Wombat Security Awards 2017: The Year in Review

As the end of 2017 approaches, we’re celebrating another exciting year at Wombat Security by looking back on the milestones we’ve achieved and the recognition we’ve received from organizations in the infosec space — including a fourth consecutive year in the Leader quadrant of the Gartner MQ and our “three-peat” ranking in the top 150 of the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™.

Speaking of milestones, we’re proud to say that we now serve well over 2,000 enterprise customers, and companies of all sizes are using our differentiated, innovative, and proven Security Education Platform to change employee behavior and reduce the risk of a successful cyberattack. As we’ve all witnessed over the past year, reducing that risk has never been more critical.

“Cybercriminals didn’t slow down in 2017,” said Joe Ferrara, Wombat CEO. “In fact, they showed us how tactical and targeted they can be. The proliferation of ransomware, the massive Google Docs and Gmail phish, and the significant rise in damaging business email compromise attacks all exemplify the need to educate and empower end users.

“Our leadership and innovation continue to lead the market for effective, measurable security awareness training,” Ferrara stated. “The fact that Wombat is being recognized by organizations like Deloitte and Gartner clearly reflects the value of our vision, the strength of our business, and our market-leading position.”

Deloitte’s 2017 Technology Fast 500

As we announced earlier this month, we have been ranked #135 on Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500, a list of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, and energy tech companies in North America. This is the third consecutive year Wombat has ranked in the top 150 of the Fast 500, and our 840% growth from 2013 to 2016 resulted in a higher position than we held last year.

This year’s Fast 500 winners “underscore the impact of technological innovation and world-class customer service in driving growth, in a fiercely competitive environment,” said Sandra Shirai, vice chairman of Deloitte LLP and US technology, media, and telecommunications leader. “These companies are on the cutting edge and are transforming the way we do business.” 

Gartner 2017 Magic Quadrant for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training

The recognition from Deloitte closely followed the release of Gartner’s 2017 Magic Quadrant for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training, in which we were named a Leader for the fourth year in a row.

Wombat was one of 12 vendors evaluated, and our strong position again this year reflects our forward-looking leadership and our ability to deliver on our vision. Gartner’s evaluation criteria for Completeness of Vision — in which we clearly leads the market — include market understanding, marketing strategy, sales strategy, product strategy and offering, business model, vertical/industry and geographic strategy, and innovation.

CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards

In September, CyberSecurity Breakthrough Awards named Wombat its 2017 Enterprise Email Security Solution of the Year. An independent organization, CyberSecurity Breakthrough is dedicated to recognizing the top companies, technologies, and products in the global information security market.

“2017 has been marred with an inordinate number of cybersecurity incidents, from ransomware attacks to data breaches and massive consumer data leaks,” said James Johnson, managing director at CyberSecurity Breakthrough. “Now is the time for consumers and businesses to protect themselves from these increasing cyber threats. Fortunately, many companies are delivering breakthrough cybersecurity solutions, and we are committed to highlighting and showcasing these standout cybersecurity companies and products with our awards program.”

Info Security Products Guide Global Excellence Awards

In February, Info Security Products Guide recognized Wombat with three 2017 Global Excellence Awards:

1. Gold in the Email Security and Management category for our PhishAlarm® Analyzer email analysis tool
2. Silver in the Security Training and Educational Programs category for our Security Education Platform, which is a purpose-built learning management system
3. Bronze in the Security Products and Solutions for Healthcare category for our CyberStrength® Knowledge Assessments, which allow organizations to assess end-user knowledge levels about a variety of cybersecurity topics

This is the sixth year in a row that we’ve received a Global Excellence Award, and our fourth consecutive year as a Gold winner.

Carnegie Science Awards Entrepreneur of the Year

In addition to industry-wide awards, Wombat received recognition from an educational institution in our hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. The Carnegie Science Center recognized Wombat CEO Joe Ferrara with its Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Since 1997, the Carnegie Science Center has honored a select number of educators, organizations, and science and technology leaders for their outstanding work in the Pittsburgh region.

Additional Awards and Honors

We were also recognized for the following prestigious awards:

• Cyber Defense Magazine named Wombat as the Leader in Security Training in its 2017 CDM Infosec Awards
• Our Customer Success Team was a finalist for a Cybersecurity Excellence Award in the 2017 Cybersecurity Team of the Year category
• Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) named Wombat a 2017 US finalist in its Outstanding Customer Service Initiative category