To support enterprise workflows like monitoring systems, triaging support tickets, and automating routine work, AI agents need access to the same sensitive systems employees use, including databases, APIs, SaaS tools, and internal infrastructure. However, many of these systems still rely on shared passwords, API keys, tokens, and other credential-based access paths that are difficult to manage and control. 

As organizations put agents to work for new use cases and in new environments, IT and security teams need a better way to manage the credentials and secrets agents need, without embedding them in code, configuration files, and internal tools.

Together, Natoma and 1Password offer organizations a secure, scalable way to integrate AI agents into enterprise workflows where credentials are centrally managed, and agent access is governed across necessary tools and systems.

Where traditional access breaks down for agents

Traditional IAM secures human access at login but doesn’t extend to the shared credentials, secrets, and service-level access paths AI agents operate within. Without a secure, centralized model, organizations can lose visibility into how sensitive access is being used, who or what is using it, and whether controls are being applied consistently over time. 

When secrets are embedded directly into code or agent configurations, they’re not governed at the point of use. Agents can invoke the same credential repeatedly across workflows, pass it through downstream tools, or continue using lingering access in ways that are difficult to scope, monitor, or revoke effectively.

1Password helps close that gap by keeping credentials and secrets centrally managed and available for runtime retrieval. Natoma builds on that foundation by brokering and governing how agents exercise that access, so organizations can maintain control without embedding secrets directly into code or agent configurations.

A secure way to connect agents to enterprise systems with Natoma and 1Password

Natoma and 1Password work together to secure how AI agents access enterprise systems. 1Password keeps credentials and secrets centrally managed. Natoma brokers and governs how agents use that access inside enterprise workflows.

Here’s how it works:

1. A user connects their 1Password vault to Natoma

2. Credentials and secrets needed by agents remain stored in 1Password

3. When an agent needs access, Natoma retrieves the appropriate secret reference at runtime

4. Natoma brokers and governs the interaction between the agent and the target system

This eliminates the need to store credentials in code or configuration files, reducing secret sprawl. With sensitive access under centralized control, organizations get a more governable way to deploy AI agents and monitor access to sensitive enterprise systems.

Interoperable controls for growing access needs 

Ravi Chinni, Global Head of IAM at S&P Global, highlights the value of interoperable solutions like Natoma and 1Password:

What’s exciting about partnerships like this is their potential to strengthen the broader ecosystem, not just solve a single access challenge. As AI agents become more embedded in enterprise operations, organizations will need interoperable approaches that bring together credential protection, policy governance, and auditability across platforms.”

As more teams adopt AI agents, the number of system connections grows quickly. Organizations can also define policies that control how agents interact with systems, such as:

• Allow read-only database access

• Block write operations

• Restrict access to sensitive tables

• Limit query rates

• Scope permissions by agent or user group

This gives teams a clear view of how agents interact with enterprise systems and a consistent way to govern access as adoption grows.

Enterprise-ready agent access

To scale AI securely, organizations need more than connectivity. They need a governed way to manage how agents access systems, use credentials, and interact with sensitive data.

Natoma and 1Password provide that foundation by keeping credentials centrally managed in 1Password. They give organizations a way to operationalize and govern how agents use that access through Natoma.

Organizations can scale AI agent access with stronger control, better auditability, and fewer secrets scattered across the business.