Defence Events

NATO Cloud Conference advances Alliance innovation and IT security

Posted 24 January 2025

Earlier this week (21st -22nd January), European industry leaders, IT service providers and NATO decisionmakers gathered at the NATO Cloud Conference in Brussels to explore technologies and strategies for adopting secure cloud-based solutions for handling highly classified information.

Image courtesy NATO

More than 25 companies participated in the event, presenting and exhibiting their existing and emerging solutions.

Having recognised the critical role digital transformation plays in NATO’s ability to continue to fulfil its core tasks, Allies endorsed the Digital Transformation Implementation Strategy at the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius. The aim is to enhance multidomain operations, drive interoperability across all domains and strengthen situational awareness and political consultation.

At the 2024 NATO Summit in Washington, 22 Allies signed a letter of intent to purchase the first Alliance-wide classified cloud capability - Allied software for Cloud and Edge (ACE). The acquisition process is expected to start later this year. The NATO Cloud Conference sought to build on these efforts and give added impetus to NATO’s cooperation with industry in the area of cloud technologies.