Leading aerospace, defence and security companies in the cloud theme 

The future of the aerospace, defence, and security (ADS) industry will be shaped by a range of disruptive themes, with cloud one of the themes that will have a significant impact on companies in this sector. 

In a world where companies operating in the ADS sector must deliver actionable insights from a rapidly growing volume of data, ready access to information has become a competitive advantage. Simply maintaining old IT architectures risks companies and militaries being outmaneuvered by their opposition due to slow response times.  

However, despite the benefits of cloud, concerns over security and legacy systems have slowed its adoption and created data siloes, significantly undermining interoperability between business units, suppliers, and military domains. If it is to respond quickly to market disruption and emerging geopolitical threats, the ADS sector must dismantle its data siloes while maintaining the security of its systems. 

However, not all companies are equal when it comes to their capabilities and investments in the key themes that matter most to their industry. Understanding how companies are positioned and ranked in the most important themes can be a key leading indicator of their future earnings potential and relative competitive position.  

According to GlobalData’s report Cloud in Aerospace, Defense and Security, leading adopters of cloud include: Airbus, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Thales, SpaceX, General Electric, UK Ministry of Defense, US Department of Defense. 

Northrop Grumman 

Northrop Grumman has responded proactively to the disruptive potential of cloud, integrating cloud technology into its own business and capitalizing on its sector expertise to deliver cloud services to other companies operating in the aerospace and defense industry. The company has a track record of assisting US Department of Defense (DoD) bodies with cloud migration.  

One unnamed US military customer was migrating its mission-critical legacy applications from an on-premise data center to the cloud. Due to the sensitivity of this data, migration to the cloud needed to provide operational flexibility and interoperability without compromising security. Northrop Grumman facilitated the client’s cloud migration, including designing a secure and scalable system using AWS GovCloud, implementing DevSecOps architecture, migrating core software from a previously vendor-locked and siloed technology stack, and continuously providing security scans. Overall, the process streamlined the IT architecture and reduced the military customer’s licensing costs. 

Raytheon Technologies 

Raytheon Technologies recognises the disruptive potential of cloud and has offered cloud solutions for the aerospace, defense and security sector for two decades. The company provides a range of services including SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS to high profile defense clients such as the US Department of Defense. So far, the company has used cloud to improve development-cycle time while controlling costs and schedules for defense customers. The company is an advanced consulting partner of AWS and uses AWS GovCloud (US) to enable developers and testers to work at greater scale and faster speed by using on demand and scalable IT resources. 

BAE Systems 

BAE Systems help secure government departments and high-trust sectors make the most of cloud and other digital technologies as part of their digital transformation. The company has a track record of helping clients take advantage of cloud technology while upholding security through its Secure Cloud and Digital Transformation service. The company specialises in helping clients navigate cross domain environments so that they can experience the benefits of both private and public cloud. Examples of clients include the UK’s Royal Navy. 

To further understand the key themes and technologies disrupting the aerospace, defence, and security industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Cloud in Aerospace, Defense, and Security. The aerospace, defence, and security companies featured in our thematic scorecard are listed below.

• Airbus 
• General Dynamics 
• Maxar Technologies 
• Atos 
• Honeywell 
• Northrop Grumman 
• BAE Systems 
• Israel Aerospace Industries 
• Oshkosh 
• Bell Textron 
• Jacobs 
• Raytheon Technologies 
• Boeing 
• Leidos 
• Rolls Royce 
• Bombardier 
• LeoLabs 
• Saab 
• Booz Allen Hamilton 
• Leonardo 
• Sopra Steria 
• Elbit Systems 
• Lockheed Martin 
• Space X 
• Embraer 
• Thales 
• Vectrus