Who should enter the ‘Cloud Data Protection and Privacy Solution of the Year’ category?

The ‘Cloud Data Protection and Privacy Solution of the Year’ category recognizes the tools and platforms that ensure data integrity, availability, and confidentiality across cloud environments – while navigating an increasingly complex web of global privacy regulations and sovereign data requirements.

Entries may showcase advancements in encryption and key management, demonstrating how data is protected at rest, in transit, and – increasingly – in use via confidential computing. The category highlights excellence in data sovereignty and residency, where technology enables organizations to strictly control the physical and jurisdictional boundaries of their data.

Submissions may demonstrate how the solution simplifies the discovery and classification of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) across vast, unstructured cloud data lakes and multi-cloud repositories.

In addition, submissions should highlight innovations in Privacy-Enhancing Technologies (PETs) and automated compliance, demonstrating how the solution manages Data Subject Access Requests (DSARs), consent tracking, and “Right to be Forgotten” workflows. Judges will look for evidence of robust cyber-resilience, including immutable backups and rapid recovery features that protect against ransomware and accidental data loss.

Successful entries will provide clear evidence of mitigated privacy risk, measurable reductions in compliance overhead, and the successful prevention of data exfiltration or unauthorized access.

Female technician works on a tablet in a data center

Example Use Cases

Cloud data protection & privacy solutions eligible for this award may either provide an outstanding broad solution, or exceptional specialized solutions in one of these areas (among others):

Engineers in data center using device verifying firewall configurations Protecting critical information through intelligent detection and policy enforcement. Cloud data protection solutions monitor data across storage, applications, and collaboration environments to prevent unauthorized access or exfiltration.

Typical use cases:

  • Automated data classification and tagging
  • Real-time Data Loss Prevention (DLP) monitoring
  • Policy-based access controls
  • Insider threat detection
  • Secure data sharing governance

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Reduced risk of accidental or malicious data leakage
  • Improved visibility into sensitive data usage
  • Stronger enforcement of internal data policies
  • Lower exposure to regulatory penalties

QA Engineer Working on Finding and Fix Safeguarding data across its lifecycle — at rest, in transit, and in use. Cloud privacy solutions integrate advanced encryption and secure key management to ensure data remains protected in dynamic cloud environments.

Typical use cases:

  • End-to-end encryption across storage and networks
  • Centralized encryption key lifecycle management
  • Hardware-backed key protection
  • Confidential computing environments
  • Secure multi-party data processing

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Reduced exposure to data breaches
  • Improved compliance with data protection regulations
  • Enhanced trust in secure cloud processing
  • Stronger protection of high-value or regulated data

Team Meeting To Discuss Support Tickets Supporting organizations in meeting evolving global privacy regulations. Cloud data protection platforms centralize consent management, audit trails, and compliance reporting to ensure transparency and accountability.

Typical use cases:

  • Consent tracking and preference management
  • Automated regulatory reporting (e.g., GDPR, CCPA)
  • Data retention and deletion policy automation
  • Cross-border data transfer controls
  • Privacy impact assessment tools

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Faster response to data subject access requests (DSARs)
  • Reduced compliance risk and regulatory exposure
  • Improved audit readiness
  • Greater organizational transparency in data handling

data center Ensuring business continuity through resilient data protection strategies. Cloud-based backup and recovery solutions safeguard critical information against accidental loss, cyberattacks, and infrastructure failure.

Typical use cases:

  • Automated cloud backup and replication
  • Immutable storage and ransomware protection
  • Granular data recovery capabilities
  • Disaster recovery orchestration
  • Backup integrity validation and testing

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Reduced data recovery time objectives (RTO)
  • Improved resilience against ransomware threats
  • Minimized business disruption following incidents
  • Increased confidence in disaster recovery planning

Digital Transformation Specialist Working On Coding Language Maintaining control and oversight of data from creation to deletion. Cloud data protection solutions provide centralized governance frameworks to manage access, retention, and usage across distributed environments.

Typical use cases:

  • Centralized data inventory and mapping
  • Role-based access and usage monitoring
  • Automated retention and archival policies
  • Data minimisation and lifecycle automation
  • Cross-cloud data governance dashboards

Some examples of results from this application:

  • Improved data accuracy and integrity
  • Reduced storage costs through lifecycle optimization
  • Stronger governance across cloud environments
  • Clear accountability in data stewardship practices

Hall of Fame: Previous Winners

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
Aviatrix Logo

Aviatrix impressed the judges with a security innovation that addresses the core complexity of cloud networking across multi cloud environments. Its Cloud Native Security Fabric delivers visibility, control, and policy enforcement where enterprises need it most. The solution demonstrates strong technical depth and practical impact at scale. This made Aviatrix a clear winner at The Cloud Awards.”

The Cloud Awards COO, Annabelle Whittall

Security Innovation of the Year (Enterprise) 2025/26, Aviatrix
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

Areas to Highlight in Your Submission

Judges score nominations across these five key areas:

  • Innovation: The features or technology that makes your cloud data protection & privacy solution unique - or transformed your market.

  • Impact: Evidence of the positive effect your cloud data protection & privacy 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 data protection & privacy 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:

Compliance

Including areas such as audit-ready reporting, jurisdictional controls, and "Privacy-by-Design."

Governance

Includes automated PII discovery, consent management, and data subject access request fulfillment.

Security

Examining security features including end-to-end encryption, tokenization, and immutable backup architectures

More Cloud Awards Categories

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.