Advocates: These C-level executives or board members evangelize or promote cybersecurity awareness within their organizations and help marshal the resources to implement security policies, secure data and create a cybersecurity culture.

Chief Information Officers: The CISO and CIO often work hand in hand. The CIO’s support is often critical for the IT professionals to get the resources and the budget they need to move forward with cybersecurity initiatives.

Influencers: From policy makers to politicians to technologists, these nominees have influenced and shaped cybersecurity. They’ve helped move cyber beyond being just a vision to reality. These pros have undertaken projects or initiatives alone or with a group that impacts a wider segment of the cybersecurity industry beyond their own organization's and/or affects other business, government or other markets in a positive way.

Innovators: These genius inventors create products and services that help make the vision of a secure computing world a reality and help solve the thorniest cybersecurity challenges. 

Non-Profit Founders: From policies to certification to lobbying, non-profits fill in the gaps, raise awareness and advocate for cybersecurity. These pros stand out for the non-profit organizations they created.

Outstanding Educators:  As cybersecurity moves to the mainstream and the skills gap widens, training the next generation of CISOs is critical. Academics lead the way as they head both undergraduate and graduate programs at universities, professional organizations, state economic boards and non-profits. Leading the charge in teaching future generations of CISOs never has been so critical.

Outstanding Freshmen: Top-notch security isn’t just the mileu of the seasoned professional. Students and other junior members of the cybersecurity community have distinguished themselves as well.

Privacy Leads/Data Protection Experts: Privacy and security often are cast as at odds with each other when in reality they are two sides of the same coin. These professionals have excelled in imposing privacy controls while supporting and adhering to the tenets of cybersecurity within their organizations.

Rising Stars: These nominees and their accomplishments caught the attention of the industry and are ones to watch going forward.

Thought Leaders: What would cybersecurity – or any segment of IT – be without the vision of those who mull problems and issues, initiate conversation and think about solutions, policies, programs, best practices and more. These team players are not only thinkers, but doers who have devised or created solutions, helped to establish standards, initiated best practices or otherwise have undertaken other initiatives that have contributed greatly the the cybersecurity industry as a whole.

Threat Seekers: These innovative, bright and adventurous denizens of cybersecurity dash around the globe from behind their keyboards , chasing down and uncovering threats, vulnerabilities and bugs that left unchecked could bring organizations – public and private – to their knees.

Top Managers: These superstars of management have taken the principles of security and translated them into business objectives. They lead by example and set the tone for the companies that they head up.