A look at the 2026 CSO Cybersecurity Awards & Conference Agenda
All times listed on the agenda are Central Time.
Monday, May 11
Check in to the conference and pick up your badge.
Choose a topic and join a small-group, interactive conversation to listen, learn, and share experiences around the table. There will be two 30-minute rounds of discussion focused on today’s most pressing security challenges. After the first round, attendees will rotate to a new table for a second conversation with a different group and topic.
Join fellow security leaders for an in-depth, interactive roundtable designed to foster candid discussion around today’s most pressing security and risk challenges. Guided by a sponsor SME and moderator, each 90-minute session encourages open conversation, shared experiences, and practical insights across topics such as evolving risk, modernization priorities, and organizational resilience. Pre-registration is required to ensure a focused, high-value discussion among senior security leaders.
Join us for networking, camaraderie, delicious food and refreshing beverages. Connect with fellow industry leaders in a lively atmosphere.
Tuesday, May 12
Check in to the conference and pick up your badge.
Start your morning right with a networking breakfast. Connect with industry leaders, share insights, and fuel up for a day of innovation and success.
Session in development
Panelists will share perspectives on the use of intelligent and agentic security capabilities to improve detection, response, and decision-making; the shift toward identity as the core security control plane; and the move from prevention-only strategies to resilience engineering and recovery readiness. Session in development.
As your business develops AI applications, what steps are you taking to ensure they don’t become valuable targets for attackers? It’s yet another layer of risk introduced by AI. In this session, we’ll explore how organizations are approaching AI governance, managing development responsibly, and implementing best practices to mitigate AI-related security risks.
Grab a coffee or iced beverage, enjoy the fresh air, connect with award-winning CISOs and sponsoring partners and take a photo with the keynote speaker.
Dig into the details of a selection of CSO Award-winning projects. Visit the presentations that match your interests, ask questions, and network with small groups of peers. This self-directed experience means you can focus your time on projects that are most relevant for you.
Learn from a new set of award-winning projects.
As a security leader you’re being asked to find ways to securely enable your business to use data to drive innovation. Yet, data security is historically the least mature domain for enterprise organizations. In this session, learn how forward-thinking CISOs are leveraging AI to transform their data security strategy so that it evolves into the most mature security program and the driving force for innovation and business growth. In this session, Cyera will deliver their unique experience and best practices in managing cloud based assets and systems.
Explore a real-world case study highlighting how security leaders are achieving measurable outcomes while addressing today’s most pressing risk and modernization challenges. Through a concise, metrics-driven narrative, this session will examine the business and security impact of a modern security approach, offering practical insights and takeaways.
Join us for an engaging lunch where you can connect with newfound contacts! Take a seat and savor your meal while networking with peers. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet our sponsors and discover how their innovative solutions can benefit you.
Artificial intelligence is redefining the cyber battlefield—accelerating attacker speed, expanding scale, and raising the bar for sophistication—while challenging defenders to keep up. Join us to unpack where AI delivers meaningful defensive advantage and automation, and where it introduces new systemic, operational, and governance risks. The discussion will look at how AI-driven capabilities are reshaping threat models, compressing decision cycles, and shifting risk ownership across the enterprise.
Explore a real-world case study highlighting how security leaders are achieving measurable outcomes while addressing today’s most pressing risk and modernization challenges. Through a concise, metrics-driven narrative, this session will examine the business and security impact of a modern security approach, offering practical insights and takeaways.
Explore a real-world case study highlighting how security leaders are achieving measurable outcomes while addressing today’s most pressing risk and modernization challenges. Through a concise, metrics-driven narrative, this session will examine the business and security impact of a modern security approach, offering practical insights and takeaways.
As quantum computing capabilities accelerate, today’s security decisions must anticipate tomorrow’s risks. This session equips CISOs with a practical framework for addressing quantum-era challenges by building a resilient cryptography preparedness strategy aligned with enterprise risk, regulatory pressure, and long-term data protection needs. We will explore the current threat landscape, understand the realistic timelines for quantum impact, and learn how to begin transitioning to post-quantum encryption without disrupting existing operations. The presentation emphasizes actionable steps, governance considerations, and how to prioritize investments to stay ahead of quantum-enabled adversaries.
Grab a coffee or iced beverage, enjoy the fresh air, and connect with award-winning CISOs and sponsoring partners.
As networks dissolve and users, machines, and workloads operate everywhere, identity has become the primary control plane. Join us to explore what it actually means to operate in an identity-first security model and where most organizations are falling short. We will debate governance, non-human identities, and whether identity programs are scaling securely or creating new failure points for the enterprise.
Explore a real-world case study highlighting how security leaders are achieving measurable outcomes while addressing today’s most pressing risk and modernization challenges. Through a concise, metrics-driven narrative, this session will examine the business and security impact of a modern security approach, offering practical insights and takeaways.
Persistent talent shortages are forcing security leaders to rethink how programs are designed, staffed, and sustained. This session explores how ongoing skills gaps are reshaping security architecture decisions, particularly the tradeoffs between best-of-breed tool sprawl and more simplified, integrated platforms. We’ll discuss how to build security programs that remain resilient, manageable, and effective with constrained human capital—focusing on automation, architectural consistency, and operational clarity. Rather than revisiting a generic best-of-breed versus all in one debate, the conversation will center on how CISOs can make these models work in practice, aligning tooling, processes, and team capabilities to real-world workforce constraints.
Join us for networking, camaraderie, delicious food and refreshing beverages. Connect with fellow industry leaders in a lively atmosphere.
Wednesday, May 13
Check in to the conference and pick up your badge.
Start your morning right with a networking breakfast. Connect with industry leaders, share insights, and fuel up for a day of innovation and success.
As cyber conflict intensifies, the boundaries between government action and private-sector responsibility are rapidly evolving. Drawing on recent reporting about the U.S. government’s growing reliance on private companies in cyber operations, we will examine what it means for enterprises to operate in an era where cyber activity is increasingly intertwined with national security objectives. We’ll explore the strategic, legal, and ethical implications of private-sector participation in cyber conflict, the heightened risk of retaliation against civilian infrastructure, and the expanding expectations placed on corporations and their security leaders. Designed for CISOs navigating this shifting landscape, the session focuses on governance, risk ownership, and how to prepare organizations for a future in which cyber defense, deterrence, and public–private collaboration are more closely connected than ever.
This keynote session examines the forces reshaping digital risk and the evolving mandate of today’s security leaders from adopting intelligent, AI-enabled security approaches to strengthening identity-centric controls and engineering resilience against inevitable disruption. The session offers a forward-looking perspective to help align security strategy with business, regulatory, and societal expectations. Session in development.
Explore a real-world case study highlighting how security leaders are achieving measurable outcomes while addressing today’s most pressing risk and modernization challenges. Through a concise, metrics-driven narrative, this session will examine the business and security impact of a modern security approach, offering practical insights and takeaways.
Accumulated technical and security debt – not the broader issue of IT debt – now represents a larger risk than underfunding security tools. We will discuss how complexity, legacy architectures, and poor integration quietly undermine security outcomes despite rising budgets. The session will focus on how leaders identify, quantify, and strategically pay down security debt without stalling the business.
Grab a coffee or iced beverage, enjoy the fresh air, and connect with award-winning CISOs and sponsoring partners.
Dig into the details of a selection of CSO Award-winning projects. Visit the presentations that match your interests, ask questions, and network with small groups of peers. This self-directed experience means you can focus your time on projects that are most relevant for you.
Learn from a new set of award-winning projects.
Explore a real-world case study highlighting how security leaders are achieving measurable outcomes while addressing today’s most pressing risk and modernization challenges. Through a concise, metrics-driven narrative, this session will examine the business and security impact of a modern security approach, offering practical insights and takeaways.
Explore a real-world case study highlighting how security leaders are achieving measurable outcomes while addressing today’s most pressing risk and modernization challenges. Through a concise, metrics-driven narrative, this session will examine the business and security impact of a modern security approach, offering practical insights and takeaways.
In this candid panel discussion, leading security experts share how their roles are evolving in response to emerging threats, shifting customer expectations, and the accelerating pace of digital and security modernization.
Join us for an engaging lunch where you can connect with newfound contacts! Take a seat and savor your meal while networking with peers. Don’t miss the opportunity to meet our sponsors and discover how their innovative solutions can benefit you.
2:10 – 2:15pm
Welcome and Opening Remarks
2:15 – 2:45pm
Leading the C-Suite to Security Excellence
Here’s the truth: CISOs will be judged on their business fluency as much as technical acumen. Expectations of the CISO role are evolving to see the role as a business executive, not just a technical leader. We’ll discuss how risk is communicated to boards, how tradeoffs are framed, how credibility is built outside of security teams, and what “good” looks like when security decisions directly shape business outcomes.
2:45 – 3:10pm
Security Leadership Roundtables: The Evolving CISO Role
Following the panel, you’ll have a chance to discuss the topics among yourself in small-group discussions of CISOs. These peer-to-peer conversations will focus on security leadership in practice. Topics may include effective interaction with the board of directors, translating cyber risk into business impact, and navigating heightened expectations from executive leadership. Other areas to explore include how the CISO role and day-to-day responsibilities have changed in response to regulatory pressure, emerging threats, and increased organizational visibility. Designed to encourage open dialogue and shared perspective, this session will offer a valuable opportunity to learn from peers taking on the same leadership challenges.
3:10 – 3:40pm
Journeys to Leadership Excellence
Join us for an inspiring session where we explore three unique pathways that have led visionary CISOs into the prestigious CSO Hall of Fame. Hear firsthand accounts from industry leaders who have navigated different career trajectories—whether through groundbreaking innovation, transformative digital leadership, or strategic business alignment. Learn how each journey shaped their approach to technology, leadership, and organizational impact, and gain insights on how you can chart your own course to influence the future of security and business. This session offers valuable lessons and practical takeaways for aspiring and current CISOs looking to leave a lasting legacy.
2:10 – 2:15pm
Welcome
2:15 – 2:45pm
Inside the CSO Awards Judging Process
Get a behind-the-scenes look at how the CSO Award applications are evaluated and what truly differentiates standout security projects. We will pull back the curtain on the judging criteria and common strengths seen in winning projects, as well as pitfalls to avoid. Designed for current and future applicants, the discussion will help you better understand how impactful initiatives are assessed. We’ll have an interactive Q&A, giving you the opportunity to ask judges about submissions, storytelling, and how to strengthen their entries.
2:45 – 3:40pm
Peer-Led Technical Security Roundtables
Following the panel, you’ll have a chance to discuss the topics among yourself in small-group discussions of CISOs. These peer-to-peer conversations will focus on security leadership in practice. Topics may include effective interaction with the board of directors, translating cyber risk into business impact, and navigating heightened expectations from executive leadership. Other areas to explore include how the CISO role and day-to-day responsibilities have changed in response to regulatory pressure, emerging threats, and increased organizational visibility. Designed to encourage open dialogue and shared perspective, this session will offer a valuable opportunity to learn from peers taking on the same leadership challenges.
Raise a glass to toast the 2026 honorees.
Celebrate security excellence at this elegant dinner and award ceremony. The 2026 CSO Awards presentation will honor the winning organizations for their use of innovative security to deliver business value, followed by the induction of our newest members into the CSO Hall of Fame.
Celebrate the newest class of honorees with sweet treats and plenty of photo ops as we close out the CSO Conference.