The NATO Communications and Information (NCI) Agency and Cisco signed an industry partnership agreement on cyber information sharing at the RSA Conference in San Francisco.
In light of rapidly evolving cyber tactics and shared risks in cyberspace, the need to work side-by-side with industry partners on pressing cyber-challenges becomes increasingly important.
The new agreement with Cisco will foster collaboration and timely sharing of information about cyber security industry trends to mutually enhance situational awareness and the protection of respective networks and systems. In practice it will facilitate rapid and early bilateral exchange of non-classified information concerning the nature, scope, prevention and mitigation of cyber-attacks. This information will be integrated into NCI Agency 24/7 detection and prevention processes enhancing further NATO cyber security posture.
"The cyber threats that we are seeing are very real and very serious. Partnership with the private sector is crucial in order for NATO to defend the networks upon which it relies to prepare for and respond to threats. While enhancing cyber resilience, this collaboration will provide us with more pieces to the complex puzzle of cyberspace," said Koen Gijsbers, the General Manager of the NCI Agency.
Lt Gen Mark Schissler, the Deputy Chairman of NATO Military Committee added: "The man-made cyber domain is the ULTIMATE Partnership domain. 90% of computer networks reside in the private sector, so we must recognize from the start that open collaboration is the only road to success. Industry, private companies, governments, NGOs, universities: we all have to work together, share information and TRUST each other."
A collective approach to cyber security
"NATO and Cisco have partnered in many ways, and we both agree that security is more than just building best-in-class products – it's about how you think. At Cisco, we build security and resiliency into everything we do, if it's a router or a firewall or a cloud-based services offering. We're sharing analytics with key partners such as NATO, and we're building best in class capability. Together, we will connect our unique global visibility with the unique attacks they experience, and change the game for our customers," said John N. Stewart, Chief Security and Trust Officer, Cisco. At the Wales Summit last year, the 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 Cisco is the latest in a series of important agreements with Industry in the framework of the NICP.
NCIA