Accenture and Google Cloud Expand Partnership to Accelerate Cybersecurity Resilience

Lendlease selects Accenture Security and Google Cloud solution for AI-powered cyber detection and response

Accenture and Google Cloud today announced an expansion of their global partnership to help businesses better protect critical assets and strengthen security against persistent cyber threats. Together, they are providing the technology, trusted infrastructure, and security expertise organizations need to build resilient security programs and maintain confidence in their readiness.

The two companies have partnered since 2018 to help the world’s largest organizations fundamentally improve their businesses by harnessing Google Cloud’s leading technology in data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cybersecurity to build stronger digital cores. The next phase of the partnership will focus on:

• Powering Accenture’s new Managed Extended Detection and Response (MxDR) service with security-specific generative artificial intelligence (AI) from Google Cloud, designed to integrate with the most common security technology platforms and other clouds.
• Providing crisis management, incident response, and threat intelligence by Accenture and Mandiant, bringing the two companies’ expertise and capabilities into one joint service
• Offering comprehensive, proactive cybersecurity services for businesses operating on any cloud or multi-cloud architecture.

“Enterprises are rapidly transforming, and they need cyber resilience at the core of their digital journeys to protect their businesses and grow with trust and confidence,” said Paolo Dal Cin, who leads Accenture Security globally. “We’re bringing the best expertise and capabilities from Accenture Security, Google Cloud and Mandiant together to help our clients achieve the cyber resilience level their businesses need in today’s cyber threat landscape. When powered by generative AI, our integrated cybersecurity services should enable a new level of cyber resilience, with greater scale, speed and effectiveness.”

Sunil Potti, GM and VP of cloud security, Google Cloud, said, “Accenture and Google Cloud share a vision for helping enterprises modernize their security positions by combining the most advanced security technology with the world’s leading security experts. Accenture’s new MxDR service is now powered by Chronicle’s world-class security operations, Mandiant’s leading threat intelligence, and new security-specific generative AI capabilities, which will help businesses defend against the most sophisticated cyber threat actors.”

"Google Cloud and Accenture bring global expertise to security by combining their strengths in technology and security operations to drive successful security outcomes for enterprises,” said Craig Robinson, research vice president, IDC. “Through this expanded partnership, Accenture's security professionals are equipped with a broad portfolio of advanced security tools and generative AI from Google Cloud, which will enable them to build end-to-end security programs that optimally protect large-scale organizations."

Combining Accenture Security Services and Google Cloud technology

As part of the collaboration, Accenture is enhancing its adaptive Detection and Response offering and MxDR service by integrating new capabilities and technologies:

• Chronicle Security Operations: Accenture’s new MxDR service utilizes the Chronicle platform to enable its security teams to better detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats. It does so by helping enterprises ingest and search the massive amounts of network and security telemetry they generate, with near real-time analysis and context on security risks and vulnerabilities.
• Mandiant Threat Intelligence: Accenture’s new MxDR service, which includes its Cyber Threat Intelligence capability, will also embed the actionable, leading threat intelligence of Mandiant. Mandiant provides near real-time access to context and threat intelligence from the frontlines, with a global team of analysts who operate around-the-clock investigating and responding to the most sophisticated cyberattacks.
• Security-specific generative AI from Google Cloud: Accenture will be the first company to utilize the Google Cloud Security AI Workbench, an industry-first extensible platform powered by a specialized, security large language model (LLM), Sec-PaLM, that leverages Google’s visibility into the threat landscape and Mandiant’s frontline intelligence on vulnerabilities, malware, threat indicators, and more. By integrating generative AI within the service Accenture aims to significantly accelerate incident detection, analysis, and response, mitigating the impact of security incidents.
• Location- and industry-specific customization: Accenture and Google Cloud can build and manage customized security programs for organizations with complex environments that require more than turnkey solutions. This approach is well-suited for global organizations that need to protect large attack surface areas and high volumes of assets, or for companies needing to comply with local regulations related to data residency and sovereignty.
• Managed crisis and incident response: Accenture’s security professionals will partner closely with Mandiant threat experts to help organizations embed resilient cybersecurity protections across their business assets and hybrid workforces.
• Accenture-owned technology accelerators: Accenture security services include unique technology and an intuitive user experience, which increase threat detection and response capabilities and reduce the time and effort needed to contain vulnerabilities.

Helping Lendlease secure their global business

Lendlease, a global real estate group with core expertise in shaping cities and creating thriving communities, is already benefiting from the new MxDR solution that leverages Google Cloud’s Chronicle Security Operations technology to achieve next-generation detection and response. Accenture is assisting Lendlease with a significant upgrade to its IT infrastructure to further progress its cloud-first strategy, including moving its workloads to Google Cloud and upgrading its core offerings, such as the Podium Property Insights (PPI) platform. Accenture is also providing 24x7 security services that include incident response, vulnerability management, and security protections for infrastructure and applications.

“Having the flexibility to adapt to shifting global cyber risks is critical to Lendlease as we deliver connected communities, precincts and places right around the world,” said William Ruh, Chief Executive Officer, Lendlease Digital. “This new partnership with Accenture and Google will help us simplify our security operations, including our operational technology environments, to offer greater transparency, flexibility and speed at scale.”

Source: Accenture media announcement