Accenture to spend $6bn growing its OT security business Accenture has arranged to complete three acquisitions as part of its efforts to create an end-to-end cybersecurity platform for critical infrastructure and industrial environments. Accenture will acquire a majority stake in operational technology (OT) cybersecurity specialist Dragos, and to outright purchase asset intelligence company runZero and software supply chain security company NetRise for a combined US$4.175 billion ($5.97 billion). Following the acquisitions, the Dragos platform will expand to cover the extended environment that controls physical processes. The vendor-neutral threat detection platform will also be further enhanced by capabilities from runZero and NetRise. The combined platform will combine software supply chain dataset and firmware-level visibility into device exposure from NetRise and exposure assessment and attack surface intelligence from runZero. Accenture CEO Julie Sweet said with the acquisitions, Accenture aims to address the need for business and government leaders to invest in OT cybersecurity to address the expanded threat environment created through the integration of AI into OT environments. “In an age when AI-driven cyber threats and geopolitical risk are evolving at a rapid pace, our cybersecurity practice is growing by double-digits and has a strong track record of leveraging inorganic opportunity to fuel organic growth,” she said. “Our clients across industries and regions are asking us how to be more proactive and integrated in their approach to cybersecurity. The addition of Dragos, complemented by runZero and NetRise, fills this important need. “We are confident Dragos’ differentiated OT platform will accelerate our growth in the critical infrastructure and industrial operations markets, driving long-term shareholder value through scaled adoption of advanced cybersecurity capabilities.” Post-acquisition, runZero and NetRise will operate under Dragos, which will continue to be led by co-founder and CEO Robert M Lee as an independent business. Accenture has grown its cybersecurity business