National cybersecurity

Microsoft, Tenable Collaborate to Strengthen US Cybersecurity Posture

Ann Johnson, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of security, compliance and identity, on Thursday announced that her company has partnered with Tenable to improve the United State’s cybersecurity posture. She said that the partnership grew out of a common desire to support President Joe Biden’s executive order on cybersecurity issued in May 2021, Nextgov reported Tuesday.

In a blog post, Johnson said that Tenable, touted as a “cyber exposure company,” has expanded its collaboration with the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association. She added that, together, Microsoft and Tenable will help enhance the government’s ability to quickly identify, investigate, prioritize and remediate cyber threats.

The executive explained that federal agencies stand to reap significant benefit from the two companies’ collaboration. Specifically, she revealed that the technology firms will work to integrate Tenable .io with Microsoft’s Defender for Cloud and Sentinel solutions in support of vulnerability assessments for hybrid cloud workloads and use Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program moderate.

For his part, Glen Pendley, Tenable’s chief technology officer, said the two companies’ collaboration directly supports President Biden’s call for stronger cyber hygiene and greater visibility of IT assets among organizations. He said that the Microsoft-Tenable partnership dovetails into the administration’s zero trust initiatives.

Pendley added that the team effort by the two tech firms also supports the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Joint Cyber Defense Collaborative and its “Shields Up” call for organizations to bolster their network defenses.

Nextgov reported that both Microsoft and Tenable are two of several organizations involved in CISA’s JCDC effort, helping federal agencies patch up vulnerabilities in anticipation of cyberattacks.