iSANZ
2024
Entry Information
Whether you’re a seasoned professional, rising star, or cutting-edge startup, the iSANZ Awards provide a platform to share your success and inspire others in the cybersecurity community. These awards not only celebrate excellence but also set the benchmark for industry standards and best practices.
In 2024, there were six award categories to choose from. Our panel of judges carefully selected three finalists in each category. Each finalist was evaluated against the judging criteria, with winners in each category unveiled at our gala awards dinner event in November.
Award Categories
Attention all cybersecurity professionals! Don’t miss your chance to be recognised at the iSANZ Awards.
Entries for 2024 have now closed and finalists and winners celebrated at our gala dinner awards event in November.
Security Project / Awareness Initiative Of The Year
This category recognises outstanding and successfully delivered information security projects or initiatives. It could be an amazing security awareness campaign, an organisational cyber uplift program or some other awesome security project.
Who Can Enter:
This category is open to organisations who have successfully implemented an information security project or awareness initiative.
Judging Criteria:
- Were the objectives (issue to solve, improvement to be made, information to be communicated etc,) clearly articulated and met?
- Was success able to be measured and was it deemed successful?
- Was it delivered to its budget and time targets?
- How was the impact of change to the organisation determined and was it seen as positive?
Cybersecurity Leader Of The Year
This category is open to cyber security leaders who influence and drive better security outcomes for an organisation. Candidates will need to have over 10 years experience in a security, security architecture, infrastructure or risk role, and be in a relevant full or part-time during the past 12 months.
Who Can Enter:
This category is purposefully broad, designed to attract applications from experienced cyber security leaders across a wide range of leadership roles (CISOs, senior cyber security practitioners, security managers, Heads of Security).
Judging Criteria:
- Has the entrant held a hands-on full or part-time position as senior security leader during the previous 12 months (e.g., Chief Information Security Officer, Security Manager, Senior Practitioner)?
2. How does the entrant lead security outcomes to their organisation through their work?
3. What evidence is given that the entrant is a cyber security champion who is committed to improving cyber security?
4. What evidence is given that the entrant is a trusted security professional who makes a difference, mentors others and is a “security doer”?
5. What evidence is given that the entrant is a trusted and respected security professional who makes a difference within the organisation they work for and/or the wider NZ cyber security industry?
Start Up Or New Business Of The Year
This category celebrates the best new security companies that are making their mark and helping to raise the cyber resilience of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Who Can Enter:
This category is open to new information security / cyber security businesses founded in New Zealand and which have been operating for no more than five (5) years.
Judging Criteria:
- Has the entrant demonstrated what problem their business is solving and a good understanding of this challenge?
- Has the entry demonstrated a good rate of growth during the period of operation?
- Has the entry demonstrated they are successfully delivering quality services and/or products into the NZ market that make a difference to customer security?
- Has the entry demonstrated a values driven approach to building a company and is this sustainable?
- Has the entry provided evidence they are building a resilient, diverse and inclusive culture in their company?
- Has the entry demonstrated a successful, innovative approach to starting a security company in NZ?
Security Team Of The Year
This category celebrates high performing security teams that are improving the cyber security posture of their organisation day in, day out.
Who Can Enter:
This category is open to outstanding information / cybersecurity teams who work closely together to achieve the best possible performance, creative contributions – and/or go above and beyond in contributing to information security.
Judging Criteria:
- Does the entry demonstrate continuous development and improvement of infosec and or cyber capabilities by providing a holistic security solution – ensuring strong defences while keeping in view evolving threats?
- Do the team members come together as individuals and a group to strengthen the way they work and create a strong team culture?
- How does the team forge security learning paths and transfer knowledge to retain top talent and break down skill-development barriers for aspiring new cyber professionals?
Security Company Of The Year
This category celebrates stand out organisations that make security their business, rather than something that helps them in business. The security company of the year is awarded to the security company that has not only supported their customers and clients, but has worked to grow the security industry in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Who Can Enter:
Security company of the year entries are open to organisations that provide security services to other organisations. They could be a consultancy, a managed security services provider, a security vendor or other organisation that works to protect others’ cyber security. Past winners include Vodafone (2015), RedShield (2016), Aura Information Security (2017, 2018), Defend (2019) and SafeAcademy (2021).
Judging Criteria:
- Has the entry demonstrated they are delivering high quality security services and/or products into the NZ market that make a difference to the security of others?
2. Has the entry demonstrated a values driven approach to building a company and is this sustainable?
3. Has the entry provided evidence they are building a resilient, diverse and inclusive culture in their company?
4. Has the entry demonstrated a successful approach to bringing talented cyber security professionals into the industry and setting them up for success?
Up And Coming Cybersecurity Star Of The Year
This category focusses on our new cyber security professionals, celebrating the best and brightest who have joined our awesome, growing cyber security industry.
Who can enter:
This category is open to all individuals who are a newcomer to the world of Cyber/ InfoSec in NZ with less than 3 years experience and who have made a positive and impressive impact to our community.
Judging Criteria:
- Does the entrant show excellent potential and have they demonstrated remarkable talents at an early stage in their InfoSec / cyber career. Qualities may include fresh thinking, determination, inspiration and communication?
- Is there a description of the role played by the entrant and evidence of how the entrant has shown innovation and leadership in developing and implementing successful projects, publications, activities or initiatives?
- Has the entrant demonstrated leadership and ability to think strategically about information security?
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2023 iSANZ Awards Finalists
Each year, our judges carefully examine the category entries, creating a shortlist of three finalists in each category. From this shortlist, the winner in each category is chosen after thorough deliberation – to be officially announced at our highly anticipated annual gala dinner event. The finalists listed below have been selected by the judges for the 2023 iSANZ Awards.
Security Project / Awareness Initiative Of The Year
This category recognises outstanding and successfully delivered information security projects or initiatives. It could be an amazing security awareness campaign, an organisational cyber uplift program, or some other awesome security project.
Senior Cybersecurity Professional Of The Year
This category recognises outstanding and successfully delivered information security projects or initiatives. It could be an amazing security awareness campaign, an organisational cyber uplift program, or some other awesome security project.
Start-Up Or New Business Of The Year
This category celebrates the best new security companies that are making their mark and helping to raise the cyber resilience of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Security Team Of The Year
This category celebrates high performing security teams that are improving the cyber security posture of their organisation day in, day out.
New Zealand Development Shop Of The Year
This award celebrates the teams of people across Aotearoa New Zealand who are building great secure-by-design software to ensure that their customers can safely and confidently use their software without having to harden it first, and can rely on the development team to factor in security at all stages of the development lifecycle.
Up-And-Coming Cyber Security Star Of The Year
This category focusses on our new cyber security professionals, celebrating the best and brightest who have joined our awesome, growing cyber security industry.