Fortinet signs pact with IBM to share threat intelligence

Fortinet  today announced that it will collaborate with IBM Security through the bi-directional sharing of cyber threat information.

The goal of the agreement is to proactively combat cyber threats and threats to privacy globally through the sharing of contextual threat information generated by the Fortinet FortiGuard Labs threat research team and IBM Security’s X-Force research team.

IBM Security and Fortinet will directly collaborate through bi-directional sharing of threat intelligence using secure channels. Joint threat information sharing will deliver deep security research expertise and global threat intelligence for increased protection for the customers of each company.

IBM Security and Fortinet global threat research teams monitor and analyse security threats from a variety of sources, providing valuable and near real-time threat intelligence. By integrating the threat intelligence feeds from each company, customers will now benefit from more thorough data being available.

Caleb Barlow, vice president threat intelligence, IBM Security, said:  “By entering relationships with trusted partners like Fortinet, IBM is able to construct a clearer picture of the global threat landscape. Today, threat actors are highly skilled, organised, well-resourced and able to operate globally and swiftly. In order to defend effectively, we must operate with that same speed and develop informed, accurate counter-measures. The kind of collective defense we’ve formed with Fortinet helps IBM better protect clients and communities by equipping us with additional intelligence that enables us to respond to emerging threats more quickly, and more completely.”

Phil Quade, chief information security officer, Fortinet, said: “Every organisation faces evolving cyber threats, an expanding attack surface, and a growing cybersecurity skills shortage. Actionable intelligence with global visibility is important to enable these organisations to move from being reactive to proactive. You cannot protect or take action on what you cannot see, which is why threat information sharing between trusted industry partners is a vital part of helping businesses combat cyber threats globally.”

While the agreement formalises the cooperation between Fortinet and IBM Security in regards to threat information sharing, both organisations have already been working together in regards to comprehensive security protections.

Fortinet earlier this year announced collaboration with IBM on its IBM X-Force Threat Management Services. Working with IBM Security on X-Force Threat Management Services enables both organisations to further provide mutual customers with threat insight, attack detection and prevention, and an integrated defense-in-depth strategy designed to seamlessly span across an organisation’s entire attack surface.