Symantec has signed a deal with NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency to boost information sharing between the IT security firm and the military organisation.
The deal, which falls within the framework of the NATO Industry Cyber Partnership (NICP), will focus primarily on cyber threats. The two organisations claiming this kind of arrangement often offers the highest-impact, lowest-cost and fastest way to enhance cyber resilience, improve incident handling and mitigate vulnerability to attack.
Koen Gijsbers NCI Agency General Manager said NATO is facing new and increasingly dangerous threats to cybersecurity across the world and these threats could affect national economies and citizens.
"To avoid it, NCI Agency strongly believes in rapid and early information sharing on threats and vulnerabilities with leading companies worldwide, such as Symantec. Trust is the key to success," he said.
Sorin Ducaru, assistant secretary general of NATO's Emerging Security Challenges Division said the agreement was "an excellent and concrete example of how NATO and Industry can work side by side to confront difficult challenges in the cyber domain".
"When it comes to the cyber threat, none of us acting alone can address these challenges as effectively as if we act together. Increased information sharing translates into better cyber defence for NATO, Allies and our industry partners such as Symantec."
Cheri McGuire, vice president of Global Government Affairs & Cybersecurity Policy at Symantec, added that as cyber attacks become more prevalent and threaten society, it is essential that companies and governments work together and share threat intelligence to tackle critical cyber risks.
"The agreement between the NCI Agency and Symantec is another important step in our efforts to build trusted partnerships and defend global networks and critical infrastructure," she said.
At the Wales Summit last year, Heads of State and Government endorsed the NATO Industry Cyber Partnership (NICP) to pave the way for collaboration with the private sector in addressing cyber threats and risks. The agreement with Symantec is the latest in a series of important agreements with Industry in the framework of the NICP.
