The gate stays independent.
You decline Cisco. Every lab's agent still stops at your checkpoint, and none of them can buy their way past it.
The Chair: Neutral isn't cheap. It just renews every month. Motion carried.
OMNI: ...My ID expires Friday. Could someone expedite?
Outcome: Won the relationship
Labs can build identity, but not neutrality about each other. You held the one thing none of them could credibly offer.
One path that gets here
A · We'll sell agent security on every seatB · Stop fighting E7. Give every agent an IDB · We see every agent's every move. Use thatA · Then Okta runs every agent's access. All labsB · No. The checkpoint stays neutral