Awards of Dr. Erdal Ozkaya

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Awards & Recognitions

Awards of Dr. Erdal Ozkaya

A globally recognised cybersecurity leader, Microsoft Circle of Excellence recipient, NATO Cybersecurity Advisor, and author of 26 award-winning books. Recognised across 15+ years of continuous CISO leadership excellence.

2025

  • Microsoft Regional Director by Microsoft
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft

2024

  • Center of Excellence Defence Against Terrorism by NATO
  • Microsoft Regional Director by Microsoft
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft
  • Cisco Champion by Cisco

2023

  • Microsoft Regional Director by Microsoft
  • DX Inspire Award by Inspire Committee
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft
  • Cisco Champion by Cisco
  • Turkish Computing Society Award
  • Global CIO Award – Cybersecurity Influencer USA

2022

  • DX Inspire Award by Inspire Committee
  • Global Cybersecurity Leader of the Year by InfoSec
  • International Cyber Warfare Award by Turkish Cybersecurity Cluster
  • Best IT Blog Awards Winner by Cisco
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft
  • Alumni Award Nomination by Western Sydney University
  • Cisco Champion by Cisco

2021

  • Top 50 Technology Leaders by IDC and CIO Online
  • Best CISO for Banking and Financial Sector by EC MEA
  • Top CISO by Security ME Magazine
  • Technology Leaders to Follow by Tycoon Success Magazine
  • CEH Hall of Fame by EC Council
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft
  • Best Cybersecurity Books of All Time by Defense Magazine
  • Best of All Times Cybersecurity Books by Short Forum
  • Cybersecurity Ambassadors Rocheston Recognition Award 2021
  • Top 100 Cybersecurity Blogs by Feedspot

2020

  • CISO Power List by Khaleej Times
  • Global Enterprise CIO Award by ICMG
  • Hall of Fame by CISO Mag
  • Cyber Sentinel Award by Enterprise IT World
  • Top CISO Award by Tahawultech.com
  • Comodo Community Trusted Advisor by Comodo
  • Top 100 Cybersecurity Blogs by Feedspot
  • Global Future Security Leader by GEC Media
  • Certificate of Recognition by Albanian Cyber Academy
  • Superhero CISO Award by Enterprise IT World

2019

  • Microsoft Regional Director by Microsoft
  • Cybersecurity Influencer of the Year by CISO Mag
  • Cybersecurity Professional of the Year Award by Cyber Sentinels
  • Legend by Global CIO Forum
  • International Cyber Warfare Conference Recognition
  • Best Social Engineering Books to Read in 2019 by Books Authority
  • Worldwide Communities SME by Microsoft

2018

  • Worldwide Communities SME by Microsoft
  • Banking Security Recognition by FinnoSec

2017

  • Microsoft Circle of Excellence by Microsoft
  • Global Cybersecurity Research Center by CRC
  • Turkish Standard Organization Appreciation Award
  • Appreciation Award by Turkish Telecom
  • Antakya Cybersecurity Appreciation by ATO
  • Appreciation Award — General Military Staff of Turkey
  • Appreciation Award NATO OTAN
  • Center of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism by NATO
  • Appreciation Award by Charles Sturt University
  • Appreciation Award by TAI

2016

  • Appreciation Award by Brand Protection Congress
  • MVP Reconnect Medal by Microsoft
  • Center of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism by NATO
  • Information Security Society of Africa Nigeria (ISSAN)
  • aeCERT Cyber Award by United Arab Emirates CERT

2015

  • Microsoft Azure Expert by Microsoft
  • Top 50 Channel Professionals by Channel MEA
  • Microsoft TechEd Community Award by Microsoft
  • Windows Product Group Award by Microsoft
  • Best Networking Security Pro Award by Network World
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft

2014

  • Professional of the Year Sydney by SCC
  • Microsoft Community Award by Microsoft
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft

2013

  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft
  • Favourite 17 Blogs by Pluralsight

2012

  • Circle of Excellence by EC Council
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft

2011

  • Global Instructor of the Year by EC Council
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft

2010

  • Hobart Cybersecurity Recognition by Hobart CC
  • First MCLC in Australia by Microsoft
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft

2009

  • Speaker of the Year by Microsoft
  • Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) by Microsoft

2008

About Dr. Erdal Ozkaya — Cybersecurity Award Recipient

Named among the Top 50 Technology Leaders 2021 by CIO Online & IDC, Dr. Erdal Ozkaya is a globally recognised cybersecurity leader with over 25 years of experience protecting governments, Fortune 500 enterprises, and global organisations from cyber threats.

As a Microsoft Circle of Excellence recipient, Microsoft Regional Director, Microsoft MVP, and NATO Cybersecurity Advisor, Dr. Ozkaya has been consistently recognised for his outstanding contributions to the global cybersecurity community. He is the author of 26 award-winning books on cybersecurity, ethical hacking, digital forensics, and CISO leadership — used as reference texts in universities and enterprises across more than 50 countries.

Dr. Ozkaya is a frequent keynote speaker at Black Hat, RSA Conference, Microsoft Ignite, and the Global CISO Forum, where he champions proactive cyber defence strategies and board-level security governance.