NTT DATA and Palo Alto Networks are targeting $1 billion in joint business by 2029 through an expanded cybersecurity alliance.
NTT DATA is expanding its cybersecurity work with Palo Alto Networks through a multi-year alliance focused on AI security, managed services, and security infrastructure.
The companies are targeting $1 billion in joint business over three years, by 2029. The alliance is separately backed by joint investments, although the companies did not disclose an investment amount. Palo Alto Networks described the deal as its first strategic alliance of this type with a global systems integrator.
NTT DATA will combine its cybersecurity consulting, engineering, and managed services with Palo Alto Networks’ security platforms and Unit 42 threat intelligence. The agreement covers cybersecurity strategy, implementation, and managed services, supported by joint engineering and coordinated global delivery.
The companies plan to support customers from cybersecurity planning through implementation and ongoing operations. More than 2,000 Palo Alto Networks-certified professionals and dedicated Forward Deployed Engineers will support the alliance, while NTT DATA will receive early access to new platform features through direct engineering collaboration.
Expanding NTT DATA’s cybersecurity services
The agreement extends a cybersecurity relationship that has already produced several managed services. In October 2024, NTT DATA introduced its Managed Extended Detection and Response service, or MXDR, based on Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex XSIAM security operations platform.
The MXDR service provides continuous monitoring, detection, and response across network, edge, and cloud environments. NTT DATA provides 24/7 incident detection and response around the platform, supported by security managers, threat hunters, forensic specialists, and other security professionals.
The companies extended their work into private 5G security in February 2025. That service combines NTT DATA’s Private 5G architecture with Palo Alto Networks’ next-generation firewalls and OT and IoT security technology, providing network visibility, access controls, and automated threat detection for industrial environments.
NTT DATA set out a broader global cybersecurity strategy in December 2023 covering security and technical consulting, technology integration, managed detection and response, and crisis response.
NTT DATA said at the time that it planned to increase its cybersecurity workforce to about 15,000 by the end of fiscal 2027. It also said its managed security services revenue ranked second worldwide in 2022.
Initial solutions under the Palo Alto Networks alliance will cover six areas: security operations, AI governance, identity security, Zero Trust and SASE, cloud security, and firewall modernization. The companies identified financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and the public sector as the initial industries for these services.
In security operations, NTT DATA plans to combine agentic AI with managed services for threat detection, investigation, and response. AI governance services will cover security, governance, and risk management across the AI lifecycle.
Identity security will cover human, machine, and AI agent identities, including workloads and devices, while the Zero Trust and SASE work will focus on securing users, applications, and data. The agreement also covers cloud visibility, compliance, and risk reduction, as well as firewall modernization aimed at reducing complexity and improving visibility.
NTT DATA CEO and Chief AI Officer Abhijit Dubey said the agreement combines the company’s consulting, engineering, and managed services capabilities with Palo Alto Networks’ cybersecurity technology.
“AI is redefining every aspect of the enterprise, but it is also transforming the threat landscape at unprecedented speed. Organizations need a new approach to cyber resilience that combines AI-driven security, deep industry expertise and global scale,” Dubey said.
“Together with Palo Alto Networks, we’re bringing AI-powered cybersecurity innovation together with NTT DATA’s consulting, engineering and managed services capabilities to help clients securely accelerate AI adoption and stay ahead of evolving threats,” Dubey said.
“AI is reshaping both business and cybersecurity, making deep ecosystem collaboration more important than ever,” Palo Alto Networks Chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora said.
NTT DATA currently has more than 7,500 cybersecurity professionals, over 70 delivery centers, and more than 20 Cyber Defense Centers.
