Cisco and IBM team up, will leverage AI to take on cyberthreats

Cisco will build new applications for IBM’s platform that hospital security teams can use to better understand and respond to advanced threats.
By Bernie Monegain
12:05 PM

Cisco and IBM announced a partnership to combat the pervasive threat of cybercrime by tying certain products, including Watson, security services and threat intelligence together to help healthcare organizations more quickly detect and mitigate threats.

The arrangement comes as hospitals face the continued stream of data breaches, hackers and ransomware amidst the ongoing cybersecurity talent shortage, and it follows on the heels of Cisco last week announcing its IoT Defense Threat architecture. 

[Also: IBM reveals DIY 'new collar jobs' that hospitals can apply to cybersecurity staffing]

Cisco will develop new applications for IBM’s QRadar security analytics platform. The first two will be designed to help security teams understand and respond to advanced threats and will be available on the IBM Security App Exchange.

Additionally, Cisco will integrate its security solutions with IBM’s QRadar to protect organizations across networks, endpoints and cloud services, the companies said. IBM will support Cisco products with IBM’s Managed Security Service Provider offerings.

[Also: Hospital survival guide for a world overflowing with unsecured medical devices]

Naturally, the new partnership will be of most benefit to companies, including hospitals, that are already using products from both Cisco and IBM. Those healthcare entities will be able to tap into more of the IBM Watson for Cyber Security cognitive technologies, according to IBM Security general manager Marc van Zadelhoff. 

The collaboration also establishes a new relationship between the IBM X-Force and Cisco Talos research teams. The security groups will work together on threat intelligence research and coordinate efforts on major cybersecurity threats and breaches that they said would help customers better respond to incidents. 

Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com


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