NATO Announces Major Contract with Accenture to Help AdvanceTowards a More Agile and Resilient Digital Infrastructure

July 07, 2026

Accenture (NYSE:ACN) has signed a multi-million euro contract with the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) for the Protected Business Network (PBN) program, marking a key step in delivering NATO’s secure, cloud-enabled digital enterprise.  Accenture will work with Leonardo to deliver the contract over the next seven years.

The Protected Business Network establishes the foundation for classified digital operations across the NATO Enterprise, ensuring decisionmakers and military personnel across domains can communicate, coordinate, and access critical data in a modern standardized and scalable cloud environment that is more resilient to external attack and disruption. 

The PBN program will replace legacy approaches and strengthen the agility and security of the NATO digital infrastructure by introducing a common cloud operating model, standardized engineering practices and a secure environment in which new digital services can be developed, deployed and maintained more rapidly, providing the foundation for future capabilities. 

Accenture and Leonardo will design, implement and operate the core PBN platform across a multi-cloud environment provided by NCIA, supporting the progressive deployment and long-term adoption of secure cloud services to approximately 29,000 users across the Alliance. The estimated value of the contract is approximately 200 million euros over the next seven years.

Further strengthened by recent acquisitions, Leonardo will implement a Zero Trust Architecture secured by its proprietary Global Cybersec Platform, an AI multi-agentic platform for cyber defense, to guarantee world-class resiliency.  

Signed by NCIA General Manager Dr Dylan Browne and Olivier Girard, EMEA Defense Industry lead at Accenture, at the NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, Turkey, the agreement launches the first implementation phase of one of NATO's most significant digital transformation programs.

"With this contract, we are delivering on the Alliance’s commitment to innovation, digital transformation, and collective investment in our technological future. Under the Protected Business Network, NATO is taking a key step to modernize its digital infrastructure and enable a more connected, data-driven enterprise, ensuring we deliver digital capabilities at speed and scale.", said NCIA General Manager Dr Dylan Browne.

Mauro Macchi, CEO for EMEA at Accenture said: “NATO's ambition to become a digitally enabled Alliance is one of the most consequential transformation programs of our time, and reinvention at this scale requires a trusted partner willing to take accountability for outcomes. Together with Leonardo, we are bringing the cloud and security capabilities needed to help NCIA build a digital backbone that is resilient, interoperable and ready for the future, while strengthening the Alliance's own ability to operate and lead.” 

Lorenzo Mariani, CEO and General Manager of Leonardo, said: “In the current geopolitical landscape, this project represents a significant milestone to boost NATO’s operational readiness, interoperability, and mission continuity. Leonardo, with the Protected Business Network Program, consolidates its leadership in trusted cyber security for mission critical organizations.”

Approved by the North Atlantic Council as a NATO-wide capability program, the Protected Business Network supports the Alliance’s ambition to accelerate NATO's Digital Transformation and ensure the Alliance can exploit emerging technologies while maintaining its technological edge. The contract establishes the long-term partnership that will deliver that vision.

Source : Leonardo