Vanessa Sorenson (Microsoft)
Microsoft has celebrated Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) region partners in a new awards programme aligned with its global partner of the year celebration.
The A/NZ partner awards acknowledge partners in a broad range of categories, including awards for partner for purpose, A/NZ business applications and industry, Azure, software as a service (SaaS) and modern work and security.
The award category winners are:
- A/NZ partner for purpose: Rapid Circle
- A/NZ business applications and industry: Velrada
- A/NZ Azure: Arinco
- A/NZ modern work and security: FiveP and Data#3
- A/NZ SaaS: Volpara
“All of our partners do exceptional work, so it is great to be able to recognise more of them than just the global winners and country partner of year winners this year," said Vanessa Sorenson, chief partner officer A/NZ and managing director of Microsoft New Zealand.
"Our partners are the creative engine of the tech industry and we’re constantly impressed by the impact their work is having on people, communities and organisations.”
Rapid Circle was a "stand-out winner" for the A/NZ partner for purpose award, having changed the lives of thousands of Australians over the past year.
The platform it co-created with youth, family and indigenous services provider Campbell Page enabled more young mothers to increase their participation in employment and further their education. Through cloud infrastructure, Netherlands-based Rapid Circle was delivering for the North East Link, significantly reducing travel time and providing 10,000 jobs for the community.
2023 was a "hugely impressive year" for A/NZ business applications and industry winner Velrada, now owned by Nomura Research Institute. It expanded business globally, entering new industries, and delivering exceptional solutions for customers.
The judges called particular attention to Velrada’s "Next Generation Telehealth" solution that uses Dynamics 365 Remote Assist and Azure to enable patients to be assessed by specialists remotely. This saved patients an estimated two million kilometres of transit time each year and improved health outcomes.
Private equity-funded Arinco was recognised with the title of A/NZ Azure partner for its "Azure Done Right" solution that is setting customers up with strong foundations enabling resilient future-ready businesses across the A/NZ region.
Arinco’s entry outlined an impressive portfolio of work with the company on track to reach 65 million in Azure cloud registrations this financial year.
FiveP and Data#3, also recognised as winners in the global awards, shared the A/NZ modern work and security win, while the overall New Zealand partner of the year, Volpara, also took out the local A/NZ SaaS category for the way it’s diversified into new fields, such as identifying cardiovascular issues in patients.
“The value these companies bring extends beyond sales and solutions, making work and lives easier, changing the way people and organisations see and do things," Sorenson said. "Each partner brings a unique perspective that taken together, makes our whole ecosystem vibrant and exciting.”
