Who should enter the ‘Cloud Compliance and Risk Management Solution of the Year’ category?

The ‘Cloud Compliance and Risk Management Solution of the Year’ category celebrates the platforms that transform compliance from a manual, “point-in-time” check into a continuous, automated, and strategic business advantage – effectively mitigating the legal and operational risks inherent in cloud adoption.

Entries may showcase advancements in continuous compliance monitoring, where the solution provides real-time visibility into whether cloud configurations adhere to internal policies and external regulations. The category highlights excellence in automated risk assessment, demonstrating how technology can identify, quantify, and prioritize risks across vast multi-cloud environments.

Submissions should illustrate how the platform simplifies the mapping of technical controls to diverse global frameworks such as SOC2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and PCI-DSS, reducing the burden of audit preparation.

In addition, submissions should highlight innovations in third-party and supply chain risk management, demonstrating how the solution assesses the compliance posture of vendors and integrated cloud services. The category also encompasses the use of advanced analytics to predict potential compliance failures before they occur and the ability to generate “executive-ready” reports that translate technical vulnerabilities into business risk.

Successful entries will provide clear evidence of reduced audit cycle times, a measurable decrease in compliance-related “non-conformities,” and significant improvements in the speed of risk remediation.

Diverse work team reviewing business intelligence reports

Example Use Cases

Cloud compliance and risk management solutions eligible for this award may either provide an outstanding broad solution, or exceptional specialized solutions in one of these areas (among others):


Simplifying compliance management through continuous monitoring and automated reporting. Cloud compliance platforms track regulatory requirements and system configurations to ensure organizations remain aligned with evolving standards.

Typical use cases:

  • Continuous compliance monitoring across cloud environments
  • Automated policy enforcement and validation
  • Regulatory framework mapping (e.g., ISO, SOC, GDPR)
  • Real-time compliance dashboards and alerts
  • Automated compliance reporting and audit preparation

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Reduced compliance risk and regulatory exposure
  • Improved audit readiness and reporting accuracy
  • Faster identification of compliance gaps
  • Greater visibility into regulatory posture across systems

Use of AI in DevOps to enable risk management
Providing organizations with real-time visibility into operational and security risks. Cloud risk management solutions analyze infrastructure, data, and operational activity to identify vulnerabilities and prioritize mitigation efforts.

Typical use cases:

  • Risk scoring and prioritization dashboards
  • Continuous vulnerability and configuration assessments
  • Third-party risk monitoring
  • Operational risk analytics and reporting
  • Scenario modelling and impact assessment

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Earlier detection of operational and security risks
  • Improved risk prioritization and mitigation planning
  • Reduced likelihood of compliance breaches
  • Stronger organizational risk awareness and governance

Security content policy award
Ensuring consistent enforcement of internal policies and regulatory requirements. Cloud platforms automate governance processes and embed policy controls across infrastructure and operational workflows.

Typical use cases:

  • Policy-as-Code enforcement frameworks
  • Automated policy validation during system deployment
  • Role-based governance and access oversight
  • Centralized policy management and updates
  • Audit trail generation for governance reporting

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Improved consistency in policy enforcement
  • Reduced manual oversight and governance workload
  • Faster remediation of policy violations
  • Stronger organizational governance practices

Managing risk across complex vendor ecosystems and digital supply chains. Cloud-based risk platforms provide visibility into partner compliance, performance, and potential exposure.

Typical use cases:

  • Vendor risk assessment and onboarding workflows
  • Continuous monitoring of third-party security posture
  • Supplier compliance tracking
  • Risk scoring and reporting for partner relationships
  • Contract and regulatory requirement monitoring

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Improved visibility into third-party risk exposure
  • Faster identification of supplier compliance issues
  • Reduced operational and reputational risk
  • Stronger oversight of partner ecosystems

ITSM helpdesk assistance
Supporting structured response to compliance breaches, operational incidents, and risk events. Cloud solutions provide integrated workflows and reporting tools to manage incidents and track remediation.

Typical use cases:

  • Incident reporting and investigation workflows
  • Risk escalation and remediation tracking
  • Regulatory breach notification management
  • Root cause analysis and impact reporting
  • Post-incident governance and compliance reporting

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Faster response to compliance and risk incidents
  • Improved accountability in remediation processes
  • Reduced operational disruption from risk events
  • Continuous improvement in governance practices

Hall of Fame: Previous Winners

Kion Logo

Kion impressed the judges with a cloud management platform that brings governance, compliance, and operational control into a single, scalable approach. Its focus on policy driven automation and real world cloud governance reflects what enterprises actually need to manage complexity. The solution demonstrated clear maturity and category fit. This made Kion a deserving winner at The Cloud Awards.”

Judge, Sameer Band

Cloud Management Solution of the Year 2025/26, Kion
Denodo Logo

Denodo stood out for delivering a true cloud data management platform that enables enterprises to access, govern, and activate data across complex multi-cloud environments. Its semantic layer and real-time data virtualization approach remove the friction traditionally associated with data integration and replication. The judges were particularly impressed by Denodo’s ability to support analytics and AI use cases while maintaining performance, security, and control at scale. This made Denodo a clear winner at The Cloud Awards.”

The Cloud Awards COO, Annabelle Whittall

Best Cloud Data Management Solution 2025/26, Denodo

Opengear stood out for delivering a disaster recovery and business continuity solution that works when systems are at their most vulnerable. Lighthouse ensures secure, always-available access to critical infrastructure even during outages, cyber incidents, or network failures. The judges were particularly impressed by its hybrid cloud approach and proven ability to reduce downtime in real-world scenarios. This made Opengear a clear winner at The Cloud Awards.”

Lead Judge, Maneet Bansal

Best Cloud DR / Business Continuity Solution 2025/26, Opengear

Areas to Highlight in Your Submission

Judges score nominations across these five key areas:

  • Innovation: The features or technology that makes your cloud compliance or risk management solution unique - or transformed your market.

  • Impact: Evidence of the positive effect your cloud risk management or compliance solution has brought to your customers.

  • Scalability: How your solution grows or adapts to changing business needs, without significant upgrades or overhauls.

  • User Experience: How intuitive your cloud compliance or risk management solution is to use for users of varying roles or skill levels.

  • Relevance: What makes your solution a worthy winner in this particular category.

Although not formally scored, focus on these areas specific to this category, can help your nomination stand out:

Monitoring & Alerts

Real-time review and notification of potential non-compliance, or identified risk factors.

Automation

Simplification of the process of identifying issues, and remedy to maintain compliance or negate risk.

Integration

Assessing the availability of APIs, connectors, and compatibility with popular cloud providers and other cloud services.

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Next Steps to Enter The Cloud Awards

To enter this Cloud Awards category, or any other category in The Cloud Awards, please follow these three simple steps:

  • Download the entry form. Open up the ‘Cloud Awards Simple Form’ document.
  • Complete your form. You only need to complete the form once, even if entering multiple Cloud Awards categories.
  • Submit your entry. Head to the ‘Submit Now’ section on our website, select ‘The Cloud Awards’ and the category/categories you are entering from the list, upload your form and any other materials you would like the judges to review, and process your fees.

Since 2011, The Cloud Awards been helping organizations across the globe gain the recognition they deserve for market-leading innovation in the cloud computing and software sectors.

For a detailed breakdown of all the benefits you receive as an awards entrant as either a shortlistee, finalist or ultimate winner, please see our “Why Enter?” page. The many benefits are replicated across all international awards programs. If you have any questions about this category, please contact us.