Netwrix Corporation - Experts & Thought Leaders

Netwrix, a recognized pioneer in identity and data security, announces new capabilities across Netwrix PingCastle and Netwrix Threat Manager that extend identity security deeper into the Microsoft cloud, including coverage of AI agents. Organizations are deploying AI agents faster than they can govern them. Each agent is an identity holding real permissions inside the enterprise environment, yet most exist outside any inventory, ownership, or review process. Identities needing access A Cloud Security Alliance survey found that fewer than a quarter of organizations have a formally adopted policy for creating or removing the identities their AI systems run on, and more than 16% don't track when a new one is created at all. The consequences are measurable: in its 2026 Data and Identity Security Report, Netwrix found a 43% breach rate among organizations where AI had significantly expanded the number of identities needing access, compared with 11% where it hadn't. Netwrix PingCastle extends its Microsoft Entra ID coverage to 102 risk checks, extending the tool's trusted Active Directory posture assessment into the cloud identity plane. Security teams and administrators can now assess identity risk across both on-premises AD and Entra ID with the same fast, prioritised approach that has made PingCastle a community favorite. Actionable risk insights Netwrix Threat Manager adds new visibility into AI agent identities in Microsoft Entra ID, giving security teams an inventory of the agents operating in their environment and the access they hold. That inventory is the missing foundation for most organizations: the Netwrix report found only 19% of organizations fully govern non-human identities such as service accounts and AI agents. Threat Manager already provides visibility and monitoring for another critical non-human identity category, service accounts, through actionable risk insights, abnormal-behavior detection, and attack context for faster triage; this release extends that coverage to AI agents. Agent-specific threat detection The latest Netwrix Threat Manager release also adds new threat detection for Azure Files, protecting file shares against ransomware, abnormal behavior, and high-risk changes such as the creation of open access. Agent-specific threat detection is planned for a subsequent release, building on the visibility foundation delivered today. The new capabilities complement Microsoft's native tooling with independent assessment and visibility across the Microsoft identity plane. "Earlier this year, we gave organizations visibility into what AI agents can access. This release goes a layer deeper: which agents exist at all," said Jeff Warren, CPO at Netwrix. "Our research found fewer than one in five organizations fully govern non-human identities, and agents are the fastest-growing category. You can't review access for an identity you don't know you have." Independent posture assessment These releases advance Netwrix's strategy to unify identity and data security. PingCastle's assessment engine already powers more than 200 checks within the company's 1Secure™ platform, reflecting the same independent posture assessment approach now extended deeper into the Microsoft identity plane. Netwrix PingCastle 4.0 and Netwrix Threat Manager 3.3 are available now. To learn more, book a meeting with the Netwrix team.

Netwrix, a pioneer in identity and data security, announces it is expanding its collaboration with Microsoft by adopting Microsoft Azure as a core cloud platform to support the company’s continued growth and scale. Netwrix will use Azure to enhance the scalability, performance, and security of its 1Secure™ platform, helping organizations improve visibility into sensitive data and manage access across hybrid and cloud environments. Hybrid and cloud environments This collaboration reflects a deeper alignment between Netwrix and Microsoft, with Azure supporting key areas of the company’s operations, including platform delivery, data processing, and security services as Netwrix continues to expand its global footprint. “The identity and data security problem is getting harder faster than most organizations can keep up with,” said Grady Summers, CEO of Netwrix. “We’ve built Netwrix to give security teams the visibility and control they actually need — not just for cloud workloads, but across the hybrid complexity most enterprises live in. Azure lets us scale that without compromise.” Identify sensitive data Netwrix will leverage Azure to support core capabilities including data discovery, identity governance, and risk visibility. This enables organizations to more effectively identify sensitive data, understand access risk, and take action to reduce exposure across increasingly distributed environments. This approach also supports organizations looking to align their security investments with existing Microsoft Azure commitments. “Organizations require a secure and scalable cloud platform to support their data and identity security needs,” said Alistair Speirs, General Manager of Azure Global Infrastructure at Microsoft. “By building its 1Secure platform on Microsoft Azure, Netwrix helps customers improve visibility and control over access to sensitive data in complex environments, and protect against an expanding array of identity risks.” As organizations continue to adopt cloud and AI technologies, Netwrix helps organizations of all sizes protect data, secure identities, and safeguard AI with flexible deployment options that span hybrid environments.

Netwrix, a recognized pioneer in identity and data security solutions, announces the appointment of Avesta Hojjati as Chief Technology Officer, Marcin Gierlak as Vice President of Engineering and Kraków Site Leader, and Natalie Tomlin as Head of Channel for North America. "With AI fueling both external attackers and data leakage, our customers are confronted by security challenges that are more complex than ever — more identities, more data, more risk,” said Grady Summers, CEO at Netwrix. “We’re bringing in leaders across engineering and channel to accelerate innovation and help partners improve customers’ security posture and AI governance.” Defensive sides of security Avesta Hojjati joins from SecurityScorecard, where he served as CTO and led cross-functional teams spanning AI, data science, threat intelligence, product engineering, and core platform operations taking a new platform from concept to production in under 12 months. He brings experience on both the offensive and defensive sides of security, alongside deep expertise in AI, machine learning, and distributed systems. Before SecurityScorecard, he spent eight years at DigiCert engineering across IoT security, automation, and digital trust. Earlier roles include Symantec and Yahoo. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and is named on more than 45 patents. Building partner programs Marcin Gierlak most recently served as VP of Engineering at Napster, where he led teams focused on machine learning and AI research in production systems. He has held engineering leadership roles at HID Global and IBM and has led distributed engineering teams across multiple geographies. Based in Krakow, he will also serve as site leader for Netwrix's innovation center and engineering hub there. Natalie Tomlin brings extensive channel and partner leadership experience across cybersecurity companies, including McAfee and Trellix, with additional experience building partner programs at Palo Alto Networks. Recognized by CRN as a Woman of the Channel, she has built and scaled partner-driven growth across national and commercial markets, working with MSPs and cloud providers such as AWS and Azure. At Netwrix, she will expand the North American partner network and strengthen how the company goes to market through the channel.