Accenture Federal Services (AFS), a U.S. federal services company and Accenture subsidiary, and Google Public Sector have launched a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to help U.S. federal agencies detect and respond to cyberattacks, the companies said.
The Cybersecurity Center of Excellence will leverage threat intelligence from Mandiant, which Google acquired in March 2022 for $5.4 billion, and AFS' cybersecurity services, the companies noted.
In addition, the center will provide federal agencies with access to Google Cloud's Security AI Workbench and generative artificial intelligence capabilities.
Accenture, Google Help Federal Agencies Keep Pace with Cyber Threats
Federal agencies require next-generation cybersecurity solutions so that they can detect threats and keep critical systems running, AFS CEO John Goodman said. Together, AFS and Google are creating solutions to help federal agencies improve their cyber readiness and resilience.
Furthermore, federal agencies can use Mandiant's threat intelligence and Google Cloud's AI-powered security tools to "stay ahead of sophisticated cyberattacks and protect their most sensitive data," Google Public Sector CEO Karen Dahut said. They can also access AFS' technologies and expertise to mitigate vulnerabilities and respond to threats and data breaches faster than ever before.
US Department of Justice Investigates Accenture Federal Services
The Cybersecurity Center for Excellence launch comes after AFS in October 2023 disclosed that it is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.
Per the SEC filing, the DOJ is investigating "whether one or more employees provided inaccurate submissions to an assessor who was evaluating on behalf of the U.S. government an AFS (Accenture Federal Services) service offering and whether the service offering fully implemented required federal security controls."
Previously, the U.S. Air Force in September 2023 awarded a $25 million digital transformation prime contract to AFS to modernize operations for the Air Force Sustainment Center at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the company said. In addition, the U.S. Army in July 2023 gave AFS a $94 million contract to "maintain and transform the agency's identity, credential and access management (ICAM) system, the company indicated.
AFS helps the federal government "build a digital core that is agile, smart and secure," the company indicated. It serves 15 U.S. Cabinet departments and more than 60 customers nationwide.
