Looking back at EIC 2025 with Christie Pugh

Welcome to the KuppingerCole Analysts Chat. I'm your host. My name is Matthias Reinwarth. I'm an analyst and advisor with KuppingerCole.

Today, we have the third episode of Looking Back at EIC 2025. And my plan was to have it as diverse, as colorful, as different from episode to episode as possible. And therefore, I have invited Christie Pugh. She is a membership manager at KuppingerCole and was with me at EIC.

Hi, Christie. Hi there, Matthias. Thanks for having me. Great to have you. And I will use the same questions that I had when I talked to Philip and Patrick, both advisors. And I want to get your view on EIC, how it went for you, how you liked it, what was special for you. And that is what we're aiming at. And I think many who have been at EIC have met you, have seen you, you were visible, you were at the booth, and I think you did some contribution as well to the event itself. So to start out with the first question, what was your personal key topic or focus during EIC? And why that?

Why did it stand out? Topic as in what was discussed at different sessions or what was my directive? When you ask that way, both, of course. So what was the main topic that you were really from a topic perspective, from the actual what EIC is about point of view, but also what was your mission, vision at EIC? Okay. Yes. So I will be bringing a different perspective than the analyst, for sure, because I'm more on the operational side. But I do have a passion for identity and access management. So a little bit about me and how I came to Kuppenger Coal before we start.

Back in a previous life, I was a customer of Kuppenger Coal. And I had the disadvantage of not being located in EMEA. So I never really got the opportunity to attend EIC. So most folks, when they think of Kuppenger Coal, they think of EIC and this wonderful event once a year.

Myself, coming from a different perspective, I found you through your content, the research, the intel. And so when I finally was able to make the trip over and attend at EIC, I was blown away about how you all put this event together and kind of collected thought leaders across the world to provide more in-depth information than what I was able to find on your site. So my mission coming in to this year's EIC was really to provide that to our attendees, because everyone knows EIC is the premier IAM event in EMEA.

But not everyone knows that they have access or they can have access to our intelligence 365 days a year. So my mission was to educate people on the floor about how they can leverage us, not just one point in time, but throughout the whole year and kind of help them, guide them into interacting with not only our advisors, but our analysts as well, to kind of dig a bit deeper into the value of EIC. So in doing so, I didn't have the opportunity to attend many sessions, but I did have a favorite.

With this new membership program that we've launched, we did have a few things specifically for members. And we were fortunate enough to pull out Mike Small to carve out more of a discussion round table luncheon on Thursday last week around sovereign cloud and geopolitical risk from U.S. potential isolation. And so not necessarily a purely identity conversation, but extremely relevant to identity teams across the world, not just in EMEA.

And so I really liked the format it was set up, how Mike was able to engage the audience and create dialogue, not just from his viewpoint, because he did great research and homework and really kind of laid it out explicitly for us, but encouraged us to kind of provide our specific case studies and ideas and thoughts and expectations for the future. So that's something I really, really enjoyed during last week. And I was kind of in a really privileged opportunity to get to attend. Right.

And I think what you just mentioned is really one of the beauties of EIC and also of identity and access management when it comes, when there's an intersection with real life and that situation, it is, yeah, this awkward situation that we have geopolitically right now, but also when IAM combines with business, when it combines with cybersecurity, when it combines with with ethics and with equality, with diversity, with the real life, with everybody who needs identities.

When you talk about wallets, I think that is the intersection of IAM with something that is where the fun lies, at least for me. And I think that is also something that we increasingly cover in our research. Talking about the membership, I'm using parts of the membership mechanisms myself as an analyst, as an advisor. I use our chatbot in my daily work because it really gives me and that's not marketing fuzz. I really use it. It gives me access to our research without having to flip through PDFs or websites. It just answers questions and directs me to the right sources.

That's part of that membership, right? Absolutely. Absolutely. And I know everyone's saying, oh, we have our own AI now and it's kind of old hat and very is what it is. But honestly, it's our entire value proposition at cupping our cold, our intelligence, all wrapped into our own LM. And so in creating this, it's fully backed by our research library. So you're not getting any fluff. You're not getting any kind of extracurricular information when you're asking our chatbot these questions. So it's very directed around our content. It's backed by our research 110%.

So you know going into it, you're going to get something that was comprehensively researched, vetted, and published by us. And that's one of the biggest influence when I talk to our customers and folks who attend AIC and whatnot. There's just so much information there. And I can say this because I used to be on the vendor side of the house. We run into the problem of product marketing and buzzwords and things kind of being repeatable because we need to grab folks' attention and whatnot. So how do you weed through all that fat when it comes to research and get down to the stuff that's important?

And more importantly, how do you do that in a less time-intensive way? So we don't imagine our chatbot being a saying wall when it comes to doing this research, but at least it gets you pointed in the right direction. I don't know about you, Matthias, but for me that sometimes has to go.

Yeah, absolutely. And the beauty lies also in when it recombines knowledge that is in different documents, for example. So one simple question is that you could not even ask an analyst just right now. And when you ask, which vendor is a leader in more than one leadership compass? That might be difficult for an analyst to answer, but the chatbot does know and he can give a list. And that is recombination of existing know-how into one additional output format, like a kind of report that is based on top of our research.

And it can say, yeah, I know all the research and I can extract additional information that is based on that research. I really like that. And that's what I use it for. You can ask for definitions. What is ABAC? What is PBAC?

What is, I don't know, multi-factor authentication? I do that all the time, yes. Exactly. So this is actually really something that helps me. I can really only recommend that when it comes to getting, as you said, immediate access to the right place where the information is or just to extract some information that is there.

Yes, people say an AI is, I don't know, an electronic parrot that just reproduces know-how. Yes, fine. But it reproduces our research for you in the right format. And that's what it does. So that's part of the membership.

Of course, access to the research library is part of that as well. And there's a simple entry level for just testing it if it makes sense for you.

If not, nothing wasted. But if you like it, just keep it. I think that's also the story that you told during EIC, right?

Yeah, absolutely. I have full faith in our research, our content. So I encourage folks to go out and try it for free. We have a seven-day free access. So typically when I have a conversation with someone and I kind of weed out some of their interests, their pain points when it comes to either what they're working on at work or they're trying to learn independently, right? And I provide them prompt questions so that when they do sign up for that seven-day free trial, they have a bit of direction on where to go, what to look.

And I know that they're going to find something concrete, something actual for them to work on because most often when I'm speaking to one of our customers, the first thing that they say is that our content is pretty technical for a research firm and pretty meaty compared to most other firms. And it's content that's actionable in a shorter time frame. So you get more value for what we have to offer. Right.

And yeah, I only can also recommend that to use that as I use it as an employee myself. So that was your main focus at EIC also to get that message across. But I have heard rumors that you've been on stage as well.

But first, go ahead. Briefly.

Actually, this was the first year since I've been with Kuppinger Kohl that I didn't either moderate or do a session. But I did emcee our awards night with our very own Paul Fisher. So I had the distinct privilege of awarding two of our award winners on the first night, Tuesday. So that was exciting for me because I know a lot of our customers, they put in a lot of work to be innovative and really stand out and meet these high expectations they set for themselves. So it was great for me to be able to showcase them that night. Right. Great. Great to hear that.

And also, always great to have you on stage. We did something last year at Cyber Evolution as well on stage, which was fun as well. So a big tongue in cheek. I really like that. And it also adds color to such an event. I've asked the same question also to Philip and Patrick, and I got completely different answers. Was there something, a moment during the event that was unexpected, funny, inspiring that you would like to mention looking back, which is maybe not the usual EIC stuff? Patrick mentioned the morning run, but I cannot talk about that.

Anything that you want to mention that was different? I think this year, so every year we offer a spree tour to see Berlin. I live in Berlin, and I can't get enough of going down the river and seeing all the history and learning about it. And typically it's a nice time, but this year we did a different format and it was quite lovely. And I think everyone that attended both boats had a great time. I myself really enjoyed getting to interact with a lot of our customers and my colleagues alike. So that was one thing that stood out for me, but I think tongue in cheek wise, I'm your girl.

I loved every time I get to hear or see Warwick speak and to have him moderate. I think that he has just the most delightful humor and knows how to guide speakers and audiences. And I think he did a bang up job this year, to be honest. And I really, while I didn't get to attend all the sessions live, I have watched a few virtually. And I will say that the agenda this year was amazing. I can say that not only for myself, but most of the members that attended as well. I got an opportunity to chat with them and they really, really enjoyed the agenda. Right. And I fully agree.

Warwick did a brilliant job. And as you said, he has also this tongue in cheek, but he asks good questions, he can really dig deeper into topics often unexpected for the speakers, but that's their issue. So he really asks good questions and can moderate and keeps timing. And he's really just an entertaining person, which is really, really nice. And I did hear, I didn't get to attend this, but I heard a lot of good things about the Identity Fabrics Workshop on the first day. Who gave that? But it seems to be a very popular session. It actually has been, and it was really surprising.

Of course, this was executed by Philipp Messerschmidt and me together with two external colleagues, Kenny and Fabrice. And they did a really brilliant job as well. And having a pre-conference workshop with a packed room and even people standing in the aisles and really contributing, that's so much fun actually to start with. And I really enjoyed it. And the feedback was nice. And I only can recommend really looking at the Identity Fabric because it's for free. You can just get the document, it's published, there are podcasts and videos about that.

And I think if you reach out to me and you want the document, yeah, please reach out to me and I send over the document. It's really a tool to use. And I really like the traction that it has. So I would recommend, of course, re-watching the Identity Fabric Workshop. Anything that you would recommend if somebody wants to re-watch something from EIC, anything that you have seen, that you have heard of apart from the Identity Fabric? As a final question before we close down, we're already through.

Yeah, I think really to give folks a fuller perspective of what EIC could provide them, really pay attention to the speakers that are from enterprise companies who have really been trying to set the standard, not only set a standard, but push their companies forward from an identity perspective. I think whenever those folks get up and speak, it's really kind of you get aha moments. Even if it's not necessarily your industry, there are parallels across.

I think you and I were in a meeting last week with a company and they were asking about trends within their specific industry and you drew very clear parallels to a retail company from a high level. People are like, oh, that's not the same. But really when you duck down, it's like, hey, listen, sometimes at the bare bones of it, we have the same pain points. And so don't isolate yourself to the very specific corner of our content or the sessions.

Kind of broaden your horizon to see what else is out there because you might surprise yourself and draw some parallels and discover information you might not have thought relevant to you. Right. Really a great, great recommendation. Another thing that I want to add, because I did not expect that, and that was a great contribution to the agenda as well. We had a speaker from UNHCR talking about identity for refugees. And I think this is something that not immediately comes to your mind, but that was a great presentation.

And it's an important topic because inclusion, inclusivity is really something that is important. Serving the underserved when it comes to identity is also part of the topic. Really interesting talk that I've seen. But as you said, looking across industries, finding common denominators and finding differences between industries, that is also part of our daily game. So that is what we do.

Christy, thank you very much that you spent the time with me and giving your personal perspective at EIC from a different angle. That's what I wanted to achieve with these three episodes, really colorful and looking at things differently. Final words before we close down. Famous last words. Famous last words.

Well, first off, I want to thank you for having me. Second, I do want to encourage folks to broaden their horizons when it comes to cupping your coal and see what all we have to offer to help them meet their goals, whether it be personal or for business. So if you have questions about our membership, how to access our research all year round, for those of you who don't know, if you are a conference attendee, you get access to all the presentations and the recordings for three months. But those of you who are members get access for the entirety of your membership.

So it's really important to not only have just this one shot a year to gather intel and to collaborate and to share, gather information, but to leverage it all year round. So if you have any questions, you can reach out on our website or to me directly at cp.cuppingyourcoal.com.

And again, thank you, Matthias, for giving me this platform. Nothing to add. Great final words. Thank you very much, Christy, for being my guest today. Thank you.