2026 Excellence Awards finalists announced; winners revealed at RSA Conference

These awards recognize the top cybersecurity companies and service providers offering exceptional products and services to enterprises and small- to mid-sized organizations alike.

SC Awards:

BEST COMPLIANCE  SOLUTION

These solutions that help organizations comply with specific regulatory requirements demanded of companies in the healthcare, retail, educational, financial services and government markets.

Solutions help customers meet mandates noted in legislation such as HIPAA, SOX, GLBA, FISMA, or in guidelines around cyber incident reporting. Also noted are industry guidelines that include cyber governance and FFIEC or those that center on the PCI Security Standards Council.

Finalists:

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE

Product support and service are critical components of any security investment. For organizations that rely on information security vendors and service providers, the quality of customer support can determine how effectively technologies are deployed, maintained, and ultimately perform. Strong service isn’t an add-on: it’s essential to ensuring the tools organizations purchase deliver on their promise.

Finalists:

BEST EMERGING TECHNOLOGY

Which breakthrough technologies are emerging to meet today’s rapidly evolving cybersecurity challenges? This category recognized both established industry leaders and innovative newcomers who delivered forward-thinking products and services in 2025 designed to address fast-moving threats.

Finalists:

BEST ENTERPRISE SECURITY SOLUTION

This included tools and services from all product sectors specifically designed to meet the requirements of large enterprises. The winning solution will have been a leading solution during the last two years, having helped to strengthen the IT security industry’s continued evolution.

Finalists:

BEST IT SECURITY-RELATED TRAINING PROGRAM

This category targets companies and organizations that provided end-user awareness training programs for organizations looking to ensure their employees are knowledgeable and supportive of the IT security and risk management plans.

It also considered training companies or organizations that provide programs for end-user organizations’ IT security professionals to help them better address components of their IT security and risk management plans, such as secure coding, vulnerability management, incident response/ computer forensics and business continuity/disaster recovery.

Finalists:

BEST PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATION PROGRAM

Programs are defined as professional industry groups offering certifications to IT security professionals wishing to receive educational experience and credentials.

Finalists:

BEST SECURITY COMPANY

This category recognizes established companies with a proven track record, offering products and services to customers for at least three years. Nominations span all sectors of the cybersecurity industry.

Judges evaluated a range of criteria, including product portfolio strength, customer base, service and support quality, research and development investment, financial stability and growth, and sustained innovation.

Finalists:

BEST SME SECURITY SOLUTION

This includes tools and services from all product sectors specifically designed to meet the requirements of small to midsized businesses during the last two years.

INNOVATOR (EXECUTIVE OR PRACTITIONER) OF THE YEAR

This category has been expanded to include Executives and Practitioners from the vendor, security services, and consultancy community. Candidates can’t be from the end-user community. Whether the nominee be a chief scientist of a large cybersecurity vendor or the CEO of one of the most promising tech startups, those entering this category lead the research and development efforts for their company, ensuring the cybersecurity industry does not fall behind adversaries. This category is meant for those individuals that demonstrate an innovative approach to best protecting the data and systems that are the lifeblood of enterprises.

INVESTOR OF THE YEAR

Contenders should be venture capital or angel investor or firm that contributed to any stage of funding to cybersecurity startups during the 2025 calendar year and can demonstrate how they supported product development and growth. Entrants should be able to demonstrate a unique and creative approach and a commitment to the cybersecurity market and understanding of gaps in existing technologies and services. Entrants should also be able to demonstrate support for investments that go beyond dollars to prepare entrepreneurs for an expected transition from startup to enterprise.

MOST PROMISING EARLY-STAGE STARTUP

Nominated businesses with great promise can come from any IT security product/service sector and should be a privately held startup offering a strong, flagship product that is within two years of its initial release. They should be focused on continued product development, customer growth, business development and overall fiscal and workforce expansion. Please note in your submission the launch date of your initial flagship offering. While this award will be presented to a business, and not product, information about flagship products garners much consideration.

SECURITY EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

The finalists represent the veteran leaders of the cybersecurity industry, reserved for companies within the vendor, security services, and consultancy community — not end-user organizations.

These executives represent companies which are the perennial influencers shaping cybersecurity’s evolution. Each has demonstrated sustained leadership, a deep understanding of the user community’s needs, and a proven track record of delivering products and services that support enterprises and small- to mid-sized businesses across diverse market sectors.