**The big picture:** Workday is expanding its market reach by positioning HR as the foundational source of identity for both human and AI agents, integrating this with ITSM solutions and a new consumption-based monetization model. **Why it matters:** This strategy could redefine enterprise identity management, impacting how companies manage employee data, IT services, and the governance of AI tools within their workforce. **Between the lines:** - Workday plans to acquire C1.ai, an agentic identity platform, to bolster its identity management capabilities. - The company is introducing Sana Concierge to unify HR and IT employee services, aiming for fewer tickets and faster resolutions. - Workday is monetizing its platform through Flex Credits for agents, APIs, Data Cloud, and custom applications. **Staffing & HR impact:** HR's role as the central identity system will become even more critical, potentially streamlining onboarding, offboarding, and access management, while also influencing how staffing firms integrate new talent into client systems. This could improve operational efficiency and compliance. **The bottom line:** Workday's aggressive push into identity and ITSM, anchored by HR, signals a significant shift in enterprise software, with AI agents at the forefront of future workforce management.

**The big picture:** Okta announced its vision for a unified Identity and Access Management (IAM) control plane at its Oktane conference, designed to manage AI agents and extensions within enterprise environments. This move signifies a strategic shift towards securing non-human identities in the digital workspace. **Why it matters:** Workforce and staffing leaders must prepare for the security and compliance implications of AI agents interacting with sensitive data and systems. Effective governance of these digital entities will be critical for operational integrity and risk mitigation. **Between the lines:** - The new platform aims to centralize management for AI agents and extensions. - Specific details regarding agent governance and identity management protocols are currently unclear. - This initiative highlights the growing need to extend traditional IAM to encompass artificial intelligence. **Staffing & HR impact:** HR and staffing firms will need to adapt to new security paradigms for AI agents, potentially requiring specialized talent in identity governance and AI ethics. Ensuring compliance with data privacy and access policies for these digital workers will become a critical operational challenge. **The bottom line:** As AI agents become integral to the workforce, robust identity and access management is no longer optional but essential for enterprise security and regulatory adherence.