Accenture and Microsoft Corporation are deepening their collaboration by co-investing in the development of advanced generative AI-driven cybersecurity solutions. This joint effort aims to help organizations strengthen their defenses against evolving cyber threats, simplify technology environments, and optimize operational costs.
The move comes in response to findings from Accenture’s State of Cyber Resilience 2025 report, which reveals that 90% of organizations are not adequately prepared to defend against AI-enhanced cyberattacks. By combining Accenture’s cybersecurity services, AI transformation capabilities, and deep industry knowledge with Microsoft’s cutting-edge security technologies, the two companies are delivering innovative solutions across four key areas: Security Operations Center (SOC) modernization, automated data and AI security, security-centric cloud migration and consolidation, and enhanced identity and access management (IAM).
“Global cyber threats, now leveraging AI, are intensifying in speed, sophistication and scale. By adopting automation and gen AI solutions, organizations can reimagine their SecOps and outpace rising adversarial cyber threats,” said Paolo Dal Cin, global lead, Accenture Security. “The combined power of Accenture and Microsoft will help clients future-proof against potential cyber threats, keep critical data secure and enhance business resilience. This expanded relationship signals to the industry that we can be stronger together.”
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Demonstrating the impact of their collaboration, Accenture and Microsoft recently partnered with Nationwide Building Society, the UK’s largest building society serving over 17 million customers, to enhance its cybersecurity operations. The project involved a large-scale migration to Microsoft Sentinel, which enabled Nationwide to establish a more streamlined and unified security infrastructure, accelerating cyber threat detection. The use of a generative AI security information and event management system—co-developed by Accenture and Microsoft—further expedited the migration of hundreds of terabytes of data.
David Boda, chief security & resilience officer at Nationwide, said, “In a dynamic and complex threat environment, it’s important that we continue to build on our existing cybersecurity operations to stay ahead of the game. Accenture’s support in our migration to Microsoft Sentinel has been invaluable to set us up for success. The use of generative AI to enable the migration allowed us to deliver the change more efficiently, in turn freeing up capacity for wider improvement activities.”
The enhanced cybersecurity solutions being co-developed by Accenture and Microsoft include:
SOC Modernization:
This solution leverages Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender, and Accenture’s Adaptive MxDR for Microsoft to improve threat detection and incident response across hybrid environments. By integrating AI-driven tools like Microsoft Security Copilot, security teams can investigate threats faster, reduce alert fatigue, and focus on critical risks. According to recent assessments, organizations can improve SOC efficiency by up to 30% through the right mix of automation and intelligent tooling.[1]
Automated Data Protection and AI Security:
By combining Microsoft Purview with Accenture’s data security framework, this solution enables automated classification and protection of sensitive data across Microsoft 365 platforms such as SharePoint, Teams, and Exchange. It supports regulatory compliance, minimizes data exposure risks in AI use cases, and facilitates secure collaboration at scale—an essential capability in today’s AI-driven workplace.
Security-Centric Migration and Consolidation:
Utilizing Microsoft’s comprehensive security suite and Accenture’s E5 Acceleration Playbook, this solution streamlines migrations to modern platforms, consolidates legacy security tools, and optimizes licensing. Organizations can achieve cost savings of 35% to 50%, simplify vendor landscapes, and unlock the full value of Microsoft E5 security solutions.[2]
Enhanced Identity and Access Management (IAM):
Powered by Microsoft Entra Suite and enhanced by Accenture’s IAM expertise, this solution accelerates the modernization of outdated identity environments. It strengthens access management, identity governance, and passwordless authentication—delivering improved security, better user experiences, and cost savings of 30% to 50% through infrastructure reduction and licensing consolidation.[2]
“We’re proud to be shaping the future of cybersecurity alongside Accenture, combining their deep industry insights with the breadth and strength of Microsoft’s security platform,” said Vasu Jakkal, corporate vice president of Microsoft Security. “In today’s fast-moving cyber threat landscape, organizations need solutions that simplify complexity and deliver end-to-end protection across on-premises and cloud environments. Security is a team sport–and together–Microsoft and Accenture are empowering customers with AI-driven, comprehensive solutions that help them stay ahead of evolving threats and unlock new levels of resilience.”
With AI reshaping the cybersecurity landscape, this strengthened partnership between Accenture and Microsoft positions both companies to help organizations proactively defend against sophisticated threats while driving operational efficiency and business resilience.
