Thirty years ago, cybersecurity looked very different.
The cloud had yet to reshape enterprise computing. Smartphones weren't ubiquitous. Ransomware hadn't become a global criminal business. Zero Trust wasn't part of the security lexicon. And artificial intelligence wasn't writing code, generating phishing emails or acting autonomously inside enterprise systems.
The cybersecurity industry itself was still taking shape.
In 2027, the
SC Awards will mark their 30th anniversary: three decades of recognizing the people, products and companies working to protect a rapidly changing digital world.
Thirty years of change
The challenges facing security teams have expanded dramatically over those three decades.
Organizations that once concentrated much of their security effort on networks and endpoints now contend with cloud environments, software supply chains, identity attacks, ransomware, expanding attack surfaces and a growing universe of human and non-human identities.
And another transformation is underway. AI is changing how organizations build and operate technology, while creating new opportunities for attackers and new challenges for defenders.
The role of the security leader has evolved alongside those threats. Cybersecurity has moved beyond a primarily technical discipline to become an issue of enterprise risk, resilience and business strategy.
Through all of this change, the SC Awards have continued to recognize two sides of cybersecurity progress: the technologies being developed to address important security challenges and the practitioners putting security into practice every day.
Judged by the people doing the work
Each year, organizations and individuals submit products, services, programs, and leadership achievementsfor consideration, with submissions evaluated by SC Awards judges drawn from the cybersecurity practitioner community.
These are people who understand the problems security products are intended to solve because they encounter many of those challenges themselves.
The individual awards recognize the other side of that equation: the CISOs, security leaders and teams translating technology, strategy and expertise into stronger security programs.
Over 30 years, the technologies have changed. The threats have changed. The responsibilities of security leaders have expanded dramatically. But recognizing meaningful work in cybersecurity remains at the heart of the SC Awards.
Celebrating 30 years — and looking ahead
This year, we'll once again invite cybersecurity companies to put forward the products and solutions they believe are moving the industry forward, while recognizing the practitioners and security teams making an impact inside their organizations and across the cybersecurity community.
We'll also use this anniversary to look back at the industry's evolution.
Throughout the year, SC Media will revisit some of the technologies, threats and ideas that have shaped security over the past three decades — and examine how the challenges facing defenders continue to evolve.
The 30th anniversary isn't only an opportunity to look back. It's also a chance to consider how far cybersecurity has come and where it goes next.
Thirty years after the first SC Awards, that work continues. And we're looking forward to recognizing the people and organizations doing it.
Nominations for the 2027 SC Awards open October 6. Explore the categories and learn how to participate at
https://www.scworld.com/sc-awards.
