The identity community and the world lost an amazing person in October. Vittorio Luigi Bertocci was a kind and brilliant person. He engaged the people around him in ways that helped people new to the field learn about identity and other experts think about challenges in new ways.
When Vittorio first learned about his cancer diagnosis only a few months ago, many individuals reached out to him to let him know how much he influenced their lives. For some, it was the way he explained technology such that they finally ‘got it.’ For others, it was the support he offered that enabled them to step up to a microphone and offer their own opinions.
Vittorio’s personality could fill a room when he chose, or he could listen quietly. Knowing when to step up and when to step back is a rare life skill, and he demonstrated it with style and grace. He has left us with many recordings, social media posts, and, of course, wonderful memories.
IDPro will always be grateful for Vittorio’s participation in virtual meetups, his contribution to the development of the CIDPRO exam, and his lively conversation in our community.
In the days and weeks following Vittorio’s passing, there has been a huge outpouring of tributes, support, and reminiscences from across the industry. One of Vittorio’s colleagues at Auth0 pulled together a collection of Vittorio posts on LinkedIn entitled In Celebration of Vittorio Bertocci. IDPro member Nishant Kaushik posted And Just Like That, He’s Gone on his Talking Identity blog. He also established a fundraiser called In Memory of Vittorio, our Identity Fabio. His colleagues at Okta posted In Celebration of Vittorio Bertocci, which includes links for charitable contributions to two causes important to Vittorio. Just two weeks before we lost Vittorio, Brian Campell posted his own heartfelt tribute on the Ping Identity blog called Step Up from Lighthearted Joke to RFC Homage, which was deeply moving for Vittorio. Lastly, in recognition of Vittorio’s immense impact to so many of us across the Identity Industry, Ian Glazer and Allan Foster are spearheading the establishment of the Digital Identity Advancement Foundation and the Vittorio Bertocci Award. Keep an eye on the Digital Identity Advancement Foundation website for updates on progress.
Vittorio will be sorely missed, but never forgotten!
