Nationwide Building Society has teamed up with Microsoft and Accenture to modernize its cybersecurity operations using generative AI. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to enhance security while streamlining operations and reducing technology costs.
The collaboration saw the UK’s largest building society complete a major migration to Microsoft Sentinel, a cloud-native SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) platform. The move aimed to unify Nationwide’s fragmented security infrastructure, enabling a more efficient and responsive cybersecurity environment.
Accenture and Microsoft are co-investing in the development of next-generation AI cybersecurity tools. These include advanced GenAI capabilities specifically designed to help organisations tackle emerging threats with increased agility. One standout feature deployed at Nationwide is a generative AI-powered SIEM tool, jointly developed by Microsoft and Accenture, which significantly sped up the transition by managing and migrating hundreds of terabytes of data more efficiently.
David Boda, chief security and resilience officer at Nationwide, highlighted the value of the partnership, stating, “Accenture’s support in our migration to Microsoft Sentinel has been invaluable to set us up for success. The use of generative AI to enable the migration allowed us to deliver the change more efficiently, in turn freeing up capacity for wider improvement activities.”
This development positions Nationwide at the forefront of AI-enabled cybersecurity transformation within the financial services sector. As threats continue to grow in scale and complexity, the partnership underscores the industry’s shift toward intelligent, automated, and cost-effective security solutions.
The project also reflects a growing trend in financial institutions investing in AI to not only manage risk but also to future-proof operations against the rapid pace of technological change.