Accenture and Microsoft Expand Collaboration on Gen-AI Powered Cyber Solutions
The companies are helping clients like Nationwide transform cybersecurity operations, optimize costs and improve business resilience
Accenture (NYSE:ACN) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) are co-investing in the development of advanced generative AI-driven cyber solutions to help organizations mitigate threats and consolidate technology tools while optimizing operational costs.
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Accenture and Microsoft Corporation are co-investing in the development of advanced generative AI-driven cyber solutions to help organizations mitigate threats and consolidate technology tools while optimizing operational costs.
According to Accenture's State of Cyber Resilience 2025 report, the majority (90%) of organizations are not ready to protect against AI-augmented cyber threats. By combining Accenture's cybersecurity services, AI transformation expertise and industry experience with Microsoft's advanced security technologies, the companies are helping organizations protect against advanced threats through innovative cybersecurity offerings across four key areas. These include security operation center (SOC) modernization, automated data and AI security, security-centric cyber 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."
Accenture and Microsoft successfully completed a project with Nationwide Building Society (Nationwide), the world's largest building society with over 17 million customers in the UK, to build on its cybersecurity operations. Through a large-scale migration to Microsoft Sentinel, Nationwide achieved a streamlined, unified security infrastructure that accelerates cyber threat detection. Nationwide benefited from a gen AI security information and event management capability, co-developed by Accenture and Microsoft, that accelerated 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 solutions Accenture and Microsoft are investing in co-developing include:
- SOC Modernization – Leveraging Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Defender and Accenture's Adaptive MxDR for Microsoft, this solution enhances threat visibility and strengthens response capabilities across hybrid environments. By integrating AI-driven tools like Microsoft Security Copilot, analysts can investigate threats faster, cut through alert noise and focus on what matters—reducing risk and improving SOC efficiency among security teams' limited staff and other resources. With the right combination of automation and intelligent tooling, organizations can boost SOC efficiency by up to 30%[1], according to recent assessments.
- Automated Data Protection and AI Security – Using Microsoft Purview and Accenture's data security framework, this solution automatically classifies and protects sensitive data across Microsoft 365—including SharePoint, Teams and Exchange. It supports regulatory compliance, reduces the risk of data exposure in generative AI use cases and enables secure collaboration at scale—critical in today's hybrid, AI-powered workplace.
- Security-Centric Migration and Consolidation – Leveraging Microsoft's security suite, M365 E5 Security and integrated with Accenture's E5 Acceleration Playbook, this solution accelerates migration to modern platforms while streamlining operations and simplifying toolsets. By consolidating legacy security solutions and optimizing licensing, organizations can achieve between 35% to 50% cost savings, reduce vendor complexity and unlock the full value of Microsoft E5[2].
- Enhanced IAM – Powered by Microsoft Entra Suite, Accenture's enhanced IAM solutions accelerate the transformation of outdated Active Directory environments while augmenting workforce access management, enterprise identity governance and administration, and passwordless authentication. The result is better user experience, stronger security protection and simplified identity governance at scale, helping organizations achieve between 30% to 50% cost efficiencies through reduced infrastructure, licensing consolidation and helpdesk overhead[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."
Learn more about Accenture and Microsoft or find out more about the Nationwide project in this video here.
For more information on Nationwide, please visit nationwide.co.uk.
About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world's leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services—creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent- and innovation-led company with approximately 791,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world's leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology and leadership in cloud, data and AI with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. Our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Song, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360° value, enable us to help our clients reinvent and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360° value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at accenture.com.
Accenture Security is a leading provider of end-to-end cybersecurity services, including strategy, protection, resilience and industry-specific cyber services. We bring security innovation, coupled with global scale and a worldwide delivery capability through our network of Cyber Fusion Centers. Helped by our team of 27,000 highly skilled professionals, we enable clients to innovate safely, build cyber resilience and grow with confidence. Visit us at accenture.com/security.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) creates platforms and tools powered by AI to deliver innovative solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. The technology company is committed to making AI available broadly and doing so responsibly, with a mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
Forward-Looking Statements
Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein, statements in this news release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "will," "should," "likely," "anticipates," "aspires," "expects," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes," "estimates," "positioned," "outlook," "goal," "target" and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance nor promises that goals or targets will be met, and involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied. These risks include, without limitation, that the use of AI could harm our business, damage our reputation or give rise to legal or regulatory action, as well as the risks, uncertainties and other factors discussed under the "Risk Factors" heading in Accenture plc's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other documents filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Statements in this news release speak only as of the date they were made, and Accenture undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statements made in this news release or to conform such statements to actual results or changes in Accenture's expectations.
[1] Microsoft Generative AI and Security Operations Center Productivity: Evidence From Live Operations
[2] Cost and workflow optimization numbers based on a combination of metrics from Accenture Security's delivery of services and other research
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Alison Geib
Accenture
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Denise Berard
Accenture
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