Microsoft Reveals 2020 New Zealand Partner Awards Winners

Winners were recognised for their outstanding efforts to transform customers

New Zealand, 9pm, 27 November 2020 – Microsoft is thrilled to announce the winners for its 13th annual Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards. These winners represent the best of Microsoft’s local Partner network and were celebrated tonight at a glamorous ceremony held at the Auckland Town Hall.

Judges spoke highly of each of the 10 winners for the outstanding ways they are continuing to empower customers through clever use of Microsoft technology.

“The last 12 months have seen the Partner network face some really challenging circumstances. What is most exciting to see is that the calibre of this year’s winners shows Partners have really stepped up to the plate and done some incredible work. Their exceptional efforts to go above and beyond for customers is admirable and it makes us so proud to be partnered with them,” says Matt Bostwick, Commercial Partner Director at Microsoft NZ.

Two Partners were recognised multiple times for creating outstanding customer solutions, with Fusion5 being awarded the Business Applications and highly contested Transforming Product awards, and Datacom taking out the Cloud for Good and Azure Migrate awards. Information Leadership won the Empowering Employees award for the second year in a row.

The workplace has seen significant disruption from COVID-19 this year, with staff being forced to work from home and businesses having to embrace new tools to help workers collaborate, while keeping information secure. The digitisation of Kiwi companies also made them a prime target for cybercrime. Defend Limited demonstrated its award-winning credentials in Modern Work and Security through its work for Zespri. To quote Defend Limited, “Success is about uplifting people, process, and technology – in harmony.”

New Zealand’s longest running Microsoft Gold Partner for DevOps, Equinox IT, was awarded the Azure Innovate Award. Its work to help Fulton Hogan’s Enterprise Data Warehouse team transform how they develop and deploy data warehouse capability to critical engineering and infrastructure projects is a prime example of the outstanding local innovation that attracted Microsoft to launch a new datacenter region in New Zealand. Valocity also walked away with the newly introduced ISV Partner Award for its transformation of New Zealand’s property ecosystem via the Valocity Connect app.

“This year has really shaken up the world, so it is great to be able to come together and recognise some of the good stuff that has happened. We couldn’t be more thrilled by the winners and the incredible work they have achieved this year for customers. Our Partners are transforming New Zealand and its economy in some pretty amazing ways and now is more important than ever for this to continue. We can’t wait to see what they will do next year – watch this space,” says Matt.

Microsoft would also like to extend its congratulations to Enlighten Designs, who in July 2020 was named Microsoft NZ’s Partner of the Year. Enlighten has been innovating with Microsoft technologies for the past 21 years and was recognised for providing outstanding solutions and services in the New Zealand market.

The full list of 2020 winners are:

Azure Innovate Award

Winner: Equinox IT – Fulton Hogan

Azure Migrate Award

Winner: Datacom – Financial Markets Authority

Highly Commended: LANcom Technology – MMC

Highly Commended: The Instillery – Watercare

Business Applications Award

Winner: Fusion5 – Higher Education Centre of Excellence

Channel Development Award

Winner: Dicker Data – Microsoft Azure Cloud Solution Provider Growth

Cloud for Good Award

Winner: Datacom – Ngā Maunga Whakahii o Kaipara.

Highly Commended: Softsource – Youth Horizons

Empowering Employees Award

Winner: Information Leadership – Tasman District Council

Engaging Customers Award

Winner: NV Interactive – Te Puni Kōkiri

ISV Partner Award

Winner: Valocity – Valocity Connect

Highly Commended: Theta – EVA Check-in

Modern Work & Security Award

Winner: DEFEND – Zespri

Highly Commended: Vodafone New Zealand Limited – Bank of New Zealand

Highly Commended: UNiFY NZ Limited – Ministry of Education

Highly Commended: Lexel Systems Ltd – Alliance Group

Optimising Operations Award

Winner: Rocos – Robot Operations Platform

Surface Partner Award

Winner: Spark New Zealand – Kāinga Ora

Transforming Products Award

Winner: Fusion5 – Manawanui

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