Security News > 2021 > August > Microsoft, Google to Invest $30 Billion in Cybersecurity Over Next 5 Years
Google and Microsoft said they are pledging to invest a total of $30 billion in cybersecurity advancements over the next five years, as the U.S. government partners with private sector companies to address threats facing the country in the wake of a string of sophisticated malicious cyber activity targeting critical infrastructure, laying bare the risks to data, organizations, and governments worldwide.
Microsoft will invest $20 billion over the next five years to deliver advanced security solutions, in addition to making available $150 million in technical services to help federal, state, and local governments with upgrading security protections.
Google will invest over $10 billion to bolster cybersecurity, including expanding zero-trust programs, helping secure the software supply chain and enhancing open-source security.
IBM will train 150,000 people in cybersecurity skills over the next three years, and will partner with 20 Historically Black Colleges & Universities to establish a more diverse cyber workforce.
While it remains to be seen how these efforts will unfold in practice, the commitments demonstrate the urgency in prioritizing and elevating cybersecurity after a relentless stretch of high-profile cyber attacks targeting SolarWinds, Microsoft, Colonial Pipeline, JBS, and Kaseya in recent months.
The incidents also prompted U.S. President Joe Biden to issue an executive order in May requiring federal agencies to modernize their cybersecurity defenses.