At Accenture’s scale, training alone cannot solve every security problem.
That was the reality facing Kris Burkhardt, Global CISO at Accenture. With a workforce of more than 800,000 people, close to 80,000 new hires each year, and a sprawling global attack surface, traditional penetration testing was no longer enough.
A once-a-year compliance audit may check a box. But it does not move at the speed of modern development. It does not keep pace with AI-enabled attackers. And it does not give security teams the continuous validation they need when new applications, new code, and new AI use cases are moving into production every day.
So Accenture changed its approach.
From Compliance Checkbox to Continuous Security Validation
By partnering with Synack, Accenture moved beyond point-in-time audits to a model of continuous offensive security.
The goal was not simply to find more vulnerabilities. The goal was to use every validated finding to make the organization smarter, reduce repeat issues, and strengthen defenses across a global attack surface.
With the Synack PTaaS platform and the Synack Red Team, Accenture gained access to continuous penetration testing backed by an elite community of vetted security researchers who think and act like real-world adversaries.
As Burkhardt explains in the case study:
“We don’t just want to fix a bug; we want to make the organization smarter.”
That mindset changed the role of penetration testing. Instead of being a periodic audit activity, it became a force multiplier for the security organization.
Turning Findings Into Stronger Defenses
One of the most powerful outcomes of Accenture’s partnership with Synack was the ability to identify patterns across findings.
Rather than treating each vulnerability as a one-off issue, Accenture used Synack’s platform data to understand root causes and build stronger internal protections. Over a six-year period, this helped Accenture eliminate entire classes of vulnerabilities.
That is the difference between simply fixing bugs and improving the resilience of the organization.
When penetration testing becomes continuous, security teams can learn from findings faster, reduce repeat issues, and give developers clearer direction on what matters most.
Securing AI Innovation at Enterprise Scale
As Accenture expanded its use of AI, the company needed security testing that could keep pace with faster development cycles and new forms of risk.
The company has already deployed more than 3,000 internal AI agents. That scale creates enormous opportunity, but it also increases the need for continuous security validation.
With Synack, Accenture gained a model that helps validate risk as teams release code, deploy AI capabilities, and scale innovation across the business.
This is where Sara AI Pentesting becomes especially relevant. Sara combines agentic AI with human expert validation to help security teams move faster while still maintaining the creativity, judgment, and real-world perspective of expert researchers.
For companies moving at AI speed, that combination matters. Automated tools can help scale discovery and analysis, but human expertise remains critical to validate real exploitability and prioritize what actually creates business risk.
Reducing MTTR and Communicating Business Risk
For Accenture, the value of continuous offensive security is not only technical. It is also strategic.
The company uses Synack’s reporting and platform insights to show progress in reducing mean time to remediate and preventing repeat vulnerabilities. Critical findings are managed against an aggressive 7-day remediation target.
That changes the conversation with leadership.
Instead of reporting long lists of vulnerability counts, security leaders can communicate progress in terms of control systems, remediation speed, and business risk reduction.
For an enterprise the size of Accenture, that is essential. Security has to enable the business, not slow it down. Continuous offensive security helps make that possible by giving teams the visibility, validation, and confidence they need to move quickly and safely.
Read the Full Accenture Case Study
The full Accenture case study shows how one of the world’s largest professional services companies uses Synack to move from periodic testing to continuous offensive security.
Read the full case study to learn how Accenture is reducing MTTR, securing AI innovation, and turning offensive security into a strategic advantage.
Read the full Accenture case study
FAQ
Why did Accenture move beyond traditional penetration testing?
Accenture needed a security testing model that could keep pace with its global scale, rapid hiring, continuous code deployment, and expanding AI attack surface. A once-a-year compliance audit was not enough to continuously validate real-world risk.
How did continuous penetration testing help Accenture reduce risk?
Continuous penetration testing helped Accenture identify patterns across findings, understand root causes, and build stronger internal defenses. Over time, this helped eliminate entire classes of vulnerabilities rather than simply fixing individual bugs.
How does Synack help secure AI innovation?
Synack helps organizations validate risk continuously as new applications, code, and AI capabilities move into production. Sara AI Pentesting combines agentic AI with human expert validation to help security teams move faster while still prioritizing real exploitability and business risk.
What can security leaders learn from Accenture’s approach?
Accenture’s approach shows that penetration testing can become more than a compliance requirement. When used continuously, it can help reduce MTTR, prevent repeat vulnerabilities, support board-level risk communication, and enable secure innovation at enterprise scale.
