BT deepens strategic partnership with Microsoft to defend UK organisations against growing AI cyber threat

BT Group has deepened its strategic collaboration with Microsoft to address rising AI-powered cyber threats facing UK organisations. The expanded partnership integrates Microsoft’s security technology with BT’s operational scale and threat intelligence, aiming to provide more predictive cyber defence. The move follows the Microsoft Digital Defense Report 2026, which highlights how AI is accelerating attack timelines, reducing the time from vulnerability discovery to weaponisation to under 24 hours.

BT is launching a Security Operations Centre-as-a-Service (SOCaaS) for Microsoft Sentinel, a UK-managed service combining Sentinel with BT’s security operations expertise and threat intelligence. The service is designed to simplify security management for public and private sector organisations while improving detection, response, and resilience against evolving threats.

The initiative builds on BT’s established role as a managed security provider for Microsoft Sentinel and its position as one of the UK’s most trusted cyber defenders. BT currently blocks around four million attempted cyber-attacks daily and protects more businesses than any other network in the UK, according to the company.

BT’s SOCaaS offering is part of a broader push to deliver AI-powered cyber solutions tailored for UK organisations, including small businesses. The service combines managed security operations, continuous threat exposure management, and AI-enabled capabilities to help customers reduce risk and strengthen resilience amid rapidly evolving cyber threats.