BAE Systems UK will rebrand is cybersecurity unit as “BAE Systems Applied Intelligence” from its current name Detica, according to a company newsletter first reported in Reuters.
Set to take effect on Jan. 31, the move is part of the company’s plan to court more commercial clients, as it anticipates a decline in military equipment contracts. The U.S. branch of BAE Systems will maintain its Intelligence & Security name.
The rebrand follows a growing trend among contractors to seek out commercial business, especially in cybersecurity. Cyber threats against the military and government are often the same or similar actors to those attacking the private sector. This has provided contractors with the opportunity to leverage their threat monitoring solutions for commercial clients.
BAE is not the only company with this market share in mind.
Northrop Grumman [NOC] provides cybersecurity products to major corporations through its M5 Network Security division. The company has also paired with Areva, a U.S. nuclear vendor, to specifically target the cybersecurity needs of the energy sector and utilities. Since 2009, Lockheed Martin [LMT] has expanded its Cyber Security Alliance of 21 software firms to work collaboratively on solutions at its NexGen Innovation Center. Even Booz Allen Hamilton [BAH], which spun off its commercial consulting business in 2008, started the Cyber4Sight program last year to offer 24-hour network monitoring to private firms.
While opportunities are cropping up in the private sector, contractors will still have the opportunity to compete for cybersecurity contracts within the government. The omnibus spending bill doubles the budget for Cyber Command, which protects the Department of Defense’s networks and is exploring the use of cyber capabilities in combat. Federal spend on IT at civilian agencies is predicted to rise with inflation over the next five years, but the bill increases the Department of Homeland Security’s cybersecurity budget by $35 million to $792 million. DHS has been taking the lead on cybersecurity for the federal government.