NATO taps Accenture and Leonardo to build a €200M secure cloud backbone

NATO has contracted Accenture and Italy's Leonardo to develop a €200 million secure, classified cloud network called the Protected Business Network, designed to enhance resilience and coordination among 29,000 users across the Alliance. The platform will replace NATO's legacy systems with a multi-cloud, Zero Trust security model and AI-driven cyber defense, emphasizing European control over military cloud infrastructure amid concerns about reliance on US technology.