CIS Signs Strategic Collaboration Agreement with AWS to Advance CIS Hardened Images

The Center for Internet Security, Inc. (CIS^®) announced it has signed a strategic collaboration agreement (SCA) with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to expand the availability and adoption of CIS Hardened Images, helping organizations deploy secure by default, Benchmark aligned cloud systems more quickly and consistently across AWS environments.

CIS and AWS have collaborated for more than 25 years to bring trusted security guidance to the global cloud community, and the new SCA deepens this relationship.

CIS Hardened Images are virtual machine images pre-configured to CIS Benchmarks, providing customers with secure‑by‑default infrastructure that reduces misconfigurations, the leading cause of cloud security incidents, and accelerates compliance with industry and regulatory frameworks.

By strengthening our collaboration with AWS, we are making it easier for organizations to adopt secure‑by‑default cloud environments from day one.”

— Curtis Dukes, Center for Internet Security

“By strengthening our collaboration with AWS, we are making it easier for organizations to adopt secure‑by‑default cloud environments from day one,” said Curtis Dukes, Executive Vice President of Security Best Practices & Automation Group at CIS. “This agreement helps customers move from security guidance to secure deployment with greater speed and confidence.”

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Under the strategic collaboration agreement, CIS will:

• Integrate CIS Hardened Images more deeply into AWS field and partner motions, giving AWS sellers clearer pathways to recommend benchmark‑aligned infrastructure.
• Expand co‑marketing and co‑selling initiatives with AWS, increasing visibility and accelerating customer adoption of secure‑by‑default cloud foundations.
• Establish performance goals and operating rhythms, ensuring structured growth and measurable outcomes for customers across industries.
• Help organizations reduce operational friction, enabling them to deploy secure workloads faster and with fewer configuration errors.

Organizations across the public and private sectors rely on CIS Hardened Images to strengthen their cloud security posture, reduce remediation costs, and align with frameworks such as CIS Benchmarks, NIST CSF, PCI DSS, and ISO 27001. The SCA will make these secure images more accessible to AWS customers worldwide, supporting both regulated and commercial cloud adoption.

This collaboration underscores the commitment of CIS to help customers build trusted, secure‑by‑default cloud environments.

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