Cyderes CEO Chris Schueler Wins 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Award in Leadership

KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 2, 2026 (PR NEWSWIRE) — Cyderes, a global managed cybersecurity solutions partner committed to helping enterprise organizations Be Everyday Ready™, today announced that its CEO, Chris Schueler, has been named a winner in the 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Awards in the Leadership category. Presented by the Business Intelligence Group, the award recognizes the organizations, products, and people applying cybersecurity in ways that deliver real, measurable protection. 

The 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Awards honor achievement across the full landscape of digital defense, spotlighting the companies and leaders moving security beyond reaction and into proactive, accountable practice. This year's program recognized winners across 27 categories and 6 countries. 

Schueler was recognized for his role in the strategic acquisitions of Outpost Security and Ludicum, spearheading the launch of Meridian entity fabric, and the introduction of Howler Cell, whose research exposed the Chinese state-sponsored ValleyRAT campaign and the RedSun and BlueHammer zero-day exploits to improve threat detection for clients. Through his leadership, Cyderes achieved improved threat intelligence and research documentation, and faster identity threat detection and remediation.

"Congratulations to Chris Schueler. From standing up the U.S. Army's first SOC to shaping the modern co-managed model, he has spent nearly three decades pushing security operations forward," said Russ Fordyce, Chief Recognition Officer at the Business Intelligence Group.  

“The threats are real, and so is the defense. 2026 is about getting ahead of the attacker through execution, accountability, and measurable resilience. Chris Schueler stood out because his work in the Leadership category reflects where the market is headed: practical cybersecurity that solves real problems, earns trust, and protects the people and assets that depend on it. This recognition highlights a team that is not just keeping pace with the threat landscape but helping define what meaningful defense looks like,” Fordyce added.  

"I am honored to be recognized in the 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Awards in the Leadership category," said Chris. "Cybersecurity has spent 20 years getting better at responding. We're rewriting that with Meridian — using contextual awareness to make AI dramatically more effective, deliver accurate verdicts faster, and shift security from reactive to preemptive. I'm honored to accept this on behalf of the team behind Meridian. The real measure is the attacks our customers never see."

The Fortress Cybersecurity Awards celebrate the people and organizations leading the next phase of digital defense, where progress is judged not by novelty but by impact. Winners are selected based on how effectively they are using cybersecurity to reduce risk, protect data and assets, prevent harm, and strengthen the resilience of the organizations and communities they serve. 

Learn more about the 2026 Fortress Cybersecurity Awards

About Cyderes

Cyderes is a global managed cybersecurity services partner dedicated to defending against today's relentless threatscape. The company delivers Identity and Access Management (IAM), Exposure Management, and risk programs to stop active threats fast with Managed Detection and Response (MDR) that works with existing security tools. At the core of this approach is Meridian, unifying identity, asset, and threat data into a connected context so security teams can see relationships clearly, reduce blind spots, and respond with greater speed and precision. Cyderes enables enterprises to Be Everyday Ready™.

Media Contact:
Natalie Hogg
Method Q for Cyderes 
press@methodq.com

About the Fortress Cybersecurity Awards

The Fortress Cybersecurity Awards recognize the world's leading companies, products, and people working to keep data and digital assets safe. As cyber threats grow more sophisticated and more frequent, the program identifies and honors the organizations and individuals building the defenses that protect businesses, governments, and the people who depend on them. Judged by a panel of experienced security and business professionals who provide transparent feedback and detailed scoring, the awards celebrate measurable progress in digital defense.

About Business Intelligence Group

Business Intelligence Group (BIG) is an independent awards organization that has been recognizing outstanding achievement in business since 2012. Now in its 14th awards season, BIG operates 12 annual programs spanning innovation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, customer service, cloud computing, sustainability, sales and marketing, workplace culture, and women's leadership. Business award programs include the BIG Innovation Awards, AI Excellence Awards, Fortress Cyber Security Awards, Excellence in Customer Service Awards, Stratus Awards for Cloud Computing, Sustainability Awards, SAMMY Awards for Sales and Marketing, Best Places to Work Awards, Herizon Awards, We Love Tech Awards, NAA Top Employers Award, and BIG Awards for Business.

Unlike popularity contests, BIG programs use professional judging panels and objective scoring benchmarks to identify organizations, products, and individuals making real, measurable impact. Winners receive a complete promotional toolkit, including blockchain-verified credentials, press release support, social media assets, and featured placement across BIG's global community of more than one million business professionals.

For more information about BIG award programs, nomination deadlines, and judging criteria, visit bintelligence.com.

Media Contact:
Eliana Starbird
Chief Nominations Officer
contact@bintelligence.com