Why hybrid deployment models are crucial for modern secure AI agent architectures
None
<div class="wpb-content-wrapper"> <div id="s1" class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="vc_empty_space" style="height: 32px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As enterprises embrace AI agents to automate decisions and actions across business workflows, a new architectural requirement is emerging — one that legacy IAM systems (even SaaS IAM!) were never built to handle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The reality is simple: </span><b>AI agents don’t live in just one place</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They operate across clouds, on-premises infrastructure, edge devices, and sometimes entirely disconnected environments. In this new landscape, </span><b>hybrid deployment</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> isn’t a deployment </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">option</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> — it’s an operational </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">imperative</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for security, resilience, and compliance.</span></p><div class="code-block code-block-12 ai-track" data-ai="WzEyLCIiLCJCbG9jayAxMiIsIiIsMV0=" style="margin: 8px 0; clear: both;"> <style> .ai-rotate {position: relative;} .ai-rotate-hidden {visibility: hidden;} .ai-rotate-hidden-2 {position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-filter-check, .ai-fallback, .ai-list-block, .ai-list-block-ip, .ai-list-block-filter {visibility: hidden; position: absolute; width: 50%; height: 1px; top: -1000px; z-index: -9999; margin: 0px!important;} .ai-list-data, .ai-ip-data, .ai-filter-check, .ai-fallback {min-width: 1px;} </style> <div class="ai-rotate ai-unprocessed ai-timed-rotation ai-12-1" data-info="WyIxMi0xIiwyXQ==" style="position: relative;"> <div class="ai-rotate-option" style="visibility: hidden;" data-index="1" data-name="VGVjaHN0cm9uZyBHYW5nIFlvdXR1YmU=" data-time="MTA="> <div class="custom-ad"> <div style="margin: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="https://youtu.be/Fojn5NFwaw8" target="_blank"><img src="https://securityboulevard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Techstrong-Gang-Youtube-PodcastV2-770.png" alt="Techstrong Gang Youtube"></a></div> <div class="clear-custom-ad"></div> </div></div> <div class="ai-rotate-option" style="visibility: hidden; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;" data-index="1" data-name="QVdTIEh1Yg==" data-time="MTA="> <div class="custom-ad"> <div style="margin: auto; text-align: center;"><a href="https://devops.com/builder-community-hub/?ref=in-article-ad-1&utm_source=do&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=in-article-ad-1" target="_blank"><img src="https://devops.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Gradient-1.png" alt="AWS Hub"></a></div> <div class="clear-custom-ad"></div> </div></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="code-block code-block-15" style="margin: 8px 0; clear: both;"> <script async src="https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-2091799172090865" crossorigin="anonymous" type="e2a585cfd4daf96246cc96b2-text/javascript"></script> <!-- SB In Article Ad 1 --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2091799172090865" data-ad-slot="8723094367" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins> <script type="e2a585cfd4daf96246cc96b2-text/javascript"> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></div> </div> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <h4></h4> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s2" class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="vc_empty_space" style="height: 32px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <h2>What hybrid identity means today</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The term “hybrid” has evolved beyond just “on-prem + cloud.” In the agentic era, a hybrid architecture means:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Public cloud platforms</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (e.g., Azure, AWS, Google Cloud)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Private clouds and on-premises infrastructure</b></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Air-gapped or disconnected environments</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (DDIL, tactical edge)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Multiple identity providers (IDPs)</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in use across different domains</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Cross-agent platform compatibility</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> — AI agents running on frameworks like ChatGPT, LangChain, Azure Agent Foundry, N8N, and CrewAI</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Identity for AI agents must be </span><b>as distributed and dynamic as the agents themselves</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s3" class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="vc_empty_space" style="height: 32px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <h2>Why some things will always stay on-premises</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even as cloud adoption accelerates, there are mission-critical workloads and datasets that cannot — and will not — leave the premises. Why?</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Regulatory constraints</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (e.g., financial services, defense, healthcare)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Data residency and sovereignty</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (especially in GDPR- and HIPAA-covered regions)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Latency-sensitive systems</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (manufacturing lines, trading engines, logistics systems)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Operational control and uptime SLAs</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for critical systems</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In these environments, agents must run </span><b>locally</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> — often within secured infrastructure where the enterprise has full control over identity systems, policy enforcement, and data access.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is where </span><b>air-gapped architectures</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> become essential.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s4" class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="vc_empty_space" style="height: 32px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <h2>The role of air-gapped architectures in agent security</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An </span><b>air-gapped deployment</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> can be described as a disconnected, often classified, environment where no inbound or outbound API communication is allowed. These environments are critical for:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Defense and national security systems</b></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Critical infrastructure (e.g., financial infrastructure, utilities, emergency response)</b></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Remote deployments (e.g., ships, satellites, border outposts)</b></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">AI agents running in these zones must operate </span><b>independently</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, with no dependence on cloud-hosted IDPs, policy engines, or data providers. This introduces a new challenge: </span><b>how do you give AI agents identity, access, and authorization in a disconnected runtime?</b></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maverics solves this with an air-gap-capable orchestration platform:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Identity and access policies are </span><b>packaged and deployed locally</b></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">OAuth tokens are minted </span><b>on-prem</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, bound to specific agents and scopes</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All activity is logged locally, with optional export to secure SIEMs post-mission.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br> </span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s5" class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="vc_empty_space" style="height: 32px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <h2>Hybrid agent workflows: real-world scenarios</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let’s take a look at some exciting use cases and scenarios using agents in distributed hybrid agent architectures can work in practice.</span></p> <h4>1. Global bank – on-prem core + cloud assistants</h4> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A multinational bank uses AI agents to help with customer queries and internal automation. However, </span><b>core banking services</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> — including balance transactions and fund movements — must run inside a private data center due to regulatory and latency constraints.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this setup:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Agents running in Azure handle intent classification and UI.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">On-prem agents handle secure operations, with </span><b>identity orchestration providing identity continuity</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> across environments.</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">OAuth delegation and audit logs ensure </span><b>traceability and zero-trust enforcement</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> across the hybrid boundary.</span></li> </ul> <h4>2. Manufacturer – geo-constrained agent identity</h4> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A global manufacturer operates agent systems across plants in Europe, North America, and Asia. Due to </span><b>data localization laws</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><b>human identities must remain in-region</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><b>agent access must align with regional policy</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The company deploys:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A global </span><b>Identity Fabric</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> with regional policy instances</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Distributed </span><b>agent fabric</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that registers and tracks agent identities per region</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Local Maverics orchestrators that enforce policy and mint tokens at runtime</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The result: agent-based automation that complies with </span><b>regional governance</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, while maintaining </span><b>enterprise-wide visibility and control</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <h4>3. Coast guard – tactical AI in air-gapped environments</h4> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A national coast guard deploys agents onboard ships that need the ability to operate disconnected from satellite or internet coverage — classic </span><b>DDIL (Denied, Disrupted, Intermittent, Limited) environments</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They run:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><b>Maverics orchestrators on-ship</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, deployed in a cluster on a container with preloaded identity policies</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">A </span><b>local identity provider</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> tied to the ship’s mission crew</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Agents that perform mission-critical tasks (navigation, resource planning, threat detection) under strict access control</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The identity system runs </span><b>entirely on board</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, with </span><b>no cloud dependency</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">, while maintaining full traceability for post-mission forensics.</span></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s6" class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="vc_empty_space" style="height: 32px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <h2>Why this matters</h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We’re at a turning point.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">AI agents will soon outnumber human users by 80:1 in enterprise systems. But without the ability to:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Authenticate agents securely across environments,</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Assign policy over agents dynamically at runtime,</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Audit their behavior consistently,</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">—we will lose control of what’s happening at the edge of our networks and clouds.</span></p> <p><b>Hybrid Identity Orchestration for agents</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is the only way to manage the complexity, scale, and sensitivity of these new workloads. That’s why Strata built </span><b>Maverics Identity Layer for Agentic / Artificial Identities</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> — to deliver the identity layer that works </span><b>anywhere your agents run.</b></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s7" class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="vc_empty_space" style="height: 32px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <p><b>Interested in seeing hybrid agent identity in action?</b><b><br> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Explore Maverics Identity for Agentic AI <a href="https://www.strata.io/agentic/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin" rel="noopener">get early access</a> to the preview. </span></p> </div> </div> <div class="vc_empty_space" style="height: 32px"><span class="vc_empty_space_inner"></span></div> <div class="vc_row wpb_row vc_inner vc_row-fluid pt40 pb40"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element vc_custom_1749152741314 round20 gradient10 dark-mode pl100 pr100 mpl20 mpr20 pt60 pb60"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong><span style="color: #ffffff;">Ready to test-drive the future of identity for AI agents?</span></strong></h2> <p class="font-size-20" style="text-align: center;">Join the Maverics Identity for Agentic AI and help shape what’s next.</p> <p> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a class="strata-btn8" href="https://www.strata.io/agentic">Join the preview</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="s10" class="vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid"> <div class="wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12"> <div class="vc_column-inner"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"> <div class="wpb_text_column wpb_content_element"> <div class="wpb_wrapper"></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div><p>The post <a href="https://www.strata.io/blog/agentic-identity/hybrid-deployment-3b/">Why hybrid deployment models are crucial for modern secure AI agent architectures</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.strata.io/">Strata.io</a>.</p><div class="spu-placeholder" style="display:none"></div><p class="syndicated-attribution">*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from <a href="https://www.strata.io/">Strata.io</a> authored by <a href="https://securityboulevard.com/author/0/" title="Read other posts by Eric Olden">Eric Olden</a>. Read the original post at: <a href="https://www.strata.io/blog/agentic-identity/hybrid-deployment-3b/">https://www.strata.io/blog/agentic-identity/hybrid-deployment-3b/</a> </p>