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Identity and access management has become a cornerstone of enterprise cybersecurity, but deploying the technology remains a costly and complicated process. Organizations can spend years implementing IAM systems, only to discover that the software itself represents just a portion of the total investment required.
As reported by Axios, Insight Partners and Glilot Capital are co-leading a $20 million investment in Way Security, a company founded by former security leaders Yossi Barishev and Yonatan Rosenberg that is seeking to change how enterprises implement and operate IAM.
Way Security is developing an AI-powered, agentic execution platform designed to automate the operational work that has traditionally required consultants, system integrators, and internal engineering resources. Instead of asking companies to replace their existing identity infrastructure, the company aims to help them finally realize the value of the platforms they have already purchased.
The Cost Behind IAM
Enterprise IAM programs can routinely run years beyond schedule and reach seven- or eight-digit costs while still delivering less than originally promised. According to Way Security, implementation, customization, and ongoing operational services can cost organizations three to five times more than the software itself.
The result is an IAM market where the services ecosystem has grown larger than the software market it supports. For Way Security, that represents a significant opportunity to address what it sees as a structural problem in how identity technology is deployed.
“IAM is the only space in cyber where overspending and under-delivering is an acceptable reality,” said Barishev, co-founder and CEO of Way Security. “The more time we spent doing IAM, the more we realized how the industry normalized mediocrity and has almost given up trying to solve some of its biggest challenges.”
The company’s platform is designed to automate operational tasks associated with identity lifecycle management, access governance, authentication and policy enforcement. Way Security says its technology can apply identity controls across different types of identities and systems without custom integrations, manual workflows or ongoing dependence on application owners.
Making Existing Investments Work
Way Security is taking a different approach from vendors that ask enterprises to replace or replatform their identity systems. Instead, it is positioning its technology as an operational layer that works with the IAM investments organizations already have.
The platform is designed to automate activities that traditionally require large teams of consultants and engineers. It also aims to extend identity coverage to legacy, homegrown, and custom applications that do not support standard federation protocols.
“Most IAM teams aren’t looking to replace the platforms they’ve already invested in,” said Rosenberg, co-founder and CTO. “They’re looking to finally get the return on investment they were promised. We built Way Security to automate the work that has traditionally stood between buying an IAM platform and actually realizing its value.”
The company’s broader argument is that enterprises do not necessarily lack identity technology. Instead, they struggle to operationalize it across increasingly complex environments.
“The issue isn’t that enterprises lack the right tools,” said Barishev. “It’s that those tools are incredibly expensive and complex to operationalize. We built Way Security to remove that friction.”
Founders With Enterprise Security Experience
Barishev and Rosenberg founded Way Security after years of working with large organizations on identity, governance, and security challenges. They have advised Fortune 500 companies through complex identity initiatives and led enterprise security organizations from within.
The founders also spent years leading incident response efforts for organizations facing significant cyber incidents, repeatedly seeing weak identity controls become a root cause or critical enabler of successful attacks. Rosenberg additionally served as an officer in Israel’s Unit 8200.
That experience shaped the company’s focus on the operational side of identity security, where the founders believe enterprises continue to struggle despite significant technology investments.
Investors See An Untapped Market
Insight Partners and Glilot Capital are backing Way Security’s effort to address the gap between IAM software and the work required to make it effective.
“Identity is one of the most critical layers of enterprise security, yet organizations still struggle to operationalize their investments efficiently,” said Jeff Horing, Co-Founder and Managing Director at Insight Partners. “Way Security is addressing a large and persistent gap between IAM software and real-world execution.”
Nofar Amikam, Managing Partner at Glilot Capital, said the company combines an experienced team with a large market opportunity and differentiated approach.
“As investors, we’re constantly looking for the rare combination of an exceptional team, a massive market opportunity, and a differentiated approach, said Nofar Amikam, Managing Partner at Glilot Capital. “With Yossi and Yonatan, all three were evident from our very first meeting. They possess a deep understanding of the identity challenges facing large enterprises because they’ve lived them firsthand, and they’ve built a fundamentally better way to solve them. Identity has become the foundation of modern security, and we believe this team has the vision, talent, and determination to build the company that will define how the next generation of enterprises manages and secures it.”
Way Security says it is already working with Fortune 500 companies, global healthcare organizations, and financial institutions. The company plans to use the funding to expand its U.S. presence and continue investing in its identity operations platform.
“We’re at a pivotal moment in the market,” said Rosenberg. “Identity has become the foundation of enterprise security, yet organizations still struggle to operationalize it effectively. Our priority now is to move quickly, expand our platform, grow our presence in the U.S., and establish Way Security as the category leader in identity operations before the market catches up.”
