/EINPresswire.com/ -- FRAMINGHAM, MA--(Marketwired - December 08, 2016) - CSO -- the premier security media brand providing insight into business risk leadership -- is proud to recognize 50 organizations for developing and implementing security initiatives that drive business value, with the 2017 CSO50 Awards (click to tweet). To help security leaders and organizations in building security strategies, honorees will share case studies of their winning projects at the CSO50 Conference + Awards, being held May 1-3, 2017, at The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona. The conference will conclude with an awards ceremony to celebrate the CSO50 honoree organizations and their security leadership.

"The stakes have never been higher when it comes to protecting an organization's sensitive data from criminals and breaches," said Joan Goodchild, editor in chief of CSO. "Security leaders are expected to not only deliver protection, but also to drive business initiatives. Our annual CSO50 awards recognize security projects that enhance defense and also deliver ROI."

In addition to recognizing and hearing from the 2017 CSO50 Award honorees, the CSO50 Conference + Awards will focus on "Aligning Proactive Security with Modern Threats." Over three days, honorees and security leaders will lead presentations that provide a look into successes and challenges for keeping organizational assets secure and mitigating risk in a changing business landscape that exposes business assets to new threats. During the sessions, speakers will share ideas, concepts and trends on topics like: application security; identity and access management; Internet of Things (IoT); next generation security and automation; security awareness and training; and more.

"Technology and analytics are rapidly changing how businesses operate, but these new solutions come with risks for exposure. CSOs are collaborating with leaders throughout the business to ensure new solutions are secure and providing recommendations for proactive strategies versus reactive procedures," said Bob Bragdon, senior vice president and publisher, CSO. "The CSO50 organizations are raising the bar and demonstrating how smart businesses include security from the beginning. I am extremely impressed with their tactics and encourage other organizations to grow and embrace security throughout innovation."

2017 CSO50 Award Honorees:

• AECOM
• Aflac
• Amkor Techonology
• AstraZeneca
• AT&T
• Banesco Banco Universal, Venezuela
• Beebe Healthcare
• Blackstone
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC)
• BNY Mellon
• Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA)
• Celgene Corporation
• Creative Artists Agency
• Department of Homeland Security
• Educational Testing Service
• Esri
• FICO
• Flowserve Corp.
• Food and Drug Administration
• Genpact
• GoDaddy
• Grand Canyon University
• Health Management Systems
• Hershey Company
• HITRUST Business Associate Council
• Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
• INC Research
• Indian Health Service
• International Association of Certified ISAOs (IACI)
• Jackson Health System
• John Muir Health
• Kimberly-Clark Corporation
• Los Angeles World Airports
• Mastercard
• Monsanto
• Nexteer Automotive
• ProQuest
• Quest Diagnostics
• Rapid7
• Sallie Mae
• State of Michigan
• State of Missouri Office of Administration
• The MITRE Corporation
• The Nature Conservancy
• TransUnion
• United Airlines
• United Nations International Computing Centre
• USAA
• Viewpost
• Voya Financial

Sponsor Opportunities:
Current CSO50 Conference + Awards sponsors include Gigamon, LIFARS LLC and Wombat. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Bob Bragdon at 508.935.4443 or bbragdon@idgenterprise.com.

Register to Attend
To attend the CSO50 Conference + Awards, please call 800.643.4668 or visit www.csoconference.com to register online.

About the CSO50 Awards
Launched in 2013, the CSO50 Awards recognizes 50 organizations for security projects and initiatives that demonstrate outstanding business value. The CSO50 Awards are scored according to a uniform set of criteria by a panel of judges that includes security leaders, industry experts and academics. Awards will be presented at the CSO50 Conference + Awards. Past winners include Aflac, Boston University, L'Oreal USA, USPS, Voya Financial and many more. A complete list of the 2016 winners can be viewed on IDGEnterprise.com.

About CSO
CSO is the premier content and community resource for security decision-makers leading "business risk management" efforts within their organization. For more than a decade, CSO's award-winning website (CSOonline.com), executive conferences, strategic marketing solutions and research have equipped security decision-makers to mitigate both IT and corporate/physical risk for their organizations and provided opportunities for security vendors looking to reach this audience. Based on editorial coverage and design, the Folio Eddie awards named CSOonline.com as the best BtoB Technology Website in 2015 and 2016. To assist CSOs in educating their organizations' employees on corporate and personal security practices, CSO also produces the quarterly newsletter Security Smart. CSO is published by IDG Enterprise, a subsidiary of IDG. Company information is available at www.idgenterprise.com.

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About IDG
IDG connects the world of tech buyers with insights, intent and engagement. IDG is the world's largest media, data and marketing services company that activates and engages the most influential technology buyers. Our premium brands, including CIO®, Computerworld®, PCWorld® and Macworld®, engage the most powerful audience of technology buyers providing essential guidance on the evolving technology landscape. Our global data intelligence platform activates purchasing intent, powering our clients' success. IDG Marketing Services creates custom content with marketing impact across video, mobile, social and digital. We execute complex campaigns that fulfill marketers' global ambitions seamlessly with consistency that delivers results and wins awards. IDG is the #1 tech media company in the world, per comScore.*

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, Desktop Unique Visitors, Worldwide, February 2016