Google Cloud Next ’26 is coming up fast in Las Vegas! (April 22-24) 🚀

There will be plenty of new features announced, but for those of us focused on IAM and cloud leadership, it’s about preparing the right questions in advance rather than trying to catch everything on the fly.

Here’s the simple, strategic plan I'm using to prepare:

First, audit the current GCP footprint. Which services are you using? How do users and service accounts authenticate? Document all the identity integration points and pain points now.

Next, define 3 specific questions you need answered. For example, "How can we automate the service account lifecycle in GKE clusters?" or "What new AI-powered security features can strengthen our Zero Trust model?

Then, pre-identify high-value sessions. I'm looking for deep dives on Zero Trust, GKE modernisation, and security where I can get those questions answered by Googlers and peers.

Finally, block out time on Friday, April 25th. That time is dedicated to documenting takeaways and updating your roadmap.

The real value from Next comes not from the announcements, they’ll be available on the official blog, but from having your prepared questions addressed by the experts in the room.

I’ll be closely following the identity and security implications of all the infrastructure updates.

If you’re heading to Next, I’d love to hear about what challenges you’re prioritising.

#GoogleCloudNext #IAM #IdentitySecurity #CloudStrategy #ZeroTrust #GoogleCloud