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.
The 2026 Company of the Year
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.
Cyber Security Company of the Year
Who can be nominated as Cyber Security Company of the Year?
Any firm whose work over the year improved how its clients defend themselves and can show the outcomes of that work. Size is not the test; a small specialist can win over a large generalist on the strength of the difference it made.
Does company size affect the result?
No. The panel scores the outcomes for clients, not revenue or headcount. The criteria are weighted so a focused firm and a large one are judged on the same measure: what changed for the people who relied on them.
When was the category introduced?
In the 2026 restructure of the programme, which organised the awards into five individual categories and five organisation ones. Earlier editions ran company awards split by staff size, which the 2026 shape replaced.
Who won Cyber Security Company of the Year in 2026?
Bridewell, recognised for managed detection and response, testing and consultancy in regulated and critical sectors. The firm had earlier been honoured as Best Cyber Security Service Provider in 2025 and Best Security Company in 2023.
Can a place be bought?
No. A place can never be bought. An independent panel decides on merit against the published criteria, and sponsorship has no bearing on who wins or where they are placed.