NTT DATA cybersecurity revenue reaches $2Bn as AI risks grow
TOKYO, JAPAN — NTT DATA’s global cybersecurity division has hit a revenue milestone, generating $2 billion across 45 countries. In an interview with TechCircle, the unit’s global head detailed the dual role of AI as both a major threat and a potential tool for enterprise defense.
AI adoption expands unmanaged cyber risk
The rapid, often unregulated adoption of artificial intelligence by employees is creating significant blind spots for corporate security teams. This has been named shadow AI and follows the same pattern as shadow IT, except that it exists on a larger scale and is so complex that it is difficult to trace.
“Today’s CISOs grapple with shadow IT, a challenge now mirrored in AI adoption. Unlike well-controlled core IT, shadow AI lacks visibility, creating security blind spots. A primary concern for CISOs is discovering these unknown AI applications within their organizations,” said Sheetal Mehta, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cybersecurity of NTT Data.
Organizations are struggling to understand the inner workings of these AI applications, which expose them to new attack surfaces and novel threats.
These AI-driven threats are not theoretical; they present tangible risks to business operations. As explained by Mehta, poisoning AI-driven code repositories could cause massive supply chain disruptions.
“AI also introduces a new attack surface, creating vulnerabilities, risks, and threats for enterprises to manage. For example, poisoning AI-driven repositories on platforms like GitHub could cause significant supply chain disruptions,” Mehta said.
Furthermore, the rise of AI-generated deepfakes is already transforming phishing attacks, making them significantly more effective and difficult to detect, thereby enabling more successful enterprise breaches.
‘Glocal’ model, full-stack approach distinguish NTT DATA
The operational model that NTT DATA distinguishes its cybersecurity arm is the use of a “glocal” operational framework that integrates the global resources with local partnerships.
The approach enables the company to share an extensive platform of threat information and capabilities, offering custom solutions and on-the-ground support that address specific needs in a particular area.
Local delivery capacity and global expertise are key to the company’s structure, particularly in the realm of cybersecurity, where a swift and localized response may be necessary.
A significant technical advantage is the company’s ownership of critical internet infrastructure. Unlike many competitors, NTT DATA owns and operates its own global network of data centers, handling a massive volume of internet traffic.
This offers threat visibility and the opportunity to deploy solutions, such as large language models (LLMs), directly to its own infrastructure, which provides customers with greater security and full-stack capability—a major market differentiator.
NTT Data recently ranked #24 in the OA500 2025, an objective index of the world’s top 500 outsourcing companies.
