Patrick Bryden
Apr 16, 2026
Confidencial wins Data Solution of the Year for Legal Industry at the 2026 Data Breakthrough Awards for its patented technology that closes the "visibility gap" when sensitive client data fuels AI applications.
MENLO PARK, Calif. — April 16, 2026 — Confidencial, a data-centric security solution, today announced it has been named the winner of the “Data Solution of the Year for Legal” award in the 2026 Data Breakthrough Awards. The program, conducted by Tech Breakthrough, is a premier recognition platform that rigorously evaluates the global big data and analytics markets.
Confidencial was selected for its patented technology that addresses the "visibility gap" in legal workflows—a vulnerability that occurs when sensitive client data leaves secure repositories to fuel modern AI applications. Originally developed under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and incubated at SRI, Confidencial’s platform ensures that data protection is embedded within the file itself, regardless of where it is stored or processed.
“Given the requirement for absolute client confidentiality and the necessity to adopt AI, the legal industry faces some of the greatest challenges in securing data and making it safe to use in training AI,” said Stewart Walchli, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Confidencial. “Winning ‘Data Solution of the Year for Legal’ validates our mission to move beyond perimeter-based security. We are providing a ‘data-first’ architecture where access policies are inseparable from the file, allowing law firms to remain AI-ready without incurring the risks associated with data exposure.”
The Data Breakthrough Awards selection process involves a thorough evaluation by an independent panel of industry experts. Entries are judged on innovation, performance, ease of use, functionality, value, and impact.
Confidencial’s platform distinguishes itself through several key technical breakthroughs:
Data-Centric Protection: Confidencial bridges the gap between Document Management Systems and legal AI tools. By embedding protection directly into a file's metadata, the platform ensures that security persists even during AI ingestion, satisfying "Never Trust, Always Verify" mandates while protecting attorney-client privilege by design.
Selective Encryption: Unlike legacy tools that disrupt attorney workflows, Confidencial’s patented selective encryption automatically protects specific elements of a document, such as financial terms or personal data, without breaking the file’s usability or searchability.
Scalable Risk Mitigation: Deployed across leading law firms and global enterprises, including an Am Law 10 firm and one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, the solution has scanned hundreds of terabytes of data to identify and secure previously exposed data elements.
About Confidencial
Confidencial is a data security platform that protects sensitive, unstructured data across your business ecosystem - whether in motion, at rest, or in use. With patented selective encryption, built-in auditability, and zero-trust controls embedded at the data layer, Confidencial empowers organizations to safeguard their most valuable information in the age of AI.
Learn more at confidencial.io.
About Data Breakthrough
Part of the Tech Breakthrough organization, a leading global provider of market intelligence and recognition platforms for technology innovation and leadership, the Data Breakthrough Awards program is devoted to honoring innovation and market disruption in data technologies, services, companies, and products. The global Data Breakthrough Awards program provides a forum for public recognition around the achievements of data companies and solutions in categories including data analytics, DataOps, data management, infrastructure and hardware, storage, Business Intelligence, and more. For more information, visit DataBreakthroughAwards.com.
Tech Breakthrough LLC does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our recognition programs, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with award designations. Tech Breakthrough LLC recognition consists of the opinions of the Tech Breakthrough LLC organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Tech Breakthrough LLC disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this recognition program, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.