Marta Dern
Product Marketing
Published on
November 27, 2024
Growing up outside the U.S., Thanksgiving was a bit of a mystery to me. My understanding came from movies—picture-perfect scenes of turkeys roasting, families laughing (or bickering), and football games playing in the background. I always imagined it as the ultimate American holiday, filled with gratitude, togetherness, and maybe a little chaos.
Fast forward to now—Thanksgiving has been a mix of everything I imagined and plenty I didn’t. Sure, there’s the turkey and pies, but there’s also the stress of coordinating it all: figuring out who’s coming, what they’re bringing, and keeping everything running smoothly.
Funny enough, I’ve realized that Thanksgiving has a lot in common with securing non-human identities (NHIs). Stick with me—there’s a connection! Managing a chaotic holiday dinner and building a secure digital environment share surprising parallels.
Thanksgiving only works if you know who’s coming. Every guest needs an invite and a seat at the table.
In security, that’s rule number one: you have to know who (or what) is in your environment. At Oasis, we help organizations build their “guest list” by discovering every non-human identity—applications, APIs, workloads—so nothing unexpected sneaks in. Think of it as making sure the neighbor with the mystery dish isn’t also bringing uninvited guests.
I learned that thanksgiving works best when everyone sticks to their role. There’s the conversationalist who keeps the table lively, the peacekeeper who steers us away from heated debates, and the dad-joke expert who delivers comic relief at just the right moment. You wouldn’t want the wrong person swapping roles and creating chaos—imagine the dad-joke teller trying to moderate a tense discussion!
The same principle applies to NHIs. Each identity needs a clearly defined role and the appropriate permissions to function securely. That’s where policy-driven automation comes in. Oasis ensures that roles and policies are clearly defined and automatically enforced, so everything in your environment works together seamlessly—no overlap, no confusion, and no chaos.
One thing those Thanksgiving movies never prepared me for? Leftovers. They’re great for a day or two, but after that, they’re just clutter.
NHIs have their own version of leftovers—stale permissions, unrotated secrets, and unused credentials. At Oasis, we help organizations “clean out the fridge” by identifying and eliminating these risks. Because no one wants to deal with expired credentials (or a three-week-old turkey carcass).
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what matters most. We’re grateful for the chance to help organizations solve some of today’s most pressing cybersecurity challenges. Securing NHIs, like hosting a seamless Thanksgiving, is all about preparation, teamwork, and staying ahead of potential chaos.
Happy Thanksgiving! May your table—and your digital ecosystem—be full, secure, and ready for whatever comes next.
If you’re ready to make managing NHIs as seamless as coordinating a Thanksgiving feast, let’s connect. 🦃
