Berlin, Germany - The NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency has signed new bilateral industry partnership agreements with CY4GATE, Thales, and Vodafone.
The partnerships, formalized at NITEC18, are the latest in a series of agreements between the Alliance and leading Industry partners. They will enable the participants to share critical information on national security cyber threats, improving both parties' ability to detect, prevent and respond to cyber threats quickly.
NATO's new cyber partners commented on the milestone agreements after their respective signature ceremonies, which took place on 23 May 2018 at the Agency's flagship conference in Berlin, Germany.
Eugenio Santagata, Chief Executive Officer, CY4GATE, said: "With the signature of this new agreement which follows the participation of CY4GATE to the Malware Information Sharing Program (MISP), the company confirms its strong commitment to join the NATO cyber community in the fight against cyber threats".
Hervé Derrey, Chief Operating Officer, Secure Communications & Information Systems, Thales, added: "Over the years, Thales has built on its understanding of five major markets (aerospace, space, ground transportation, defence and security) to develop systems and solutions that are 'cybersecure by design', actively helping the people who make the world go round as it becomes increasingly connected. For 40 years now, Thales has been supporting more than 50 countries including NATO countries as a trusted partner to improve their cybersecurity capabilities. We are proud to reinforce once again our relationship with NATO, helping the organisation and its members to reinforce resilience and security of its systems."
Meanwhile, Vodafone Global Enterprise director Erik Brenneis said "Collaboration is critical to success in tackling national security cyber threats. This agreement will lay the frame work for both organizations to establish more resilient responses and processes."
The Agency is responsible for operating and defending NATO's networks. Rapid information sharing has proven to be one the most effective defences in cyberspace.
Enhancing collaboration between the public and private sectors is one of the fastest and cheapest ways to increase cyber resilience, improve incident handling and mitigate vulnerability to attack.
NATO Industry Cyber Partnership
The agreements with Vodafone, Thales and CY4GATE are an important part of the effort to strengthen the Alliance's cyber defence posture through the NATO Industry Cyber Partnership (NICP). They will foster timely information-sharing on cyber threats, allowing participants to enhance situational awareness and better protect their networks. In practice, it will facilitate rapid and early bilateral exchange of non-classified technical information related to cyber threats and vulnerabilities.
This information will be integrated into the NCI Agency's 24/7 detection and prevention processes further enhancing NATO's cyber security posture.