Microsoft Emphasizes Cloud Solutions with 2021 Partner of the Year Awards
The Accenture/Avanade partnership won seven awards across six categories.
July 12, 2021
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In the artificial intelligence subcategory, contract life cycle management (CLM) solution provider Icertis created its Discover AI solution using Microsoft’s Azure AI. During the past year, Microsoft said it has generated strong co-sell and customer success. Microsoft also recognized Capgemini for using the Azure Synapse analytics platform for Volvo Group’s transformation. And Insight won for Azure migration for a solution that enabled 150% year-over-year growth in Azure-consumed revenue over the past year.
Subcategory:
AI: Icertis, USA
Analytics: Capgemini, France
Cloud-Native App Development: FIXER, Japan
IoT: Swisscom, Switzerland
Migration to Azure: Insight, USA
Mixed Reality: PTC, USA
Modernizing Apps: Wipro, India
OSS on Azure: HashiCorp, USA
Rising Azure Technology: CICRA Solutions, Sri Lanka
SAP on Azure: Accenture/Avanade, USA
The Accenture/Avanade group took three of its seven wins deploying business applications with Dynamics 365. It played a big role in selling and deploying Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to top Fortune 500 clients, according to Microsoft. In topping the Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management and Finance subcategory, Accenture and the Accenture Microsoft Business Group have developed what Microsoft describes as the most sophisticated practices, thanks to numerous ISV relationships and its centers of excellence. Microsoft also gave Accenture/Avanade top score for its Dynamics 365 Customer Service practice, where it grew license revenue by 178% and the installed base by 68%.
Subcategory:
Dynamics 365 Business Central: Websan Solutions, Canada
Dynamics 365 Commerce: RSM Product Sales, USA
Dyanmics 365 Customer Insights: Accenture/Avanade, USA
Dynamics 365 Customer Service: Accenture/Avanade, USA
Dynamics 365 Field Service: Hitachi Solutions, USA
Dynamics 365 Marketing: Avtex, USA
Dynamice 365 Sales: eLogix, USA
Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management/Finance: Accenture/Avanade, USA
Power Apps and Power Automate: Ernst & Young, USA
Power BI: MAQ Software, USA
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, growth of Microsoft Teams was fueled primarily by the use of virtual meetings and Teams calling. A leading Microsoft Teams partner, UnifiedCommunications.com supported 5,600 customers that deployed or expanded their use of Teams. Campana & Schott in Germany deployed a service for frontline retail workers that includes Teams, Microsoft Enterprise Mobility and Security, BizApps and Azure. It provides frontline workers task management, access to product information, walkie-talkie communications in Teams and Power Platform-based apps. SHI International became one of the largest resellers of Surface Hub, Microsoft’s room conferencing system.
Subcategory:
Apps and Solutions for Microsoft Teams: Adobe, USA
Employee Experience: Accenture/Avanade, USA
Meetings Calling and Devices for Teams: UnifiedCommunications.com, USA
Modern Endpoint Management: Mobile Mentor, USA
Modern Workplace for Frontline Workers: Campana & Schott, Germany
Modern Workplace SMB: WeSage IT, Sweden
OEM Device: Tactus, UK
OEM Device Distributor/Reseller: Synaxon AG, Germany
Project Portfolio Management: OnePlan Solutions, USA
Security: Bulletproof, Canada
Surface Hub Reseller: SHI International, USA
Surface PC Reseller: Computacenter, UK
Microsoft has made a stronger push into enabling partners focused on key vertical industries. Blue Yonder, the winner of this year’s manufacturing subcategory, created 13-cosell offerings available in Azure. Blue Yonder benefited from that investment at the outset of last year’s pandemic, which created strong demand by manufacturers who needed to gain better visibility of their supply chains. Microsoft said that resulted in a 70% increase in co-sell wins, resulting in the most Azure consumption among all ISVs.
Subcategory:
Automotive: Accenture/Avanade, USA
Defense and Intelligence: Thales, Australia
Education: Classera, Saudi Arabia
Energy: AVERA, USA
Financial Services: Capgemini, France
Government: Best Projects, Brazil
Health Care: Quisitive, USA
Manufacturing: Blue Yonder Software, USA
Media and Communications: PwC, USA
Nonprofil: Wipfli, USA
Consumer Goods: Sitecore, Denmark
In this new category, Microsoft gave awards for three subcategories. The Community Response winner is uPlanner, a global edtech provider that develops and deploys higher education solutions. The company collaborated with the Ministry of Education in Peru and the Tecnológico of Monterrey and Laspau, which is affiliated with Harvard. The resulting solution benefited hundreds of thousands of students and teachers by helping the Peruvian educational system establish online learning programs during the pandemic using various Azure services. Schneider Electric won the Sustainability Changemaker award, for EcoStruxure, an IoT platform designed to integrate process and energy technology for buildings, data centers and infrastructure. According to Microsoft, the solution improved the efficiency of a wastewater treatment plant by 20% and cut energy use by 15%.
Subcategory:
Community Response: uPlanner, Peru
Inclusion Changemaker: CATALYTE, USA
Sustainability Changemaker: Schneider Electric, France
Ernst & Young was the first of the big four global accounting firms to build a dedicated digital transformation service based on the new Microsoft Services Group. EY developed various digital transformation services using Azure AI and Machine Learning, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform across industries and geographies according to Microsoft. EY also developed some key solutions, including the Global Tax Platform, Vaccine Management System and Grant Accelerator. Microsoft also recognized F5 as an early developer of marketplaces and for its success in co-sell. Hyro, which offers an adaptive communications platform that provides conversational AI and natural langrage automation, won the Microsoft for Startups subcategory. It provided the Hyro COVID-19 Virtual Assistant free to health care providers, to provide information to health care professionals and support personnel. Its virtual assistants have served 3 million patients during the pandemic.
Subcategory:
Advisory Services: Ernst & Young, USA
Commercial Marketplace: F5, USA
Customer Experience: NetApp, USA
Global ISV: Blue Yonder, USA
Global SI: Accenture/Avanade, USA
Global SI Digital Transformation: Capgemini, France
Indirect Provider: Tech Data, USA
Learning: Trainocate, Singapore
Microsoft for Startups: Hyro, USA
Solution Assessments: Insight Australia
Ernst & Young was the first of the big four global accounting firms to build a dedicated digital transformation service based on the new Microsoft Services Group. EY developed various digital transformation services using Azure AI and Machine Learning, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform across industries and geographies according to Microsoft. EY also developed some key solutions, including the Global Tax Platform, Vaccine Management System and Grant Accelerator. Microsoft also recognized F5 as an early developer of marketplaces and for its success in co-sell. Hyro, which offers an adaptive communications platform that provides conversational AI and natural langrage automation, won the Microsoft for Startups subcategory. It provided the Hyro COVID-19 Virtual Assistant free to health care providers, to provide information to health care professionals and support personnel. Its virtual assistants have served 3 million patients during the pandemic.
Subcategory:
Advisory Services: Ernst & Young, USA
Commercial Marketplace: F5, USA
Customer Experience: NetApp, USA
Global ISV: Blue Yonder, USA
Global SI: Accenture/Avanade, USA
Global SI Digital Transformation: Capgemini, France
Indirect Provider: Tech Data, USA
Learning: Trainocate, Singapore
Microsoft for Startups: Hyro, USA
Solution Assessments: Insight Australia
Accenture, Capgemini and Ernst & Young prevailed in multiple categories of this year’s Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards. Microsoft’s new channel chief, Rodney Clark, revealed the company’s annual awards ahead of the company’s Inspire partner event.
The big winner was Accenture, paired with Avanade, which came out on top in seven of this year’s 56 subcategories. Avanade, which provides consulting and systems integration services using Microsoft’s core platforms, is a subsidiary of Accenture born in 2000. Both Avanade and Accenture expanded the venture with the formation of the Microsoft Business Group two years ago.
While Accenture/Avanade and other global integrators picked up a sizable number of trophies, most of the winners are lesser-known partners.
Microsoft’s Rodney Clark
“Our partners have shown amazing agility and creativity in building solutions based on Microsoft technology across the intelligent cloud to edge, all while adapting to these changes themselves,” Clark noted in a blog announcing this year’s awards.
Overall, Clark says 4,400 partners from 130 countries earned nominations for this year’s awards. Microsoft added a new category called Social Impact, recognizing partners for inclusion, sustainability and community response. The other five categories include Azure, Business Applications, Modern Workplace and Security, Industry (verticals) and Business Excellence.
To see who won in each of the six core categories in Microsoft’s Partner of the Year Awards, check out our slideshow above.
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