MSP Innovation Awards 2021
Welcome to the
How do we choose the winners?
The entry is detailing something totally new, or has a new approach to an existing challenge
Find out the winners
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Innovation
Relevance
The entry demonstrates an outstanding understanding of their chosen field
Success
The entry shows clear evidence of success, leadership and adoption
Introduction
The judginG process
Firstname Surname
What are these awards all about?
Channel Partner Insight’s North American MSP Innovation Awards is back for its third year; its second in the midst of a global pandemic. So much has changed for all of us in a world where economies and businesses have been locked down far longer than many of us may have anticipated. More than ever, being innovative has, and continues to be, a real differentiator in the market. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella may have hailed the acceleration of digital transformation moving as rapidly as two years in just two months, but the specter of “partner consolidation” and customers going under has also been true. Channel Partner Insight’s North American MSP Innovation Awards celebrates partners - and their vendors – who are serving as extraordinary examples of success in the US managed services market. We’re sharing this with you in this exhibition awards hub. It’s interactive, and serves as a reminder of the myriad of successes MSPs and vendors have wrought across the continent in an extremely unpredictable year; of lessons learned and of achievements hard-won. You can click through to each category to see a short video. The winner will be revealed, alongside an explanation of what made theirs the most compelling example of innovation and success among their peers. The hub also features Q&As with some of the winners who are profiled below. On behalf of the Channel Partner Insight team, I commend all of you for the extraordinary caliber of entries this year, and for the passion that each winner demonstrated in rising above the challenges of the last 12 months. Nima Sherpa Green, Editor Channel Partner Insight
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About the sponsor
Delta is a new market analysis service from Computing that draws its research from independently sourced end-users. It reveals the real experiences of senior IT professionals, rather than the opinion of analysts or vendor hype. As an IT Leader you will no doubt be time-poor, bombarded with information and expected to have a broad and deep understanding of every technology area, including all the latest developments. Delta provides deep and easily-digestible insight into the key technology areas for today’s IT leaders just like you.
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Cascadeo Founded in July 2006, Cascadeo is a Premier AWS Consulting Partner and Managed Services Provider (MSP) that specializes in cloud migration, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Originally established to focus on data centers and customized managed hosting, Cascadeo has evolved to become a Premier AWS Consulting Partner that also provides on-going managed services within the public cloud ecosystem. Cascadeo also has partnerships or certifications with other cloud vendors such as Kubernetes and NetApp Cloud Solutions and we are a Premier Partner with Google Cloud Platform and a Gold Partner with Microsoft Azure. Cascadeo.io, an AIOps-enabled platform, is considered the next generation managed services delivered as a SaaS (Software as a Service). Barracuda MSP Barracuda MSP is the MSP-dedicated business unit of Barracuda Networks. Our mission is to drive the success of our IT service provider partners, delivering industry-leading security and data protection via a purpose-built MSP platform, steadfast commitment to partner success, and a wealth of channel expertise. When we see our firewalls blocking a ransomware attack like WannaCry or we’re able to help an MSP save a 100-year-old business by recovering their critical data after a fire, we call it success. We believe in the managed service provider model. We understand your challenges. And, we are champions for your success.
What we learned
Tap each person
huseyin seker
Staffordshire Uni
Gareth Brace
Catalyst Housing
Gavin Carey
London Stock Exchange Group
Charles Ewen
MET Office
Aidan Hancock
Network Rail
Adrian Woodhead
Expedia Group
Louise McCarthy
Recognise Bank
Umesh Parekh
Education Development Trust
tom allen
Incisive Media
Huseyin is a research-oriented and enterprise-focused academic and manager with both academic and industry experiences in data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and emerging & disruptive technologies/systems. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles and has been involved with a portfolio of collaborative research, enterprise and teaching/learning projects of over £20M as PI, Co-I and international researcher in collaboration with universities and companies in the UK and abroad. He was one of the founding members of the Institute of Coding and lead its activities at Northumbria University until September 2019. He previously worked as a Reader/Assoc Professor and Director of Enterprise & Engagement for the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Northumbria University and Faculty Head of Research Operations for the Faculty of Technology at De Montfort University.
Following a short career in education having completed a Computer Science and post-graduate studies in the early 90s, Gareth has built a successful career in the UK. A co-founder of a successful start-up in the early 2000’s (acquired by a FTSE250 organisation), Gareth spent 5 years at a “Big 4” advisory firm. When presented an opportunity to move on, he left this field cause he “never saw the baby grow up”. Aiming to both advise on and deliver IT services, a move into the emerging outsourcing market in Central Eastern Europe beckoned. Here followed the oversight of over 500,000 person days’ worth of effort over the years, in a variety of business domains. This delivery exposed Gareth to a large variety of change both in technology and business strategy, with high degrees of taking innovation to the customers forethoughts. Most recently, Gareth has sought a social purpose in his work and is the CIO at a large Housing Association. A lifelong learner, he continues to study voraciously and has developed a unique ability to translate deeply technical concepts into easily understood, business friendly terms - most recently graduating the Oxford University FinTech programme.
Gavin is a senior technology and business leader who joined LSEG via the acquisition of Refinitiv, where he has in excess of 20 years experience. He currently leads the Technology organisation responsible for the transformation of the groups Identity, Access, Entitlements and Rights Management technology platforms which serve the companies desktop and enterprise platforms, and ensure compliance with the often complex usage rights which apply to the market moving data which LSEG provides to its financial services professional customers. Prior to moving back into Engineering leadership, Gavin held the position of Head of Enterprise, EMEA – responsible for innovation on topics of Cloud and AI/ML whilst setting and leading the vision, strategy and execution for Refinitiv’s market leading Enterprise propositions and commercials in the EMEA region, and for Historical Market Data globally. Gavin studied Computer Science at the University of Wales, Swansea, before moving to take up a software engineering position in the real-time market data industry, working from a barn outside of Cambridge. In the time since, and through numerous acquisitions, Gavin’s winding career path has been shaped by a knack for identifying and highlighting problems or inefficiencies, and subsequently being tasked with their resolution. Away from the office, Gavin enjoys pretty much anything involving the water, photographing the world, and spending time with his young family.
I am accountable for all aspects of Technology, and for the core technology teams responsible for the delivery of services and technology projects. I work closely with colleagues in other areas of the organisation to maintain the overall technology enterprise architecture, for which I am responsible. We operate a federated approach to IT delivery in areas such as supercomputing and observations to ensure that we have the depth and range of skills and experience to deliver a world-class capability in selected areas. I have worked for the Met Office in a number of senior technology roles since 2008 and, prior to that, worked in the business-to-business online retail and distribution industry, focussing on technology driven change. I have significant experience in organisational transformation in a range of businesses. As well as a number of consulting appointments, I worked within the Premier Farnell group of companies for over 10 years. I have run my own small technology company and started my career as an Electronics Engineer in the defence industry.
As Group CIO, Aidan is an inspirational digital leader with a track record in successfully identifying and agilely delivering new digital capabilities which create and enhance business value – from ensuring consistent and controlled foundational IT services to transformation at scale (e.g. AI, IoT, blockchain), while ensuring cyber security is continuously enhanced across all activities. Experienced in organisational change and management of large multi-level distributed teams across multiple cultures, he has held senior management and technology positions, including twelve years with BP in a range of roles from Chief Network Architect to CIO for the Middle East, and in the past 8 years he has been privileged to spend time in Iran, Oman, Kuwait and the UAE, and cumulatively over a year in Iraq alone. Born and raised in Cornwall, Aidan enjoys spending as much time as possible outdoors, and is an avid beekeeper.
Adrian is a software developer, architect and technical team lead with over twenty years of professional experience in a wide variety of technologies, most recently specialising in “big data”. He has worked for companies ranging from two person startups to fully fledged businesses with tens of millions of users. He has been a passionate advocate for open source and heads open source efforts at the Expedia Group where he is a principal engineer. His current focus area is working on a highly scalable data platform that supports analytics, AI, machine learning and data engineering.
Currently NED for Recognise Bank as well as a senior Digital Advisor at Bain & co. Louise has help a number complex organisation create their strategy for Global Digital IT transformation. Louise is an outstanding, award winning and dynamic inspirational CIO transformational and business change leader with over 35 years’ experience in some large private and public sector organisations. Also a highly respected in the technology, digital industry as a passionate, energized and transformational leader who achieves amazing results. She is valued at board level for design of complex technology and digital transformational visions, and strategy. The ability to take complex organisations with the need for transformation and align to business objectives. A background in finance and commercial giving the ability to see the wider picture and achieved commercial creativity. Louise is also a role model for females in technology.”
Sudip Trivedi
London Borough of Camden
Sudip is Head of Data and Analytics at London Borough of Camden. He is leading on implementation of data strategy and portfolio of projects to support organisational outcomes, he has also led on organisational digital strategy and is passionate about data enabled public services.
Umesh graduated with a degree in Computing Science from Imperial College, London. He has worked for Cap Gemini as an SAP Consultant and with Unilever in the early days of the commercial internet as an eBusiness Manager. Where he pioneered a fully integrated on-line ordering facility directly integrated into SAP. After graduating with a Master’s in Business Administration, he was involved in setting up a Software-as-a-Service Document Management company. Since 2011, he has been in senior technology leadership roles within the Not-for-Profit sector. He was an early adopter of cloud, moving his first organisation into MS Office 365 and a private cloud environment. Now working in the Education sector, he sees AI and Machine Learning as tools that will enable a major shift in the sector. Enabling education programmes to be highly tailored to the needs of the individual.
TOm allen
Tom is the Site Editor for Delta, Computing’s market intelligence service, and regularly writes news and analysis pieces for Computing. He joined Incisive Media in 2017 from the display industry, trading LCDs and quantum dots for cyber-security and machine learning. As well as tech market analysis, Tom’s role consists of interviewing C-level IT leaders, organising events and complaining about improper use of the Oxford comma.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Stuart sumner
stuart sumner
Stuart Sumner is Editorial Director of Incisive Media's technology-focused titles: Computing and The Inquirer. He oversees all content across print, web, tablet editions, rich media and events - including the IT Leaders' Dining Club and Computing Summits. During Stuart's tenure Computing has transformed from a print-reliant business to a bleeding edge multi-channel brand with an industry-leading events portfolio. Previously he spent 10 years as a programme manager in the IT industry, working for companies such as the BBC, COLT, Nortel Networks and Equant. As a journalist he has also worked for Time Out and IPC Media. He is a regular technology pundit and contributor to the BBC News Channel, as well as a published author.
John Leonard
John Leonard is Group Research Director for the Enterprise Technology Group at Incisive Media. He has designed and conducted research studies and analyses covering many of the aspects of business technology that are driving the way we live and work today.
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AWARD CATEGORIES
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“Without passion, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.” - Warren Bufett
Channel Partner Insight has précised the key trends that emerged from reading your entries. We gained a wealth of insights into the pain points and opportunities that many vendors and MSPs have experienced or the past 12 months.
CPI is intent on honoring the top solution providers and their vendors leading the charge in bringing genuinely innovative solutions to enterprises, SMBs and government agencies. But what is inescapable is that the financial pressures of the global pandemic has left a sizeable dent in the balance sheets of many end users. Major economic shocks caused by projects being halted has led to significant liabilities for some, but opened up new opportunities for others. One winner from this year’s awards told CPI: "It's extremely clear that security right now is what is driving the need and the relevance of managed service providers.” And no wonder, considering much more visible the dangers of hacks are to CISOs. Recently, Canalys analysts found that more data was compromised by ransomware in the last 12 months than in the past 15 years combined. Many MSPs said that conversations with customers have been bolstered by a stronger appreciation of partners being “true trusted advisors”. Several entries highlighted how they used both this spike in high-profile attacks, and greater understanding of the value of MSPs, to open new, or expand existing, dedicated security units within their business. Much of the growth statistics that were shared with CPI were connected to these security-specific units within MSP’s portfolios. Building on a mantra of “it’s not if you’ll get attacked, it’s when” MSPs across multiple verticals agreed that rapidly changing security threat vectors means that customers are rethinking their infrastructures for the sake of nothing less than business continuity.
Money is tight. But security is king.
The challenges of the global pandemic seems to have sparked a flurry of innovative "outside the box" drawing on the experiences of senior IT professionals across the channel. However, a common thread in this year’s entries was that staff had excelled in projects while being asked to do more despite being time-poor. Connected to this appears to be a change in how partners want to market themselves. CPI has interviewed several winners and asked them to elaborate on this point. Among the observations of some MSPs over the last 12 months is a sense that there are a few cybersecurity vendors who are pushing partners to label themselves in a scope they feel is limiting. Several partner CEOs told CPI they questioned whether the differentiation between MSP v MSSP now holds any real meaning. “What’s the point of having that distinction now? If they think that not having that extra ‘S’ in their marketing will mean that a customer doesn’t hold them to account when there’s a security breach, they’ve got another thing coming,” said one Florida-HQ MSP CEO. It seems that with customers being bombarded with information on the latest threats in the market from all sides, there’s a greater expectation for solution providers to have a broad and deep understanding of security even if they are not a MSSP.
MSP v MSSP – Does the distinction continue to hold merit?
One of the market forces that has undoubtedly shaped the last 12 months is remote and hybrid work. Businesses had to react quickly when lockdowns first set in. One vendor told CPI that one of its largest clients asked for help to engineer 400,000 staff to work remotely with two days’ notice. Months down the line, the fact that some of those engineering jobs were rushed by customers, meant another spike in demand for MSPs. One partner’s entry focused exactly on this, referencing testimonials from customers who had been forced to look for solutions to “fix rushed remote working solutions”. Customer demand shifted to solutions built more for the longer haul. Automation and acceleration to the cloud came out as key drivers of revenue growth,as highlighted in several winning entries. The infrastructure as a service market was turbocharged by the pandemic by mid-2020. Forrester analysts now forecast that this upward trajectory is set to take the global public cloud infrastructure market to growth of around 35 per cent up to $120bn this year. Another milestone in an extraordinary year for service providers.
Build for long-term success
Money is tight. But security is king
CPI is intent on honoring the top solution providers and their vendors leading the charge in bringing genuinely innovative solutions to enterprises, SMBs and government agencies. But what is inescapable is that the financial pressures of the global pandemic has left a sizeable dent in the balance sheets of many end users. Major economic shocks caused by projects being halted has led to significant liabilities for some, but opened up new opportunities for others. One winner from this year’s awards told CPI: "It's extremely clear that security right now is what is driving the need for and the relevance of managed service providers.” And no wonder, considering how much more visible the dangers of hacks are to CISOs. Recently, Canalys analysts found that more data was compromised by ransomware in the last 12 months than in the past 15 years combined. Many MSPs said that conversations with customers have been bolstered by a stronger appreciation of partners being “true trusted advisors”. Several entries highlighted how they used both this spike in high-profile attacks, and greater understanding of the value of MSPs, to open new, or expand existing, dedicated security units within their business. Much of the growth statistics that were shared with CPI were connected to these security-specific units within MSP’s portfolios. Building on a mantra of “It’s not if you’ll get attacked, it’s when” MSPs across multiple verticals agreed that rapidly changing security threat vectors means that customers are rethinking their infrastructures for the sake of nothing less than business continuity.
The challenges of the global pandemic seems to have sparked a flurry of innovative "thinking outside the box" drawing on the experiences of senior IT professionals across the channel. However, a common thread in this year’s entries was that staff had excelled in projects while being asked to do more despite being time-poor. Connected to this appears to be a change in how partners want to market themselves. CPI has interviewed several winners and asked them to elaborate on this point. Among the observations of some MSPs over the last 12 months is a sense that there are a few cybersecurity vendors who are pushing partners to label themselves in a scope they feel is limiting. Several partner CEOs told CPI they questioned whether the differentiation between MSP v MSSP now holds any real meaning. “What’s the point of having that distinction now? If they think that not having that extra ‘S’ in their marketing will mean that a customer doesn’t hold them to account when there’s a security breach, they’ve got another thing coming,” said one Florida-HQ MSP CEO. It seems that with customers being bombarded with information on the latest threats in the market from all sides, there’s a greater expectation for solution providers to have a broad and deep understanding of security, even if they are not a MSSP.
One of the market forces that has undoubtedly shaped the last 12 months is remote and hybrid work. Businesses had to react quickly when lockdowns first set in. One vendor told CPI that one of its largest clients asked for help to engineer 400,000 staff to work remotely with two days’ notice. Months down the line, the fact that some of those engineering jobs were rushed by customers, meant another spike in demand for MSPs. One partner’s entry focused exactly on this, referencing testimonials from customers who had been forced to look for solutions to “fix rushed remote working solutions”. Customer demand shifted to solutions built more for the longer haul. Automation and acceleration to the cloud came out as key drivers of revenue growth, as highlighted in several winning entries. The infrastructure as a service market was turbocharged by the pandemic by mid-2020.Forrester analysts now forecast that this upward trajectory is set to take the global public cloud infrastructure market to growth of around 35 per cent up to $120bn this year. Another milestone in an extraordinary year for service providers.
the 2021 awards
The boundaries between home and work lives have become blurred. What has that meant for the employees, and wider work culture in the channel? How have partners ensured that team members do still feel connected with purpose “as a team”.
Best Employer to Work For
Customer Satisfaction Award
Customers have had to be more discerning over the last year concerning cost efficiencies, ROI and protecting the continuation of their business model. Judges were looking for solid customer testimonials and stats demonstrating results.
Best Sales Team of the Year
Brief description
Next Generation MSP Innovation Award
How have you changed your services over the last twelve months to better serve customers, gain a competitive advantage or monopolize on a new trend that has emerged during the pandemic? CPI was looking for a winning MSP who could show that it has been truly innovative in embracing new or emerging technologies or consumption models.
Best PSA/RMM solution
A good PSA tool is integral to any MSP business, helping a partner keep track of their customer data and projects. And RMM software automation is the backbone of that work. This winning vendor’s entry had to prove why their offering is the best in the business.
Best Vendor Security Offering
Data breaches rocketed in 2020 as more records were compromised in 12 months than in the previous 15 years combined, according to analysis from Canalys. And remote working has led to an explosion in security services sales. CPI was looking for a vendor who has helped MSPs capitalize on that growth in the US managed services market.
Best MSP Partner Program
The winning vendor in this category detailed exactly how its program helped its partners to grow, was easy to interact with and helped build real traction for its partner’s portfolio of offerings. Judges were also looking for strong partner testimonials about the level of support and sales enablement MSPs receive.
MSP Cybersecurity Award
Ransomware attacks helped cybersecurity investment grow to more than $55bn in 2020, outperforming other segments of the IT industry. CPI was looking for a solution provider who could demonstrate how its solutions and expertise helped customers safeguard their businesses successfully.
Best MSP Business Support
CPI North American MSP Innovation Awards 2021. Channel Partner Insight’s North American MSP Innovation Awards celebrates partners - and their vendors – who are serving as extraordinary examples of success in the US managed services market.
Explore our 2021 Awards
So, who are the winners at this year's MSP Innovation Awards? Find out now, by clicking through to each category to watch the videos below:
Industry Specialist Award
This award is designed to highlight managed service providers that have chosen to specialize in a specific customer vertical. Judges were looking for how MSPs tailored their offerings and services to cater for the specific needs of customers in those areas.
Find the winner
Active Fund Awards
This category is to focus specially on the vendors who have gone above and beyond in providing tangible assistance to MSPs that has been invaluable over the last 12 months. We were looking to praise a winning vendor that could demonstrate a proven track record of raising the bar on support and collaboration with MSPs.
Best Managed Services Partner Support
MSPs have been more vocal than ever over the last 12 months about what constitutes a positive vendor partnership. Judges were looking for testimonials to support how the winning vendor helped solution providers grow and capture market share.
MSP of the Year
MSP OF THE YEAR
The key category of the awards. We look forward to putting this partner on a pedestal as an extraordinary example of success in the US managed services market.
Best MSP technical Support Award
We were looking to celebrate a successful MSP which could back up why their technical support team are second to none in the market. Judges were looking for statistics on employee accreditations and customer testimonials.
Best Innovative Project Award
This award will recognize a company that demonstrated how a specific project delivered in the last 12 months was a game changer. Judges were looking for project impact as well as customer feedback.
Best Backup/ Continuity Offering
Several partners have told Channel Partner Insight over the past twelve months that backup and continuity is one of the most important technologies for their business. This category was particularly competitive.
MSP CATEGORIES
passive fund awards
VENDOR CATEGORIES
An outstanding and innovative AI project
Best Use of AI
Awarded to an ingenious new company developing or utilising AI solutions
Best AI Startup
AI/Automation Technology Provider of the Year
For a company with a ground-breaking product or service
NEW - Best Marketing Automation Project
Using AI to expand reach
NEW - Business Transformation of the Year
Changing the face of business using AI
NEW - Special Award: Pandemic Performance
Finding success in the face of adversity
Calling back to technology’s roots
Most Innovative Use of Open Source Technologies
An impactful and perfectly managed IT project
Customer Project of the Year
An impactful solution that customers love
Product of the Year
Most Innovative Use of Automation
A fresh new approach to automation
Most Innovative Use of AI
Breaking the mold
Best Software-as-a-Service Provider
Removing the pain from software
Best Networking or Communications Provider
Supporting modern workflows
Best Cloud Computing Provider
Evangelising the benefits of the cloud
Best Business Software Provider
Excelling in both software and support
Growth MSP of the Year
SMB companies have always been the lifeblood of the economy. Channel Partner Insight was looking to celebrate a partner who could provide strong evidence of revenue, head count or geographic growth.
the 2020 awards
Customers have had to be more discerning over the last year cost efficiencies, ROI and protecting the continuation of their business model. Judges were looking for solid customer testimonials and stats demonstrating results.
Winner Q&A :
CLICK TO WATCH
Q&A: Barracuda MSP
Q&A: Calligo
WINNER Q&A
WINNERs Q&A
Winners Q&A
The award
Back to categories
About this category
Congratulations!
CLICK TO REVEAl
Who's the winner?
Mission Technologies
Matthijssen Business Systems
SUCCESS Computer Consulting
Calligo, Will Gardener
meet the winners
ACEIT Solutions
Logicalis
Best MSP Technical Support Award
BeCloud
ClearScale
Link Technology Solutions
Datto
Watchguard
Sherweb
Barracuda
Zix Corporation
Logic Monitor
Winner Q&A: Barracuda MSP
MEET THE Winners
Barracuda MSP Winner of : Best PSA/RMM Solution
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Winner Q&A
Winner Q&A: Calligo
MEET THE WINNERS
Calligo Winner of : Growth MSP of the Year
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This is an important ratification of the sense and potency of our divergence from the MSP market. We have believed for years that traditional MSPs are doing themselves and their clients a disservice by being so resolutely focused on maintaining and securing technology. Businesses know, especially after the turmoil of 2020, that their ambitions hinge on their ability to drive productivity, investigate their past and future actions, and innovate wisely. But MSPs traditionally only offer services that directly influence the first piece, productivity. Meanwhile, our portfolio is designed to support the entire data lifecycle. We help our customers collect data responsibly (data privacy services), make it continuously available to their teams (managed cloud and IT services), and monetize it by using it adventurously and intelligently, but also securely and compliantly (data insights services). Winning this Growth award shows the whole MSP market that this approach is not only strong in its messaging and differentiation, but also commercially lucrative.
Juilan box
Founder and CEO, Calligo
What does this win mean for you/for the business? What could be the impact of this recognition?
We will technically always be an MSP because of our focus on managed services and delivering constant value. But we are currently shaking off the MSP label with our customers. Having spent the last years openly competing and seeking opportunities as an MSP, albeit a data-obsessed nonconformist, we now see the greater opportunity of forging a new path as a provider of transformative data services. Our degree of emphasis on data insights and data safety already re-categorizes us in the market’s mind anyway, such that our identity as an ‘MSP’ at times seemed incongruous to some. And while we will always deliver IT managed services and managed cloud services – both on our own infrastructure and Microsoft Azure – we know we can deliver more value to our customers by further expanding our capabilities in the intelligent use of their data.
Despite currently eschewing the MSP label, we honestly believe MSPs will need to look more like us. We have always felt that to protect its revenues, value and standing as a trusted advisor, the MSP market had to follow us in looking beyond clients’ technology and focusing on the full capabilities and liabilities of their data. And in truth, we have seen numerous signs of it happening, whether in the changing media agenda, increased customer focus on data, or other MSPs following in our footsteps with new services. Customer expectations of what an MSP ought to be able to do for them have broadened aggressively, far beyond maintaining their technology, so MSPs need to broaden their horizons to match, and fast.
What are the most important decisions you are considering as a business to continue to be successful in the US market this year?
What will an MSP look like in five years? (Essentially, where do you think the market for managed services market is headed? Are you considering investing in new technologies, trends or even a business model pivot on the horizon?)
Although artificial intelligence is still very much the new kid on the block in terms of enterprise technology, its use is growing at a rapid rate. From basic data entry to high-value IT estate protection, AI now lives at the heart of the business. Beyond that, though, AI has the potential to entirely change the world we live in, and it’s doing so right now. From healthcare and the environment to traffic management and your Netflix recommendations the - robots are already here, and they’re helping you to buy stuff on Amazon. Computing’s AI & Machine Learning Awards recognise the best companies, individuals, and projects in the AI space today. The process covers every corner of the industry: security, ethics, data analysis, innovation and more, as well as showcasing the movers and shakers: the technology heroes and projects that deserve industry-wide praise.
Who are the judges?
I am accountable for all aspects of Technology, and for the core technology teams responsible for the delivery of services and technology projects. I work closely with colleagues in other areas of the organisation to maintain the overall technology enterprise architecture, for which I am responsible. We operate a federated approach to IT delivery in areas such as supercomputing and observations to ensure that we have the depth and range of skills and experience to deliver a world-class capability in selected areas. I have worked for the Met Office in a number of senior technology roles since 2008 and, prior to that, worked in the business-to-business online retail and distribution industry, focussing on technology driven change. I have significant experience in organisational transformation in a range of businesses. As well as a number of consulting appointments, I worked within the Premier Farnell group of companies for over 10 years. I have run my own small technology company and started my career as an Electronics Engineer in the defence industry
Who made the shortlist?
Best Emerging Technology in AI Award
AI is always evolving as researchers develop new technologies that can change the world - whether wholesal or focusing on specific parts. Here we looked for the best new solution, paying particular attention to the challenge it aimed to overcome, its feasibility and how it addressed that challenge.
Nuance - Dragon Professional Anywhere SaltDNA SOTI - SOTI ONE Platform MobileIron - MobileIron Threat Defense
Mobile devices and apps play a major role in modern business, especially in 2020. Whether is hardware or software, the winning product should showcase an innovative use of technology to deliver provable business benefits.
Best RPA Project
Robotic process automation is a slightly simpler start on the automation journey, although it can still be used to great effect in highly advanced implementations: for everything from form-filling to natural language processing and machine learning. The winning project must be an outstanding use of RPA, where it has been implemented swiftly and solved a significant challenge.
Pure Storage - FlashBlade Supermicro - Top Loading Storage Systems
Best RPA Solution
Robotic process automation relies on software robots or AI workers, which work in the front-end, instead of APIs; lowering the barrier to entry for automation for many firms. The winning solution must be in use in the world today and enable significant levels of automation in any area: that could be data entry, security, machine operation or anything else. Real-world implementation is particularly important.
Congratulations NHS Business Services Authority
Code Enigma NHS Business Services Authority Covid19 Cloud Service Response METCloud Mobilise Cloud Services Workday Adaptive Planning RELAYTO Document Experience Platform - RELAYTO
Best Cloud Security Product
Speech-based AI offers a step-change in how we utilise enterprise IT: from data entry to booking meetings, answering questions, and manipulating data. This award is for a firm that can discuss a successful implementation of conversational AI, highlighting the benefits it has brought to the business.
McAfee - MVISION Cloud Kenna Security - Transforming Vulnerability Management METCloud CyberArk - Privilege Cloud Securonix - SearchMore Outpost24 - Cloudsec Inspect Communicate iboss - iboss Cloud Thycotic - Secret Server Cloud N2WS – N2WS Backup & Recovery Aqua Security - Dynamic Threat Analysis (DTA) Proofpoint CASB
with CyberArk highly commended
Best Use of Conversational AI
Best Use of Predictive/Prescriptive Analytics
Predictive and prescriptive analytics technologies can answer important questions for every type of organisation. Using data to predict what will happen, and understanding how to act on that information, helps to prepare for future scenarios of all types - particularly useful in times of major change. Genuine use cases are critical to success, showcasing the benefits these tools have brought, with details around the RoI and behavioural changes they have driven.
Liquidware - Adaptive Workspace Management Tempcover - Tempcover Partnerships Programme Finboot - BlockLabs St. James's Place Wealth Management - My Practice ClearPeople - Atlas by ClearPeople EBTIC and BT - EBTIC SPL Tool Cognizant Worldwide - Virtual Engineer Recur Global - Digital Mentor Conga -The Conga digital document transformation suite Couchbase - Couchbase Cloud Godel Technologies RELAYTO Document Experience Platform
Most Innovative AI Solution
This award will go to the impressive AI solution that brings something genuinely new to its users. It could be the result of a major breakthrough or advance in technology, or simply a new way of approaching an old problem. This award is judged on a variety of factors, including details of the innovation itself, how it was created and how it differs from its rivals.
Code Enigma - Helping a charity to overcome and adapt Humber Teaching NHS Foundation Trust - Yorkshire & Humber Care Record CCube Solutions - North Bristol celebrates going paperless National Police Chiefs Council - National Enabling Programme
This award is for a machine learning solution that brings something genuinely new to its users. It could be the result of a major breakthrough or advance in technology, or simply a new way of approaching an old problem. This award is judged on a variety of factors, including details of the innovation itself, how it was created and how it differs from its rivals.
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Most Innovative ML Solution
SaltDNA Hut Six Security - Small Business Information Security Awareness Training Coviant Software - Diplomat MFT Wavex Technology - APEX Secur Kaspersky - Kaspersky Endpoint Security Cloud Plus
Most Innovative Use of AI/ML
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are one of the most significant developments of the century. Although more than just a phase or a trend, widescale adoption is still in the early stages and often confined to proof-of-concepts. That makes these implementations ripe for experimentation and innovation.
Hut Six Security - Security Awareness Training and Phishing Simulator CyberArk - CyberArk Privileged Access Security MobileIron - MobileIron Threat Defense SentinelOne - Singularity Attivo Networks - ADSecure FICO - FICO® Falcon CompromiseManager proofpoint p1 Nuggets My1Login - My1Login Enterprise Identity Management Darktrace - Antigena Email Forcepoint - Forcepoint Dynamic Edge Protection Chef Software - Chef Enterprise Automation Stack Kaspersky - Kaspersky Hybrid Cloud Security
Uses for AI and ML range from automating data entry to teaching a car to drive itself. We are seeking a project that has accomplished something radically different, which a manual approach would struggle or be unable to accomplish.
Outstanding AI/ML Industry Project Award
Bridgeworks - PORTrockIT Silver Peak - Silver Peak Unity EdgeConnect RtBrick Supermicro - SuperBlade
Effective infrastructure can make data, and its insights, more accessible to users by embedding analytics in their operational processes. This award is for the analytics infrastructure platform or solution that demonstrates the best features, adoption and differentiation from its competition.
Outstanding Analytics Infrastructure Award
SOTI - SOTI Connect v1.2 Mitie - Mozaic and IoT Programme Telit - Telit OneEdge
Outstanding Data Analytics Solution Award
Data is the lifeblood of every organisation, but it's worthless without the ability to unlock its value. This award is for the data analytics solution that demonstrates superior capabilities and features, as well as evidence of strong market performance.
CyberArk - CyberArk Alero N2WS - N2WS Backup & Recovery NICE - NICE Real-Time Authentication and Fraud Prevention (RTA) Chef Software - Chef Compliance Wavex Technology - APEX®ATP Solution
Outstanding Security Automation Award
Cyber security is essential to modern businesses, but staying ahead of attackers is a constant struggle. Automating some or all of that security to watch for attacks and respond in real time removes a huge burden from overworked staff, but is full autonomy even possible? This award is for a solution that goes further than any other towards increasing security while lowering the burden on IT staff.
Congratulations Anjali Subburaj - Mars
Chris Suter - NHS Business Services Authority Patrick Keehan - SaltDNA Will Earp - South West Grid for Learning Helenna Vaughn-Smith - Enginuity Anjali Subburaj - MARS Fred Langford - Internet Watch Foundation Snehal Bhudia - BT
Best AI/ML Educational Resource
AI is a fast-moving field, and technologists must keep up to speed with the latest developments. This award is for an AI/ML educational resource that demonstrates a real impact on its users, helps them to further their understanding of the technologies, and provides practical skills.
Nuance Bosch XPTech Evidology Systems Supermicro AutomatePro HCL Technologies Luminance ServiceNow TurnKey Lender Mobliciti
with ServiceNow highly commended
Data Scientist of the Year
Data scientists are the essential bridge between hardcore data analytics and the rest of thebusiness; without them, the success of leading-edge analytics work is severely compromised. The winner of this category will be an individual who is at the peak of their game when marrying business and technology.
Rocketer Nuance Communications Ai XPRT DATAMINR FICO Intellect Design Arena Darktrace Netacea Luminance
with Intellect Design Arena highly commended
AI Professional of the Year
Demand for AI professionals has skyrocketed, in line with the explosion of AI/ML adoption across many organisations. This award goes to the individual who can demonstrate the most impressive performance across the last 12 months; this could be due to a specific project or collection of projects; a product or several products; or some other form of AI-related activity. The winner is a hard-working and innovative individual, with a bright future in the AI space.
Zerto Pure Storage Rubrik
AI/ML Team of the Year
No project can succeed without the effort and application of talented individuals, working together. This award focuses on the team and its output, but also considers the effort of the owning organisation to enable collaboration, break down siloes and support innovation. The project is new and different, with strong evidence of success by the team.
SQream - PubMatic Uses SQream to Take Ad-tech Analytics to the Next Level Looker - Embracing the power of data with Auto Trader
Best Use of Automation
Automation can range from simple data entry to complex natural language processing and security information event management. This award is for an implementation where automation has been deployed swiftly and safely to solve a significant challenge - with specific detail paid to what that challenge was, why automation was chosen to solve it and what the outcomes have been.
SaltDNA MobileIron Outpost24 Proofpoint Auth0 C2 Cyber Lyd
Nuance Softwire Future Processing PeopleGoal RELAYTO Document Experience Platform
AI is still in its infancy, and many companies claim to be doing AI when all they really have is a fancy algorithm. A truly intelligent system is one that can learn on its own, growing more adapt over time and making a practical difference to peoples' lives.
METCloud RELAYTO Document Experience Platform
The developing role of AI, and its impact on customers, has become a focus for organisations of all kinds. The Best AI Startup Award is presented to a company, founded within the last five years, that has utilised the opportunities AI and ML are bringing to organisations of all kinds. The company is either developing AI/ML solutions to sell itself, or has significant reliance on AI/ML technology to deliver its services or solutions. The winner must be using AI in a truly transformational way.
Congratulations METCloud
Avelacom South West Grid for Learning BT
AI and automation help organisations to free staff up from repetitive tasks and unlock their creativity. This award is for the firm with a truly impressive product or service; this could be due to its functionality, uniqueness, market share, performance or some combination of these traits.
The Business Software Centre (TBSC) Backup Everything Nuance Finboot BrightHR KnowBe4 PeopleGoal LogicMonitor RELAYTO Document Experience Platform
Automation is the newest tool marketers are using to raise efficiencies. Much like other areas of business, marketing automation frees the team up to focus on adding value to their other work, as well as enabling seamless and simplified omnichannel marketing.
Congratulations RELAYTO Document Experience Platform
with BrightHR highly commended
NHS Business Services Authority Mitie Plc Spara Ltd EBTIC SentinelOne Netacea Luminance TurnKey Lender LogicMonitor RELAYTO
Digital transformation is the first step; business transformation using AI, automation and machine learning is next. This award is for an organisation that has implemented these technologies to improve processes and raise efficiencies.
smartKYC Intellect Design Arena Limited DialogTech Wavex Technology ServisBOT
This one-time award is presented to the team or company that has risen to the challenge of COVID-19, adopting new ways of working using AI and automation to survive and thrive.
South West Grid for Learning - Swiggle Nuance - Dragon Professional Anywhere Just Eat – Orderpad App EBTIC and BT - EBTIC SPL Tool HCL Technologies - PowerProperty Intersec - GeoSafe ClearPeople - Atlas RELAYTO Document Experience Platform - RELAYTO
An award for innovative new product – which might be an application, service, device or technology - that has made a significant contribution to business technology, or to IT in general.
Congratulations Just Eat
Enginuity - Skills Miner ITV Studios - Remote 2-way Comms App for Live TV Production Tata Consultancy Services - TCS HOBS
The culture of technology is one of DIY, and open-source taps into that. It is an enabler to solve a wide variety of problems, and a platform for innovation; even traditional organisations are now pushing their developers in this direction. We were looking for examples of how an organisation had used open source software and/or hardware to improve the lives of customers or employees.
NHS Business Services Authority - Covid-19 Cloud Response Service Connect Internet Solutions - Government Finance Function Intellect Design Arena - Platform Transformation Programme Conga - Signavio Workday Adaptive Planning- Workday Adaptive Planning and The HALO Trust RELAYTO Document Experience Platform - RELAYTO
This category is for the customer project that best demonstrates the benefits of well-managed IT, and extensive collaboration between vendor and customer. Every entry on the shortlist shows innovation, impact and are examples of excellent project management – but which will win?
