Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM) today announced that GM Sectec, a global leader in PCI-led managed security services with key operations in North America, Latin America, and Europe, has joined the Akamai Partner Connect Program. The partnership is intended to help global enterprises simplify the transition to PCI DSS v4.0.1 compliance, govern the emerging agentic digital workforce, and strengthen defenses against ransomware and API-based threats.
As organizations increasingly adopt autonomous AI agents to manage business workflows, regulators now treat these “digital employees” as human identities with no exemptions for machine-driven data access. This shift, combined with the “shadow API” crisis, by which untracked APIs are created for AI integration, has created significant visibility and security gaps in cardholder data environments (CDEs).
“Partnering with Akamai builds on our global leadership in PCI-led managed security services, facilitating the adoption of innovative technologies to address the evolving requirements of PCI DSS v4.0.1,” said Héctor Guillermo Martínez, President, GM Sectec. “Together, we can empower organizations to achieve robust compliance, prevent ransomware, and govern the new autonomous digital workforce by helping to ensure that AI agents and API ecosystems operate safely within strict regulatory guardrails.”
The partnership integrates GM Sectec’s PCI compliance validation and proprietary scope-reduction tokenization (Databye by FirsToken) with Akamai’s advanced security portfolio to deliver a multilayered defense. Key initiatives of the collaboration include:
- Pioneering “agentic compliance”: GM Sectec’s Non-Human Identity (NHI) governance ensures machine access is audited with the same strict controls used for human employees.
- Akamai API Security to combat “ghost APIs”: Akamai API Security is used to continuously discover and monitor API behavior, mitigating the surge in multistep workflows and hidden API calls driven by AI agents.
- Enhanced ransomware prevention: Akamai Guardicore Segmentation is leveraged for Zero Trust microsegmentation to contain ransomware and restrict the “blast radius” of compromised agents.
- 24/7 global incident response: GM Sectec’s four global 24/7/365 Critical Incident Response and Replication Centers (CIRRCs) provide continuous managed detection and response. Its elite PCI forensic investigator (PFI) and digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) teams provide rapid recovery.
“Akamai’s technology portfolio, particularly Akamai API Security and Akamai Guardicore Segmentation, finds the ideal complement in GM Sectec’s extensive experience in PCI validation and forensics,” said Saulo Rodrigues Miranda, Vice President of Sales, Latin America, at Akamai. “By joining Akamai Partner Connect, GM Sectec is uniquely positioned to deliver integrated, high-performance security solutions that modernize legacy environments and bolster overall security resilience.”
Akamai Partner Connect is a unified global program that supports resale, distribution, technical solution enablement, services, and referrals. The program includes enhanced incentives aligned with strategic offerings, region-specific tiering, and streamlined access to tools and support to help partners accelerate growth and deliver superior customer outcomes. To learn more, visit akamai.com/channel-partners..
