Accenture has added an arrow to its quiver with its Revolutionary Security acquisition; CISOs must take advantage of Accenture’s ever-growing security armory

Accenture announced its acquisition of Revolutionary Security and bolstered its armory in doing so. It should not be surprising that Accenture has made another security acquisition and that the feeding frenzy that it has been leading CISOs on with its multiple acquisitions of security organizations will continue. CISOs must take advantage of Accenture’s offerings and reap the benefits to bolster and optimize their security stance. COVID-19 means that now more than ever, it is important to invest in security as demand increases to support the growing number of work-from-home employees and the increased surface area of enterprises that rushed to supply their staff with remote working devices and software. Increased surface area ultimately increases the number of points an attacker might exploit.

HFS previously covered various Accenture’s security acquisitions, including De Ja Vu (USA, July 2019) and BCT Solutions (Australia, June 2019). These acquisitions increased Accenture’s global security footprint and technical expertise. In the 2019 fiscal year, Accenture invested $1.2 billion across the globe on 33 different acquisitions to increase a range of critical capabilities—this spending wasn’t just focused on security. Accenture has further looked to boost its security offering with Symantec’s cyber-security services business (January 2020) and the acquisition of Context Information Security (March 2020). HFS ran a COVID survey in April 2020 to ascertain enterprise and service provider’s investment expectations. Cloud and security topped the list for spending. Accenture is, therefore, investing in one of the hottest topics in the market today.

Exhibit 1: Significant growth in cybersecurity supports and secures accessibility—Accenture has rightly invested in cybersecurity, and it is well equipped to face COVID-19 security concerns

How do you expect COVID-19 to impact your, or your clients, spending on any of the following?

Revolution Security will give Accenture access to a large footprint of expertise in cybersecurity consulting and advisory services, covering multiple industries

Cybersecurity talent is short; the acquisition of Revolution Security will undeniably bring highly skilled individuals to Accenture and boost the provider’s cybersecurity offering to a variety of clients that operate in the energy, manufacturing, healthcare, financial services, and communications industries. Although this acquisition is not on the scale of the attempt to boost manpower as seen with Symantec’s cybersecurity services business, with its 300 staff members, Revolution Security’s acquisition is still noteworthy and covers several industries. Accenture clients in these industry sectors must boost their security capabilities and reap the rewards of the Revolution Security acquisition by exploiting Accenture’s newfound expert knowledge. Revolution Security, founded in 2016, draws on experienced employees that hail from the defense and intelligence community.

Revolution Security is experienced in network defense: Accenture clients should leverage this new acquisition to optimize their cybersecurity stance

Revolution Security has extensive experience securing enterprises; one tool is its LiveFire breach-and-attack simulation testing service. LiveFire utilizes real-world cyber threats to locate possible weak points in security processes and monitoring across people, processes, and technology to generate a map of the threat landscape. Revolution Security’s LiveFire gives enterprises a greater understanding of their own security and enables critical discussions on network defense. Moreover, Revolution Security is a seasoned penetration tester that focuses on discovering previously unknown vulnerabilities and developing customized actions to mitigate the risk.

“Revolutionary Security’s service offerings are a perfect complement to Accenture’s portfolio, and the acquisition furthers our mission of helping clients better protect and defend their organizations across their entire ecosystem.”

—Kelly Bissell, Accenture Security Global

Revolutions Security’s clients must not see this as a one-way deal, and they should tap Accenture for the new offerings and a complete security posture

Revolution Security’s clients should be tapping Accenture for its vast knowledge in security and beyond; the organization has over 500,000 employees and extensive experience across industries in offering a holistic security stance. COVID-19 has proved to be chaotic for all, and with cybercriminals wanting to take advantage of the situation as HFS has previously covered, this acquisition gives Accenture the ability to ride in like the cavalry to offer further support in troubling times.

The Bottom Line: The acquisition of Revolution Security is another step forward in Accenture’s journey to becoming a one-stop security provider.

Revolution Security’s acquisition moves Accenture a step closer to becoming a one-stop security service provider that can offer a holistic defense to multiple industry enterprises. The acquisition will undoubtedly allow Accenture to offer greater end-to-end security to its clients and provide the tools to properly assess and prepare their cybersecurity defense. In addition, the acquisition will let Revolution Security increase its offerings globally and provide a greater well-rounded solution for current and future clients.