Jack Henry, Google Cloud expand AI security for community banks

Jack Henry (Nasdaq: JKHY) and Google Cloud announced in a press release an expanded collaboration to develop an AI-driven security platform for roughly 7,400 U.S. community banks and credit unions. The platform will use Google Cloud’s agentic defense products, the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, and expertise from Mandiant Consulting to detect and respond to AI-driven cyber threats across cloud and on-premises systems.

Jack Henry plans to build a proprietary security architecture that collects and analyzes large volumes of telemetry data to identify potential threats earlier and coordinate responses before vulnerabilities are exploited. The company says the design will address the compliance and regulatory requirements that apply to community financial institutions.

The offering is intended to operate across Google Cloud, other cloud providers and on-premises infrastructure. The companies say the architecture will emphasize automated telemetry analysis and coordinated response processes to reduce the time between threat detection and remediation.

In addition to security functions, Jack Henry will use the Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform to deploy internal and client-facing AI tools. The company cited use cases including faster customer support responses, enhanced analytics and reporting, and automation of routine administrative tasks. Jack Henry reported that early adopters of similar tools have seen up to 70% time savings on routine work.

Mandiant Consulting will provide cyber threat expertise during platform development, while Jack Henry will integrate the resulting capabilities across its banking, payments, lending and operational products used by community banks and credit unions nationwide.

Jack Henry referenced its Strategy Benchmark survey of bank and credit union CEOs, which lists AI as the top investment priority for these institutions. The survey found banks and credit unions are using AI to improve efficiency, support risk-based decisions and enhance client experiences.

According to Greg Adelson, Jack Henry president and CEO, combining the firm’s financial services experience with Google Cloud’s agentic defense will help financial institutions identify threats earlier and enable faster, coordinated responses. Francis deSouza, Google Cloud chief operating officer and president of Security Products, described the work as combining agentic defense, Mandiant’s cybersecurity expertise and the Gemini platform to deliver AI that is designed with security controls. Shanon McLachlan, Jack Henry chief operating officer, said the company is applying AI while maintaining security, governance and human oversight.