We cannot manage what we cannot measure.
Peter Drucker is often attributed to having coined this golden nugget of business wisdom to direct executives on a data-driven path for continuous improvement. Measuring your current state allows you to detect movement, but measuring progress requires defining the desired target state against which movement will be measured. Policy-based modeling allows an IT organization to define its strategic intent or the "desired state" for its infrastructure, identities, and their access.
The principles of Zero Trust and Least Privilege are constantly challenged by the complex multi-Cloud hybrid IT landscapes we manage. This discussion will explore the role of modeling and abstraction using semantic mappings to simplify management and measure progress towards a more secure automated identity infrastructure.