Ford builds trust across global operations with Microsoft Defender

Ford Motor Company has been synonymous with innovation for more than a century. From the Model T to the assembly line to electric trucks, Ford continually redefines business. With a global technology operation that underpins everything from its back offices to manufacturing, Ford’s business and data require the most current and up-to-date security.

A cyberattack in any industry can target corporate networks, including supply chain partners and customer data. Ransomware incidents can disrupt production lines.

As a result, Ford’s evolving and modern technology footprint and infrastructure required equally sophisticated security. The company was sensitive to the scope and scale a migration of this size might require. Ford was determined to transform its security strategy, moving from disparate systems and applications to a platform for embedding security into its entire operation, including cloud infrastructure.

“It’s not only about securing datacenters. In managing hundreds of custom-built tools, we needed to unify the entire approach to security,” says Uma Arjunan, SVP and Global Head of Foundational Services, Enterprise Platform Engineering and Operations at Ford Motor Company.

A venerable manufacturer moves on a modern threat

Ford turned to Microsoft to support its security modernization. Developing its solution on a foundation of responsible AI and Zero Trust architecture, Ford pursued end-to-end protection for a highly secure posture across the enterprise. Using Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Sentinel, Microsoft Purview, and Microsoft Entra, Ford worked to achieve its goals.

The Microsoft commitment to transparency and compliance also aligned with Ford’s values. From the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 27001, Microsoft certifications and documentation gave Ford the confidence to scale globally.

“The Microsoft security stack is more than technology. It contributes to Ford’s business in moving faster against cyberthreats and building a more secure future,” says Weston Maggetti, Platform Manager at Ford Motor Company.

Building a security-first culture with Microsoft

Microsoft Security solutions offered Ford a unified, AI-powered platform to detect, address, and prevent threats across its hybrid environment. Grounded in a Zero Trust architecture, every access request—whether from users, devices, or applications—is continuously verified. This principle guided Ford’s approach to securing its hybrid environment, reinforcing protection before expanding visibility.

Ford first deployed Defender across thousands of endpoints, from employee laptops to manufacturing systems, gaining real-time insights into vulnerabilities and attack patterns. With Microsoft Sentinel, Ford built a centralized security operations center (SOC) that could ingest data from across the enterprise, correlate signals, and automate responses.

“Microsoft gave us the telemetry we needed to see the full picture. Our Security teams became empowered versus challenged by the complex patchwork of systems that had been in place,” says Maggetti.

Ford also embraced Microsoft Purview to secure and govern data. With sensitive information flowing across business units, Ford has reduced risk. The company implemented data loss prevention policies, automated classification, and encryption protocols across its cloud and on-premises environments.

To ensure seamless adoption and increase awareness in an interconnected world, Ford launched internal training programs to build cybersecurity understanding. Employing Microsoft learning modules and game-based simulations, it challenged employees to respond to realistic cyberthreats in a protected environment.

Security became everyone’s job, from developers writing code to executives reviewing strategy. The company embedded secure development lifecycle practices into its engineering teams and created cross-functional security champions to drive adoption.

Turning strategy into outcomes

The impact of Ford’s security modernization was immediate. By deploying Defender, Ford significantly reduced vulnerabilities across its enterprise endpoints, strengthening its frontline defenses and minimizing exposure to threats.

Today, threat signals flow across platforms. Policies are enforced consistently, and AI models learn from every interaction, improving detection and reducing false positives. With its unified security platform, Ford can focus on business strategy, reducing complexity and improving operational efficiency.

Ford’s SOC responds to incidents with greater speed and precision, simplifying the complex to facilitate proactive threat hunting. With Microsoft Purview, Ford elevated its data governance posture, helping ensure sensitive information is protected consistently and regulatory requirements are met across its global footprint.

Ford’s leadership has the assurance that its security investments are delivering tangible value.

Advancing toward new destinations

But Ford’s security journey doesn’t stop at deployment, as the company continues to refine its strategy.

The SOC includes threat intelligence feeds from Defender XDR, a massive, continuously updated dataset derived from trillions of global signals processed by the security ecosystem. The feeds give Ford real-time visibility into emerging threats and facilitate automated detection and response.

The collaboration with Microsoft supports Ford’s work to scale more securely across markets. Ford can launch services in new regions without compromising security with the assistance of the Microsoft global datacenter footprint. The company is also sharing best practices with industry peers, contributing to automotive cybersecurity standards and forums.

“Microsoft helps us optimize our security infrastructure to ensure Ford and its data are protected—today and tomorrow,” concludes Arjunan.

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