IANS launches cybersecurity MCP server through Claude

IANS has launched a cybersecurity Model Context Protocol server, available through Claude.

The service gives security teams direct access to IANS' proprietary cybersecurity intelligence within the AI tools they already use.

The system draws on more than 20 years of internal research and practitioner input. That includes insights from more than 170 cybersecurity practitioners, thousands of expert-client conversations, vendor-agnostic research, benchmarking data and cybersecurity news.

The launch reflects a broader shift in corporate security operations as teams use AI systems to research suppliers, respond to threats and support internal decision-making. IANS argues that public internet sources can produce generic or inaccurate results when used as the basis for AI-generated advice.

Its server is designed to put practitioner-validated information into those workflows. In practice, users can query an AI assistant while drawing on IANS material rather than relying only on publicly available online content.

How it works

Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is an emerging way to link AI assistants to external data sources and tools. In this case, IANS has packaged its research archive and related intelligence so it can be accessed through Claude.

The source material includes peer community discussions, a database of client interactions with expert practitioners and research intended to remain independent of supplier marketing. The aim is to give security leaders access to information grounded in operational experience.

That matters because security executives often have to make decisions quickly in areas where standards and best practice are still evolving. Questions around AI governance, cyber risk measurement and newer forms of attack can outpace the cycle of formal research and published guidance.

Paul Henderson, Chief Product Officer at IANS, said the service is intended to complement, rather than replace, the company's existing advisory model.

"Our clients have always turned to IANS to engage directly with our Faculty and benefit from their specialized expertise. That won't change. The MCP is a complementary channel allowing clients access to the full depth of our proprietary intelligence - faculty expertise and recommendations, thousands of client conversations, vendor-agnostic research and data, news, and much more - in the tools they already work in. It doesn't just tell you what an expert would advise; it shows you what security teams like yours have actually done," Henderson said.

Use cases

Early users are applying the system across a range of tasks, including evaluating security vendors, preparing board presentations, shaping AI governance programmes and comparing decisions with peer organisations.

Demand has been strongest in areas moving faster than traditional research processes can address, including securing AI agents and MCP deployments, phishing-resistant authentication and cyber risk quantification.

Those subjects have become more important as organisations test AI tools in production settings and confront new security questions created by the technology itself. Security leaders are also under pressure to justify spending, document risk and explain technical choices to boards and executive teams.

IANS' pitch is that a large private body of practitioner knowledge can improve the quality of AI-assisted answers in those situations. The company says this can help users understand not only what an expert might recommend, but also what comparable organisations have done in practice.

Wolf Goerlich, IANS Faculty Member and CISO of Oakland County, Michigan, described the appeal in terms of speed and relevance.

"CISOs don't need another plan; we need to understand what our peers at similar organizations actually did, what the trade-offs were, and the outcomes. IANS MCP allows me to quickly check and adjust my strategies, plans, and policies. The rate of change is too high to wait for formal governance and standards to emerge. I need to know what is happening now in depth, and I need it in my own workflows. That's how I use IANS MCP," Goerlich said.

The knowledge base is built from anonymised client interactions, practitioner-authored research and proprietary benchmarking data. By connecting that material to AI tools, IANS is positioning itself in a growing market for specialist data services aimed at improving the reliability of AI outputs in business settings.

For cybersecurity teams, the commercial argument is straightforward: if AI is increasingly involved in supplier assessments, policy development and incident response preparation, the quality of the underlying information becomes critical. IANS is betting that firms will pay for data grounded in expert practice rather than depend on broad internet sources that may be incomplete, outdated or distorted by marketing material.