The city of Scottsdale was named a winner of the 2026 CSO Award for its cybersecurity modernization project, according to a Mar. 11 announcement. The award recognizes organizations that show innovation in cybersecurity, measurable risk reduction, and positive business impact.
This recognition highlights the importance of protecting public services and digital infrastructure as cities rely more on technology. Scottsdale’s initiative focused on adopting Zero Trust principles and Secure SD-WAN technology to improve security across its network.
The city modernized its network by implementing Zero Trust architecture, which continuously verifies users and devices rather than relying on traditional perimeter defenses. Advanced software-defined wide area networking (SD-WAN) with integrated security was deployed across more than 120 city facilities, public safety operations, and cloud platforms. “Protecting the systems that support our community is one of our most important responsibilities,” said Scottsdale City Manager Greg Caton. “This national recognition reflects Scottsdale’s commitment to investing in modern technology that keeps our services reliable, resilient and secure for residents, businesses and visitors.”
Scottsdale supports a range of digital systems including real-time crime centers, emergency communications, smart-city sensors, and cloud-based service platforms. As these technologies expanded, the need arose to update legacy network architecture to better protect critical infrastructure. The new system reduced the city’s exposure to cyber threats while improving performance and reliability through advanced segmentation that isolates devices such as cameras and sensors from user networks.
“This project represents a fundamental shift in how we protect Scottsdale’s digital environment,” said Chief Information Officer Bianca Lochner. “By moving to a Zero Trust architecture, we’ve strengthened security while improving the speed, resilience and reliability of the systems our departments depend on to serve the community.” The rollout was carefully planned with pilot testing and failover procedures so essential services like police, fire, and water were not disrupted.
Scottsdale has drawn artists, writers and health seekers since its early years due to its blend of Western heritage and cultural activities according to the official history page. The city features various departments as well as recreational spaces like parks and golf courses in Indian Bend Wash based on its organizational chart. Forbes ranked Scottsdale among the top 15 safest U.S. cities with populations over 100,000 as reported by the official recognition page. By 2000, Scottsdale’s population exceeded 202,000 residents across about 185 square miles according to historical records.
The city operates under a council-manager government structure where legislative authority rests with an elected council according to its charter. Known as ‘The West’s Most Western Town,’ Scottsdale has roots in ranching and tourism as noted in official history.
The CSO Award underscores Scottsdale’s ongoing leadership in digital government innovation.
