At its recent Sophos 2026 Partner Experience event, Sophos recognised top partners that delivered strong customer outcomes, demonstrated technical expertise and supported the continued growth of the Sophos ecosystem in Southern Africa.
“Customers are looking for trusted advisors who can help them understand risk, simplify security operations and respond faster to emerging threats,” says Pieter Nel, regional head: SADC at Sophos. “Our partners play a critical role in delivering that value. These awards recognise the organisations and individuals who continue to show commitment, expertise and consistency in the way they support customers across Southern Africa.”
The 2026 awards reflected the breadth of the Sophos partner ecosystem, with recognition across managed detection and response, enterprise, commercial, mid-market, public sector, MSP, distribution and customer success categories.
The 2026 Sophos South Africa Partner Award winners were:
- MDR Partner of the Year – BC Technologies
- Enterprise Partner of the Year – First Technology Group
- Outstanding Customer Success of the Year – System5
- Public Sector Partner of the Year – Ikasi Solutions
- Commercial Partner of the Year – Leaf Technologies
- Mid-Market Partner of the Year – Liquid Intelligent Technologies
- MSP Partner of the Year – SevenC
- Distributor of the Year – IDSS Distribution
- Partner of the Year – First Technology Group
- Outstanding Contributor of the Year – Paul Fairbanks
Nel says the awards also reflect the changing needs of the South African market, where organisations are increasingly looking for security partners that can deliver both technology and ongoing support.
“Partners are often the first point of contact when customers need to make important security decisions, and the channel remains central to how cybersecurity is delivered locally,” he says.
First Technology Group was recognised twice at this year’s awards, receiving both Enterprise Partner of the Year and Partner of the Year. Paul Fairbanks received the individual award for Outstanding Contributor of the Year, acknowledging his contribution to the Sophos partner community.
According to Sophos, the Partner Experience event remains an important platform for engagement with the local channel, giving partners access to business updates, market insight and practical tools to support customer conversations.
“Our success in Southern Africa is closely linked to the strength of our partner community,” adds Nel. “We are proud to work with partners who understand the local market, invest in their skills and help customers build more resilient security environments. We congratulate all this year’s winners and thank every partner who continues to grow with Sophos.”