PwC on Wednesday launched an AI-driven unified managed detection and response security service powered by the Google Security Operations platform. This follows PwC's January announcement of a $400 million, three-yearcooperative investment agreementwith Google Cloud aimed at modernizing cybersecurity operations. The new service primarily targets small and medium-sized enterprises, which typically would not consider hiring a large consulting firm for cybersecurity services.

"This is not a traditional managed service that requires massive manpower, time, and infrastructure to set up," Tim Canonico, PwC's global and U.S. managed services leader and partner, told Channel Dive at the Google Cloud Next conference in Las Vegas. "We are leveraging Google's SecOps platform and building intelligent agents to do the work that would typically require a large-scale team."

Canonico said the service integrates a full suite of cybersecurity services on one platform, utilizing intelligent agent AI workflows enhanced by Google Cloud's advanced security operations platform. This includes threat identification agents that can quickly identify security threats, triage agents that can prioritize urgent issues from background alerts, and mitigation agents that can search for and determine solutions.

All these automated processes have human checkpoints, which Canonico said helps create an efficient, low-cost cybersecurity service providing 24/7 monitoring, detection, and response.

"We are combining PwC's expertise, all our mitigation and detection knowledge bases, and Google's security operations technology," Canonico said. "For clients, this means PwC will handle your security operations as an outsourced service, and we can do it better, faster, cheaper, and more effectively than ever before."

PwC's partnership with Google Cloud aims to target enterprise clients ranging from mid-sized to smaller companies—organizations that typically would not consider PwC for cybersecurity services.

The launch of this cybersecurity service is just one step in the broader alliance between Google Cloud and PwC. On Wednesday, PwC also separately announced the establishment of a new Gemini Enterprise Center of Excellence (CoE), a specialized team that can embed within clients' AI projects, leveraging Google Cloud's AI technology. The managed security service is a packaged product that clients can purchase directly, while the CoE is the deeper infrastructure behind PwC's expanding Google Cloud business, helping organizations move from AI pilots to large-scale production deployments.

Both announcements point in the same direction: PwC is strengthening its talent pool and tools to compete in both the managed service provider and consulting arenas. For Canonico, this security service is a clear manifestation of that ambition.

"We believe this is the future of managed services," Canonico said. "Our entire portfolio is about bringing deep domain knowledge and industry expertise to professionals around the world."