What Leaders Need to Know Before They Get BreachedBy Steve “The Doctor” Meek | Talk To Th3 Doc Podcast | Fulcrum Group

🎙️ Podcast Doc-umentary

In Episode 107 of Talk To Th3 Doc, Keith Pasley, Secure AI Solutions Architect at Ingram Micro, joined me to explain why identity is now your weakest cybersecurity link—and how AI is making things both better and worse.

And y’all… this one got me fired up. It’s like the cybersecurity world is yelling, “Look over here!” while the real danger is sneaking in the backdoor wearing your badge.

🪪 What Is Identity in Cybersecurity (in Plain English)?

Let’s keep thinking of identity as the digital version of someone’s ID badge. It’s how your systems know who someone is—and what they’re allowed to do. That includes employees, contractors, partners, and even software.

It’s not just a username and password. It’s everything tied to a person’s digital footprint:

  • What systems they can access
  • What permission levels
  • What data they can change or delete
  • What apps they can launch
  • How and when they log in

If identity is weak or poorly designed—like stale accounts, shared passwords, basic structure or no multi-factor authentication—it’s like leaving the front door wide open with your keys taped to it.

In today’s world, especially with AI and remote work, identity is your new security perimeter. Protect it like your business depends on it—because it does.

🚪 Identity: The New Front Door (and It’s Wide Open)

Let’s get this out of the way—hackers don’t hack in anymore. They simply log in.
That was Keith’s mic-drop moment, and it couldn’t be more true.

The days of thinking you’re secure because you’ve got a good firewall or antivirus are long gone. Identity—the simple act of logging into your systems—has become the #1 attack surface for businesses just like yours.

And with AI in the mix? That surface is growing faster than your grass dries out in a DFW summer (or, maybe it is just my yard).

🤖 AI Isn’t Just Smart—It’s a Little Reckless

AI can write code, crack passwords, and impersonate humans better than some humans do. Keith and I talked about how even well-meaning employees can spin up tools and automations that bypass IT altogether—hello, “Shadow IT”.

Suddenly, your network looks more like spaghetti than a strategy.

And here’s where Fulcrum’s STARpower framework makes the difference:
We align IT to your business priorities, with governance, visibility, and control at the center. We don’t just deploy tools—we help your executive team actually understand how technology intersects with growth, compliance, and security. We export lists of detected software on your network, to determine what you expect to see and what all is there. Many executives are surprised by the apps that are out there that they knew nothing about.

📉 Some Stats That Should Make You Sweat

  • 74% of breaches come from misused or stolen credentials (Verizon DBIR 2024)
  • Only 28% of SMBs have fully deployed MFA across all accounts (Microsoft Security Blog)
  • 1 in 5 accounts at most companies are considered “stale”—meaning they still work but shouldn’t (IBM 2024)

Let that sink in: If you've had employee turnover (and who hasn’t this year?), there’s a chance someone out there still has a working login to your data, if we or your IT Team weren’t notified .

🌟 STARpower and the Identity Equation

At Fulcrum Group, our SPOT Managed IT Services and STARpower strategy reviews are designed to sniff out these opportunities.

We review your list of users, we review your list of software, we review who should have admin level access, we review privileged service accounts as part of our quarterly rhythms, based on your turnover rates.

Because when your organization treats identity like a condiment instead of the main course, you’re gonna end up with spicy ketchup on a cold Whataburger, an unsecured plate of problems. HAHAHAHA.

We help you:
✅ Implement MFA and Single Sign On, where it counts
✅ Clean up stale or duplicate accounts
✅ Identify and protect shadow IT before it spirals
✅ Align identity management with cyber insurance and compliance audits
✅ Help you put guardrails around AI usage before it runs wild

💡 Leaders: This Is Your Responsibility

One of my favorite things Keith said was this:

“We treat identity like it’s an IT problem. But it’s really a leadership decision.”

As business owners and execs, we can’t just hope IT is keeping the doors locked.
You are the premier subject matter expert on YOUR organization.
That means asking better questions:

  • Who owns identity in our company?
  • How are we using AI, and are we governing it?
  • What would happen if someone logged in as me tomorrow?

The STARpower process makes those questions easier to answer—and puts your team in the driver’s seat.

🎧 Still Think It’s Just About Passwords? Think Again.

Give this episode a listen and ask yourself:
Are we really securing access, or are we just checking boxes?

Because at the end of the day, good identity strategy is good business strategy.
And that’s what Fulcrum is all about—turning IT from a problem into a platform for growth.

🛠️ Tools, Takeaways & Next Steps

👉 Listen to Episode 107 – “The AI-Cybersecurity Collision: Why Identity Is Now Your Weakest Link”
🎧 Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeartRadio | Amazon Music | Pocket Casts

📥 Want to see how identity risks show up in your environment?
Book a Security Officer discussion with our team. We’ll walk you through at an executive level —no jargon, no pressure. Click the link at the side.

🌐 Visit our podcast page
📩 Or email us directly at sales@fulcrumgroup.net