Avanade today announces the expansion of its 22-year relationship with Microsoft, to help the automotive industry and OEMs protect against increasing cybersecurity threats using Microsoft Azure and its comprehensive IT and Operational Technology (OT) cybersecurity tools and capabilities.

Avanade will launch the Secure Automotive Cloud Platform (SACP) in early 2023. The solution will focus on Automotive OEMs and transportation companies and include a Vehicle Security Operations Center (VSOC). It will provide protection for manufacturing facilities, OT, and vehicles in the field, managing both vehicle health and the security lifecycle for OEMs and fleet operators, from the shopfloor all the way to fleet management.

As the frequency and sophistication of attacks on transportation infrastructure increases, the need for the automotive industry to safeguard OT operations has never been more critical.

The SACP solution addresses the challenge of comprehensively protecting all newly produced vehicles against cyberattacks and possible threats. It enables fleet managers to monitor the status of every vehicle and initiate measures for the protection of the entire vehicle fleet, if required. By integrating Microsoft Sentinel, Azure Digital Twin, Defender for IoT, Defender for Cloud, and Defender Threat Intelligence into a holistic, end-to-end solution, it gives automotive OEMs an effective way to comply with UNECE WP.29 requirements R155 and R156. Clients will also benefit from increased end-user identity protection as well as the prevention of data tampering.

“As the automotive industry becomes increasingly reliant on computers and software to manage vehicles, both the frequency and sophistication of cyberattacks continues to grow. The need for manufacturers to maintain their vigilance and build resiliency into their protection strategies is evermore paramount,” says Rajiv Sagar, Avanade’s Global Cybersecurity Lead. “Using Microsoft Azure, the robust, innovative framework we’ve developed will provide industry specific security solutions, giving clients the ability to protect their IT, IoT and OT real estate and minimize the attack surface of their operations.”

Sanjay Ravi, Microsoft’s General Manager, Automotive, Mobility and Transportation Industry Solutions says, “Through our Microsoft Digital Defense Report, we have a unique vantage point on the size and scope of the security challenges facing businesses today. With cars becoming increasingly connected and software-driven, the automotive industry’s need for robust cybersecurity is critical. Microsoft tracks over 43 trillion threat signals on daily basis, along with our comprehensive tools, technologies, and partner network. Through our work with Avanade, the industry can now benefit from the scope and scale of Microsoft’s cybersecurity offerings.”