Accenture Buys Startup Revolutionary Security To Protect Infrastructure

The acquisition of 90-person Revolutionary Security will be vital in Accenture’s push to triple the size of its critical infrastructure and OT security business over a three-year period, according to Jim Guinn II.

Accenture has purchased OT security startup Revolutionary Security to help organizations with critical infrastructure prioritize actions that mitigate cyber risks within their enterprise.

The Dublin, Ireland-based company, No. 2 on the 2019 CRN Solution Provider 500, said Blue Bell, Pa.-based Revolutionary Security offers assessment and testing services, the ability to design and build security programs and functions, as well as security operations across clients’ IT and OT systems.

Many of the other boutique OT security players have a couple of leaders with good experience, but lack the depth and breadth of expertise Revolutionary Security can bring to the table from analysis and strategy all the way through design and implementation, according to Jim Guinn II, leader of Accenture’s cybersecurity business for the energy, utilities, chemical and mining industries.

[Related: Accenture Buys Cybersecurity Consultancy Context For $139 Million]

“They’re literally a complete step above their competitive landscape,” Guinn told CRN.

The Revolutionary Security acquisition will be vital in Accenture’s push to triple the size of its critical infrastructure and OT security business over a three-year period, Guinn said. Revolutionary Security’s expertise in protecting communications and life sciences customers will complement Accenture’s security capabilities around utilities, oil & gas, and minerals and mining, according to Guinn.

Businesses often face catastrophic consequences if their IT and OT systems are hijacked, as demonstrated by high-profile and targeted cyberattacks around the world, according to Accenture. But companies often lack the visibility necessary to manage and measure OT cyber risk in the same way as IT risk, Accenture said.

Revolutionary Security was founded in 2016, employs 90 people, and has raised $2.5 million in one round of outside funding, according to Crunchbase. The company serves a variety of clients in the energy, manufacturing, healthcare, financial services and communications industries. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

The company’s LiveFire breach and attack simulation testing service utilizes real-world cyber threats to identify gaps in security processes and monitoring, as well as staff operations and technologies. The transaction will provide Accenture clients with greater end to end offerings around more complex IT and OT cybersecurity challenges, according to the company.

LiveFire allows businesses to constantly run adversarial red team-style testing against their own organizations in a highly targeted manner, Guinn said. Run-of-the-mill penetration testing can occur constantly, but lacks the sophistication of LiveFire, while conventional red team exercises were discrete events rather than continuous activities, according to Guinn.

The other commercial products claiming to offer continuous red teaming are typically large, cumbersome, and burdensome when compared to LiveFire, Guinn said. The company has extensive experience working with industrial companies and their specialized technical skill set, according to Accenture.

“We're going to have probably the strongest and largest enterprise cyber defense and OT security practice of any consultancy in North America,” Guinn said.

The deal comes just a month after Accenture bought 250-person consultancy Context Information Security for $139 million to help government organizations and financial institutions respond to the threat of advanced cyberattacks. Context was expected to boost Accenture’s capabilities around everything from cyber defense and red teaming to vulnerability research and incident response services.

Two months earlier, Accenture announced plans to purchase Symantec’s Cyber Security Services business from Broadcom to help organizations address cyber threats. The Symantec business has more than 300 employees and is anchored by the company’s managed security services practice, which is one of just five to be recognized as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant.

Beyond Revolutionary Security, Context and Symantec Cyber Security Services, Accenture has made several acquisitions focused on cybersecurity including Déjà vu Security, iDefense, Maglan, Redcore, Arismore and FusionX. All told, Accenture spent nearly $1.2 billion on 33 acquisitions globally in the company’s 2019 fiscal year, which ended May 31.