IBM, Fortinet team on cyber threat data sharing

IBM and Fortinet have expanded their strategic relationship by agreeing to share threat information in an effort to help customers respond to emerging threats more quickly.

The agreement, detailed during the Black Hat cybersecurity conference taking place in Las Vegas, runs primarily through IBM's X-Force research team and Fortinet's FortiGuard Labs.

See also: Intel debuts security solutions at the silicon level

The aim is to integrate the threat intelligence feeds of each company to build proactive defenses against active cyber threats. The companies said that data will be shared bi-directionally on secure channels.

Fortinet and IBM have been strategic partners for years. The companies doubled down on their partnership earlier this year when IBM announced the launch of the IBM X-Force Threat Management Services system (XFTM). Fortinet signed on as a partner of XFTM.

"By entering relationships with trusted partners like Fortinet, IBM is able to construct a clearer picture of the global threat landscape," said Caleb Barlow, VP of threat intelligence for IBM Security. "Today, threat actors are highly skilled, organized, 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."

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