Insight Partners And Glilot Capital Co-Lead $20M Investment In Way Security To Tackle IAM’s Costly Execution Gap
Identity and access management has become a central pillar of enterprise cybersecurity, but deploying identity systems across large organizations remains a persistent challenge. Companies can invest heavily in IAM platforms only to face years of implementation work, high consulting costs and complex operational requirements.
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. The company is building an AI-powered, agentic execution platform designed to automate the operational work traditionally required to deploy and manage IAM systems.
Rather than asking enterprises to replace their existing identity infrastructure, Way Security is focused on helping organizations get more value from the platforms they already own. Its approach targets the gap between purchasing IAM software and successfully operationalizing it across complex enterprise environments.
The Services Problem Behind IAM
According to Way Security, enterprise IAM programs can routinely run years past schedule and reach seven- or eight-digit cost figures while still delivering less than originally promised. Implementation, customization and ongoing operational services can cost organizations three to five times more than the software itself, creating a services ecosystem that has grown larger than the IAM software market it supports.
The company believes this represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity to change how identity programs are delivered. Its platform uses AI-driven automation and agentic workflows to execute tasks that have historically depended on consultants, system integrators and internal engineering resources.
“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.”
Automating The Operational Layer
Way Security’s platform is designed to automate activities associated with identity lifecycle management, access governance, authentication and policy enforcement. The company says organizations can apply identity controls across different types of identities and systems without custom integrations, manual workflows or ongoing dependence on application owners.
The platform also addresses applications that can be difficult to incorporate into conventional identity programs, including legacy, homegrown and custom applications that do not support standard federation protocols. Way Security connects these applications to the IGA, IdP and authentication controls organizations already own.
“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.”
Experience From Inside Enterprise Security
Way Security’s founders bring firsthand experience with the challenges they are trying to address. Barishev and Rosenberg spent years helping large enterprises navigate identity, governance and security initiatives, advising Fortune 500 organizations and leading enterprise security teams from within.
The pair also spent years leading incident response efforts for organizations facing major 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, bringing an offensive security perspective to the company’s identity and security expertise.
“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.”
Investors Target A Larger IAM Opportunity
The $20 million investment reflects the belief from Insight Partners and Glilot Capital that the operational challenges surrounding IAM represent an opportunity beyond the traditional identity software market.
“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, pointed to the combination of the founders, market opportunity and the company’s 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.”
Expanding The Identity Operations Market
Way Security says it is already working with Fortune 500 companies, global healthcare organizations and financial institutions to accelerate IAM deployments, reduce manual implementation work and expand identity coverage across complex environments.
The company plans to use the new investment to aggressively expand its U.S. presence while continuing to invest in its identity operations platform. Its broader goal is to establish identity operations as a distinct category focused on making existing IAM technology easier to deploy and operate.
“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.”