David Mahdi is a Senior Research Director at Gartner, focusing on identity and access management, authentication, and data security. Mr. Mahdi's area of expertise includes public-key infrastructure (PKI), machine ID management, IAM, blockchain security, decentralized identity, BYOI, IoT, and data security. He has worked in the IT security industry for more than 20 years. Prior to joining Gartner, he worked at various IAM providers, where he focused on digital identity ecosystems, decentralized identity, and device-based authentication. Mr. Mahdi has extensive experience working with industry-leading enterprises, financial institutions, and government agencies on varying topics specific to identity and security.