Cyber Security Company of the Year.

A firm earns this honour by what its clients can do after working with it. The panel reads for the defence that held when it was tested, and rewards the outcome rather than the reach.

Quick answer

What does the Cyber Security Company of the Year honour?

Cyber Security Company of the Year recognises the firm whose work over the year improved how its clients defend themselves. The panel scores it on outcomes that can be checked: incidents contained sooner, controls that held under a real attack, clients who came through a difficult year still standing. Size and revenue do not decide it. A focused firm of forty can win over a large one, because the test is the difference the company made for the people who relied on it, mapped to the published criteria. The category was introduced in the 2026 restructure of the programme, which organised the awards into five individual honours and five organisation honours. Like every category, it cannot be bought. The current holder is Bridewell, recognised in 2026 and no stranger to the programme in earlier years.

Who holds it

The 2026 Company of the Year

Bridewell Cyber Security Company · 2026

Bridewell was named Cyber Security Company of the Year in 2026, recognised for managed detection and response, testing and consultancy that holds up for clients in regulated and critical sectors. The firm has appeared in the programme before, taking Best Cyber Security Service Provider in 2025 and Best Security Company (over 150 staff) back in 2023, the kind of sustained record the Hall of Fame exists to record.

Read the full citation on the Bridewell winner page, or browse a decade of holders in the Hall of Fame.

What the panel scores against

The criteria stay consistent year to year so firms can prepare against them. The panel weighs four things. First, client outcomes: what changed for the organisations the company served, told plainly and backed by evidence. Second, depth of work: the substance of what the firm actually did, from detection and response to testing and assurance, rather than the breadth of its catalogue. Third, conduct: how the company behaves when an engagement goes wrong, which is when character shows. Fourth, the people: a firm that keeps and grows skilled defenders is one its clients can depend on through a hard year.

What a winning record looks like

Strong entries show a before and an after. A client who could not see an intrusion now sees it within minutes. A board that treated security as a cost now treats it as a discipline. The firm’s hand is on that change, and the evidence is checkable. A reference a judge can call carries more weight than any figure on a slide.

Weak entries list logos and headcount. A client roster, a growth chart, a wall of certifications. The panel reads past that and looks for the specific problem the firm solved and what its client could do afterwards that it could not before. Recognition here is judged on merit, never bought, and sponsorship has no bearing on the result.

How it is judged

The criteria the panel scores against

The Cyber Security Company of the Year award celebrates an organisation that has demonstrated exceptional achievements in advancing cybersecurity. It recognises companies that deliver innovation, leadership, and measurable results while also contributing to the wider cybersecurity community — organisations that combine commercial success with industry collaboration and a commitment to positive change.

01Achievement: Evidence of the company’s success and impact on the market, including growth, customer acquisition, recognition, or other measurable outcomes.
02Leadership: Evidence of strong leadership at all levels of the organisation, including effective management, strategic vision, and a commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.
03Teamwork: Evidence of effective collaboration, culture, and communication within the company, leading to the delivery of high-quality products or services.
04Contributions to the Cyber Community: Evidence of contributions to the wider cybersecurity community, such as supporting industry initiatives, sharing expertise, or promoting diversity and inclusion.