Non-profit · Vendor-neutral · Global

An independent IAM community

Start with Identity is a community-first reference for identity and access management. The knowledge here is built in the open by practitioners around the world. There is no paywall, no sponsorship, and no pay-to-rank. If you work in identity, or want to, this is a place to learn, connect, contribute, and be credited for it.

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Free, open, no signup

What the community has built

The point of a community is what it leaves behind. Every page below was written or reviewed by a named practitioner, and none of it is gated, sponsored, or for sale.

Learn the field

Start wherever your current problem is.

Evaluate the market

One published rubric, applied the same way to every platform.

Where we are going

Vision

A world where every identity and security professional, in every country, has free and independent access to the knowledge, connections, and opportunities to master IAM, and where the field's best practices are shaped openly by its practitioners, not its vendors.

A group of people seated along a long table with laptops in a bright room with tall windows — Stock photo: Christina @ wocintechchat.com M / Unsplash

What we do

Mission

We are a non-profit, vendor-neutral community that helps people learn, practice, and advance in identity and access management. We curate trustworthy IAM knowledge, news, and jobs. We connect practitioners across backgrounds and borders. And we give the next generation of identity professionals a place to contribute, be credited, and grow, all in the open and free of commercial influence.

Values

What we stand for

Independent: No sponsorship, no pay-to-rank. The work answers to practitioners, not vendors.
Open: Anyone can contribute, and every contributor is credited by name.
Global: Every country, every background. Identity is a worldwide profession.
Practitioner-led: Built by the people who do the work, for the people who do the work.
Free: Knowledge as a public good. Free to read, free to cite, no email wall.

A few hours a week, real impact

Open volunteer roles

Apply to volunteer

Volunteering is how the community runs, and how people new to IAM build a public track record. Pick a role, spend a few hours a week, and your work ships with your name on it.

Role	What you do	Time
News Curator	Collect and summarize identity and security news, link to the source, never republish.	2-3 hrs/week
Jobs Scout	Find open IAM roles worldwide and add them to the jobs board with accurate filters.	1-2 hrs/week
Country Ambassador	Localize news and jobs for your region and grow the community in your country.	2-4 hrs/week
Content Contributor	Write or review guides, glossary terms, and vendor profiles to the editorial standard.	Flexible
Interview Host	Reach out to IAM practitioners and run sourced, on-the-record interviews.	2-3 hrs/interview
Social Amplifier	Share community work on LinkedIn and other platforms and bring new people in.	1-2 hrs/week
Standards & Glossary Editor	Keep standards deep-dives and glossary definitions accurate as specs evolve.	Flexible
CVE Analyst	Triage identity-related CVEs, write the practitioner brief, and keep patch and KEV status current.	2-3 hrs/week

Named and accountable

Who runs it

The community was founded by Deepak Gupta, a customer identity platform founder and former CISO, and it is run by volunteer practitioners who are each credited by name. There is no anonymous house voice and no editorial board you cannot reach. See the contributors page for who does what, and the methodology for the standard all of it is held to.

Recognition, not pay

What you get

A public byline
Your contributions ship credited by name on the contributors page, with a link to your profile.
A network
Connect with identity practitioners across companies, countries, and specialties.
Real skills
Learn IAM by doing the work, from news and standards to interviews and guides.

A few hours a week

Apply to volunteer

Tell us a little about you and which role fits. There's no commitment beyond what you offer, and your work ships credited by name. We'll be in touch to get you started.