IBM has entered into a contract with the Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency) of NATO to enhance the Alliance’s cybersecurity capabilities. The agreement, set to commence in January 2024, involves IBM Consulting Cybersecurity Services providing a specialized Asset, Configuration, Patching, and Vulnerability (ACPV) management service.

Under the terms of the contract, IBM Consulting will develop a bespoke solution offering a comprehensive overview of NATO’s cybersecurity stance. The service will incorporate data analysis, asset discovery, integrations, and expert advice to establish a centralized, source of information on NATO’s assets, configurations, vulnerabilities, and patches.

IBM’s ACPV service will serve as the primary platform for cybersecurity functions across NATO, enabling the organization to access and analyze asset and configuration data, with a particular emphasis on managing vulnerabilities.

The new service will build upon NATO’s existing asset, configuration, and patching solutions. It also aims to establish an enterprise framework that will eventually cater to the needs of other critical functional areas like IT service management, finance, and auditing departments, integrating asset configuration and patch management information through a federated approach.

[Image courtesy: NATO]