Microsoft announces the 2024 Microsoft Security Excellence Awards winners

At this year’s Microsoft Security Excellence Awards, we took a journey through the evolution of cybersecurity from the 1950s to today. While this event theme celebrated the significant technological advancements that have shaped each decade, the main focus was on the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association (MISA) member finalists and winners whose innovations in cybersecurity have earned them well-deserved recognition.

Alongside applauding our partners’ achievements, we highlighted the transformative impact of AI in security. AI is the defining technology of our time, revolutionizing how we anticipate, prevent, and respond to threats. MISA—a coalition of Microsoft leaders and subject matter experts, independent software vendors (ISVs), and managed security service providers (MSSPs)—and its members play a pivotal role in driving this evolution, ensuring a safer digital future for everyone.

Together, we work to defend organizations around the world from increasing cyberthreats. In San Francisco, California, on May 6, 2024, the first day of RSA Conference 2024 (RSAC), we were honored to bring together MISA members and Microsoft Security leadership to honor the top finalists and announce award winners.

“I’m so pleased to congratulate this year’s Microsoft Security Excellence awards recipients and to acknowledge all those who were nominated,” said Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Security Business. “Our partner community plays such an important role in helping our customers navigate a rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape. Each of this year’s recipients demonstrates true innovation and an inspiring dedication to the mission of security. We are so proud to work alongside them in a shared commitment to building a safer world for everyone.”

Celebrating innovation and impact

This year we streamlined the award categories to spotlight the achievements that not only redefine our industry but also significantly advance our collective mission towards a more secure and efficient digital future.

We also introduced a new award category: the Endpoint Management Trailblazer, which celebrates partners’ contributions to modernizing endpoint and device management. As the landscape of cyberthreats continues to evolve, the security perimeter of organizations extends beyond traditional boundaries, making endpoint management more critical than ever.

Effective endpoint and device management ensures that every device connected to an organization’s network is continuously monitored and secured, reducing the risk of breaches. This not only includes safeguarding the devices themselves but also involves managing access to networks and data in a way that keeps up with the dynamic nature of cyberthreats.

By spotlighting our partners who excel in this area, we aim to underscore the importance of adopting forward-thinking security measures that align with the modern workplace’s needs, ultimately fostering a safer and more resilient digital environment for businesses and their stakeholders.

Meet the leaders behind this year’s awards

Executives from across Microsoft came together to recognize and celebrate all the award winner finalists and winners, including:

Security Trailblazer: Alym Rayani, Vice President Security GTM.

Compliance and Privacy Trailblazer: Herain Oberoi, General Manager, Data Security, Governance, Compliance, and Privacy.

Identity Trailblazer: Irina Nechaeva, General Manager, Identity and Network Access; and Morgan Webb, Principle Group Manager, Security Customer Experience Engineering.

Endpoint Management Trailblazer: Dilip Radhakrishnan, General Manager, Microsoft Intune.

Security Customer Champion: Jeffrey York, Vice President, Security Partner Investments and Incentives.

Security Changemaker: Ann Choi, General Manager, Commercial Cloud Partner Strategy.

Diversity in Security: Tara Knapp, Director, Security Business Development; and Tara Ragan, Channel Strategy and Operations Manager, Lighthouse.

Security MSSP of the Year: Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Security Business.

Security ISV of the Year: Vasu Jakkal, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Security Business.

2024 Security Excellence Award winners

In line with this year’s theme focused on the evolution of cybersecurity, we’re proud to spotlight the key role of innovative technology and dedicated individuals in shaping a more secure future. After receiving many impressive award nominations, our review panel shortlisted five nominees for each category, with winners determined by votes from Microsoft and MISA members. The finalists and winners in each category are:

Security Trailblazer 

Partners that have delivered innovative solutions or services that leverage the full Microsoft range of security products and have proven to be outstanding leaders in accelerating customers’ efforts to mitigate cybersecurity threats.

• Bulletproof—Winner
• Atech Cloud
• BlueVoyant
• Kovrr
• Performanta

Compliance and Privacy Trailblazer

Partners that deliver innovative solutions or services and are distinguished leaders in driving holistic or end-to-end Microsoft compliance or privacy strategy with customers.

• Lighthouse—Winner
• archTIS
• Infotechtion
• PwC
• Secude

Identity Trailblazer

Partners that are leaders in the identity space, have driven identity-related initiatives, and delivered innovative solutions or services with Microsoft Entra ID.

• Thales—Winner
• InSpark
• Oxford Computer Group
• Valence Security
• Wipro

Endpoint Management Trailblazer

Partners that have proven expertise in helping customers modernize their endpoint and device management posture while enabling organizations to reduce costs.

• water IT Security—Winner
• CGI
• Insight
• Senserva
• Synergy Advisors

Security Customer Champion

Partners that go above and beyond to drive customer impact and that have a proven track record of customer obsession and success.

• Ascent Solutions—Winner
• Protiviti
• PwC
• Quorum Cyber
• Tanium

Security Changemaker

Individuals within partner organizations who have made a remarkable security contribution to the company or the larger security community.

• Anna Webb, Kocho—Winner
• Adrianna Chen, D3 Security
• Ricardo Nicolini, Bulletproof
• Scott Edwards, Summit 7
• Tom Boltman, Kovrr

Diversity in Security

Partners that have demonstrated a significant commitment to enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion to better serve security customers and foster change in the industry.

• Avanade—Winner
• Check Point
• CyberProof a UST Company
• Entrust
• Eviden

Security MSSP of the Year  

MSSPs that are all-around powerhouses with strong integration between Microsoft products and ongoing managed security services that drive the end-to-end Microsoft Security stack to our mutual customers.       

• Wortell—Winner
• Difenda
• glueckkanja AG
• Quorum Cyber
• Transparity

Security ISV of the Year

ISVs that are all-around powerhouses, show growth potential, and have innovative security solutions that integrate with a MISA-qualifying security product.

• ContraForce—Winner
• Kovrr
• Netskope
• Senserva
• Silverfort

We’re ready for what’s next 

This was an amazing evening, bringing together MISA members, Microsoft executives, and future security experts. Many thanks to all who came, and congratulations again to all our finalists and winners. One constant within the ever-changing world of cybersecurity is the way our community comes together to protect and empower customers. We look forward to seeing everything you accomplish in the upcoming year. 

If you’re at RSA Conference May 6-9, 2024, come and visit us at the Microsoft Booth 6044 North Expo where MISA members will be showcasing their solutions at our MISA demo station and the Microsoft Theater. We’d love to see you at the following Theater sessions: 

• ContraForce and Bulletproof—Hyperautomation for SecOps Service Management. Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 5:00 PM PT to 5:20 PM PT.
• glueckkanja AG—Use Microsoft Copilot for Security to bring context to your incidents. Tuesday, May 7, 2024, 5:30 PM PT to 5:50 PM PT.  
• Kovrr—The need for Shift Up Strategy: Financially Quantifying C-Suite Cyber Risk Management Decisions. Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 5:00 PM PT to 5:20 PM PT. 
• Darktrace—Combining the power of Darktrace & Microsoft Copilot for Security to Empower the Modern SOC. Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 5:30 PM PT to 5:50 PM PT.
• Avanade—Real world stories of using Microsoft Purview Data Protection to enable responsible adoption of Copilot for Microsoft 365. ​Thursday May 9, 2024, 10:30 AM PT to 10:50 AM PT. 

Learn more

Learn more about the Microsoft Intelligent Security Association.

To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.

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Source: Microsoft Security