#United States #New York #Cloud Security #Akeyless #NHI Federation

Akeyless Launches NHI Federation to Empower Machines with Seamless SSO

Introduction
In today's fast-paced digital landscape, enterprises are increasingly leveraging multi-cloud environments for their operations. However, this evolution brings forth significant challenges in managing security and access control across diverse systems. To address these complexities, Akeyless has introduced its groundbreaking NHI Federation, a comprehensive solution designed to provide Single Sign-On (SSO) for machines in various cloud platforms.

The Challenge of Machine Identity Management
With the rise of cloud-native applications and AI-driven infrastructure, the number of non-human entities—such as applications, services, and tools—has surged dramatically. Each of these entities requires a secure machine identity to access resources and communicate effectively. Traditionally, managing these identities involved static credentials, often scattered across various environments, leading to what can only be described as credential sprawl. This not only results in operational inefficiencies but also increases the risk of security breaches and compliance violations.

Today, machine identities account for over 40% of all enterprise identities. Left unmonitored, these identities can expose organizations to service disruptions, lateral movement by threat actors, and significant compliance risks. Therefore, an effective, centralized management approach is critical to ensuring robust security in machine-to-machine communication.

NHI Federation: A Unique Solution
Akeyless's NHI Federation provides a unified SaaS solution that simplifies authentication and access control across heterogeneous multi-cloud environments. Utilizing a patented technology known as Distributed Fragments Cryptography (DFC™), NHI Federation ensures that sensitive data remains fully encrypted and inaccessible to any third party, including Akeyless itself. This architecture promotes Zero Trust principles, reinforcing organizational security.

By replacing static credentials with ephemeral, just-in-time tokens, Akeyless enables organizations to manage machine identities more effectively. This method relies on federated authentication to ensure that every machine identity is continuously authenticated and authorized, seamlessly aligning with Zero Trust policies. The integration with major cloud identity providers—such as AWS IAM, Azure Entra ID, and Google Workload Identity Federation—ensures compatibility with existing infrastructure and tools. Furthermore, integration with Kubernetes service accounts and on-prem identity systems allows comprehensive management across multiple platforms.

Expert Insights
According to Akeyless CEO Oded Hareven, the solution was developed in response to the growing need for rigorous management of machine identities. He stated, “Managing machines isn’t enough—we must treat their identities with the same seriousness as human identities.” His sentiment is echoed by CTO Refael Angel, who emphasizes that NHI Federation unifies disparate identity systems into one streamlined control plane, reducing operational overhead while enforcing consistent access policies.

Built for Compliance and Security
NHI Federation supports industry standards like SPIFFE/SPIRE and integrates with the Akeyless Gateway. With full audit trails for every machine identity interaction, it meets compliance needs and supports forensic investigations if necessary. When combined with Akeyless's dynamic secrets generation and automatic rotation capabilities, NHI Federation provides comprehensive Identity and Access Management (IAM) for machines from a single, efficient platform.

Availability and Future Plans
NHI Federation is now available for all Akeyless enterprise customers. It can be deployed through the existing Akeyless Gateway without requiring any changes to cloud configurations or workload code. Akeyless plans to host a live presentation of this innovative solution on August 6th, 2025, at 12 PM EST, providing potential users an opportunity to engage with the technology directly.

Conclusion
As organizations continue to evolve alongside technological advancement, Akeyless’s NHI Federation stands out as a critical tool for enhancing machine identity security. This revolutionary solution not only meets the current needs of enterprises but also paves the way for future advancements in automated, secure access within cloud environments. Trust in Akeyless to lead the charge toward a more secure and efficient machine-to-machine interaction ecosystem.

For more information about the NHI Federation solution, visit the official page on Akeyless's website.