CyberCX extends security partnership deal with Rugby Australia
Accenture-owned cybersecurity consultancy CyberCX has extended its partnership with Rugby Australia through to the end of next year, which will take in the Men’s World Cup on home soil.
First coming on board as official cybersecurity partner in 2024, the extended agreement will see CyberCX branding feature in the Wallabies and Wallaroos coaches’ boxes, field of play signage, and broadcast coverage for all home tests during this year and next.
CyberCX, which was bought for a reported $1 billion by Accenture last year, has become a prominent brand within the country’s sporting landscape, also sponsoring the Australian Open and signing partnership deals with the AFL and Collingwood Football Club.
“With the eyes of the rugby world turning to Australia next year, it has never been more important to secure the technology infrastructure behind the sport, protect sensitive data and intellectual property, and bolster overall organisational resilience in the face of relentless cyber risk,” said CEO John Paitaridis, who also led engagement for the 2018 Commonwealth Games while at Optus.
As to Rugby Australia, the firm’s involvement with the national sporting body extends beyond visible branding and threat coverage. Since joining forces, the partners have worked closely together in areas such as incident simulation exercises for executives, organisational risk assessments, and penetration testing to identify and fix vulnerabilities in Rugby Australia’s systems.
Paitaridis continued; “At CyberCX, we pride ourselves on being a mission-driven organisation that strives to secure our communities. Sports play an integral role across so many Australian communities, and we are enormously proud of the work we have done with Rugby Australia over the past two years and excited to strengthen this partnership in the years ahead.”
In response, Rugby Australia CEO Phil Waugh said that upholding the integrity of its technology and data security were critical in such a high-performance environment; “We are delighted to continue our partnership with CyberCX. They are a great Australian success story, and we are proud to have them protecting our organisation and our teams for a further two years.”
Sporting arena
Alongside CyberCX locally, Accenture is also a major player in the international sporting arena, most recently signing a business & technology partnership deal with the WTA. The firm also has an agreement in place with the NFL, is performing work for golf governing body the R&A, and were engaged by Cricket Australia on a digital transformation program as far back as 2013.
