you defend when attackers have AI, too?

Session: Rethinking defense for the AI-Powered threat landscape

Deepfakes, convincing phishing at scale, and credential abuse are changing the game. Executives from AWS (Maria Thompson), Zscaler (Adam Ford), and CrowdStrike (Karan Sondhi) will walk through identity-centric, Zero Trust moves that actually blunt today’s attacks — think phishing-resistant authentication, continuous risk signals, and policy automation that meets people where they are. Moderated by Okta’s AVP of Public Sector and Strategic Alliances, Ralph Figueiredo.

Don’t miss the opening keynote with Todd McKinnon

Our headlining keynote, from Okta co-founder and CEO Todd McKinnon, will set the tone for the event. Todd will share his view of how organizations can maintain a strong security posture while investing in AI-driven transformation, provide updates on the Okta Secure Identity Commitment (OSIC), and outline Okta’s vision for an identity security fabric that connects people, devices, apps, and AI services. He’ll also preview product announcements that help teams accelerate innovation with confidence.

What you’ll take back to your team

• A clear definition of an AI-ready identity: You’ll leave with a shared language for what “AI-ready” means — how identity underpins secure AI use cases, data access, and governance — plus where to start and how to measure progress.
• A north-star architecture for identity as critical infrastructure: See how a unified identity layer spans people and non-human access, applies adaptive policy, and plugs into your existing stack using open standards.
• Scalable change patterns: Learn proven governance rhythms, funding models, and rollout sequences that work across agencies, campuses, and partners — so progress isn’t tied to any one tool or team.
• Confidence to act: Ground your roadmap in cross-sector lessons and the latest capabilities, with practical frameworks you can adapt to your mission and risk profile.

Who should attend

• Agency and campus leaders driving digital service, CX, and transformation programs
• CIOs, CISOs, and architects building Zero Trust and AI governance roadmaps
• Practitioners who want real implementation detail — from directory migrations to policy design and incident response

Why Oktane

Okta’s public-sector track brings together government leaders, higher-ed innovators, security strategists, and integrators operating at a national scale. It’s a rare, cross-sector conversation where you can validate your roadmap, compare notes with peers, and leave with an execution plan that prioritizes security and is human-centered.

Join us at Oktane 2025 to see how identity becomes your agency’s control plane for the AI era — so you can deliver mission outcomes faster and defend them better.

Ready to go? Register for Oktane 2025 and bring your team.