NATO selects Accenture and Leonardo for a €200M secure cloud project.

      NATO seeks a reliable cloud solution amidst challenges. Its technology agency has entered into a contract valued at around €200 million with Accenture and Italy's Leonardo for its development. Accenture announced this agreement on Tuesday, which was finalized during the NATO summit in Ankara.

      This initiative, known as the Protected Business Network, will provide the Alliance with a unified, classified cloud environment for commanders and staff to share data and coordinate across all operational domains. The focus is on resilience: creating a system designed to remain operational in the face of cyberattacks.

      Details of the agreement

      Over the next seven years, Accenture and Leonardo will design, construct, and manage the core platform on a multi-cloud architecture provided by NATO's agency, serving approximately 29,000 users throughout the Alliance. The North Atlantic Council has approved this as a capability for the entire Alliance.

      The strategy replaces NATO’s collection of outdated systems with a standardized cloud model and engineering practices. This shift should facilitate quicker deployment of new digital services. Additionally, Leonardo contributes a Zero Trust security approach along with its AI-driven multi-agent platform for cybersecurity.

      A European infrastructure

      The selection of contractors is significant as it involves Accenture's EMEA division and Leonardo, an Italian defense company, rather than a US contractor. This aligns with a broader European initiative to gain control over its defense software and secure military cloud, reducing dependence on American suppliers.

      This initiative comes at a critical time, as concerns about US dominance in advanced AI have cast a shadow over the Ankara summit, coupled with pressure on allies to eliminate untrusted technology and revamp their networks. Establishing a domestic cloud infrastructure is seen as part of the solution.

      The importance of the initiative

      The nature of defense is increasingly being viewed as a software-centric issue. Speed, secure data, and interoperability are now as crucial to readiness as traditional hardware. NATO is betting that a modern cloud will enable quicker responses and improve its ability to withstand attacks, while keeping control within Europe. Funding is also heading towards European defense technology, and the construction of this cloud begins now. The real challenge will arise when faced with attempts to disrupt it.