The health service has worked with Big Blue on the operation of its national cyber security operations centre facility since 2018, and the relationship will continue for another two years
NHS England has retained long-term supplier partner IBM on a new multimillion-pound deal to provide round-the-clock cybersecurity monitoring.
Following the WannaCry ransomware attack in May 2017, later that year the former dedicated tech unit NHS Digital first created a nationwide cyber security operations centre (CSOC) to provide increased protection throughout the health service.
The following year, IBM was appointed to a three-year deal worth more than £30m to serve as the newly established security facility’s “strategic partner”, and support its operations.
According to a freshly published commercial notice, the US tech vendor remains a key provider for the CSOC facility.
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On 19 June, the firm is set to enter into an initial two-year agreement with NHS England – into which NHS Digital was integrated in early 2023. The deal is valued more than £7m, and covers the provision of “CSOC 24×7 monitoring” services.
The contract – which was awarded “following a competitive procurement via [the] CCS Cyber Security Services 3” framework – will see the longtime NHS security partner continue to offer continuous monitoring of cyberthreats. Absent any extensions, the deal is set to expire on 27 April 2027.
As well as its work supporting security across the health service, IBM has also been the primary tech partner for the delivery and operation of the NHS App. The company was first appointed to a £50m contract in 2022. This deal was followed by another £50m-plus engagement signed in 2025.
NHS England, which currently oversees all these digital agreements, will soon be dissolved and integrated into the Department of Health and Social Care, under plans announced by the government earlier this year.
