Intricate Consulting

ICAM · PKI & Credentials · Zero Trust · Post-Quantum Cryptography

Identity-first security architecture for government and enterprise.

Every Zero Trust program rests on identity. Intricate Consulting helps organizations plan, build and secure the people, credentials, privileged accounts and workloads behind it, from strategy through deployment and authorization.

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ROOT OF TRUST IDENTITY LAYER PEOPLE DEVICES WORKLOADS
  • FederalAgencies and their mission programs
  • State & localGovernment identity and access modernization
  • EnterpriseCommercial organizations with complex identity estates
  • TeamingPrime contractors seeking ICAM depth on bids and delivery
  • Vendor-neutralRecommendations driven by requirements, not resale

What we do

Architecture and implementation across the identity layer, delivered as a full program or as focused support for the part you need most.

01

ICAM strategy & architecture

Current-state assessments, target architectures, analyses of alternatives and roadmaps that turn identity mandates into an executable plan.

02

PKI, credentials & post-quantum readiness

Certificate authorities, smart card and hardware token programs, and certificate-based authentication for people and devices.

Preparing PKI and credentials for the move to post-quantum cryptography. See how →

03

Identity governance & privileged access

Identity lifecycle, access certification and least-privilege controls that scale across the enterprise.

04

Access management & federation

Single sign-on, multi-factor authentication, federation and directory services that bring legacy and modern applications under one identity.

05

Workload & AI agent identity

Cryptographic identities and short-lived credentials for services, pipelines and AI agents, replacing static secrets.

06

Security authorization support

Security architecture, documentation and assessment support that carries identity systems through authorization to operate (ATO).

07 · POST-QUANTUM READINESS

Post-quantum readiness for the identity layer

Federal mandates now set firm dates for the move to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). PKI and credentials are the slowest part of that migration, because cards and tokens must be replaced rather than patched. We help you understand your exposure and sequence the work.

STEP 1

PQC snapshot

A fast look at where cryptography lives in your identity layer and where the highest exposure sits.

STEP 2

Identity-layer assessment

An in-depth review of PKI, credentials and dependent systems, ending in a migration roadmap.

STEP 3

Migration advisory

Ongoing architecture, vendor and procurement guidance as standards and products mature.

How we work

We stay hands-on from assessment through ATO. The people who assess your environment design the solution and stay through deployment, so nothing is lost between the plan and the build.

  1. 01

    Assess

    Understand the current state, the gaps against policy and mandates, and the risks that matter most.

  2. 02

    Select

    Evaluate alternatives and products against your requirements, not a vendor's roadmap.

  3. 03

    Design

    Define the target architecture, integration patterns and a sequenced roadmap.

  4. 04

    Deploy

    Implement, integrate and document through pre-production and production.

  5. 05

    Authorize

    Support the security assessment and leadership briefings through authorization to operate.

Practitioners, not just advisors

We design what we can build, and we build what we design.

Tested before recommended

Our lab validates emerging technology, from post-quantum PKI to workload identity, before it reaches a client environment.

Standards-aligned

Work maps to FICAM, FIPS 201, NIST SP 800-63 and 800-53, and federal Zero Trust guidance from day one.

Who we serve

Our team's experience spans some of the largest identity programs in the federal government, and the same disciplines apply wherever identity is the control plane.

Where we've delivered

  • Department of Homeland Security
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
  • U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • United States Postal Service
  • National Institutes of Health

Where we're expanding

  • State and local government
  • Commercial enterprise
  • Teaming with prime contractors

Technology

  • SailPoint
  • CyberArk
  • BeyondTrust
  • Okta
  • Ping Identity
  • Microsoft Entra ID
  • Radiant Logic
  • Intercede
  • Thales
  • Yubico
  • HashiCorp Vault
  • SPIFFE/SPIRE
  • AWS
  • Google Cloud

Insights

Research from our lab on where identity meets post-quantum cryptography.

White paper · October 2026

PIV's Post-Quantum Problem

Why federal credentials are the hardest part of the 2031 deadline, and what agencies should start now.

Read the paper →

About

A Maryland small business built around identity

Intricate Consulting was founded in 2013 to bring deep, hands-on identity expertise to the organizations that depend on it most.

We work as a focused specialist: on our own engagements, embedded with client teams, or as the ICAM partner on a prime contractor's team. Our founder, Kenneth Macakiage, leads the firm's architecture practice and its research lab.

Our founder on LinkedIn →

We are growing. If you are an identity practitioner who likes to both design and build, or a firm looking for an ICAM teaming partner, we'd like to hear from you.

Start a conversation

Planning an identity modernization, sizing your post-quantum exposure, or building a team for an upcoming bid? Tell us a little about it and we'll be in touch.