A primary challenge for organizations during the global pandemic is running remote operations securely and efficiently as new and malicious threats are rapidly introduced into the cybersecurity landscape. Getting digital identity management right is a key part of the solution. In this first article of a two-part series on digital identity and authentication processes, we discuss, with commentary from identity experts at Venable, ServiceTitan, Microsoft and Google, how the pandemic has shifted the virtual landscape, the identity aspects of the SolarWinds incident, the Zero Trust infrastructure and some of the identity management challenges companies are facing. Part two will offer a framework for approaching an identity-centric cybersecurity program. See “Overcoming the Challenges and Reaping the Benefits of Multi-Factor Authentication in the Financial Sector (Part One of Two)” (Jul. 26, 2017); Part Two (Aug. 9, 2017).