Reseller of the Year - SMB

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Companies with turnover of up to £2.5 million

This is award is dedicated to resellers, VARs, dealers, or any other kind of Channel Partner which sell solutions directly to businesses (i.e. End users). This is a company award presented to those who can demonstrate outstanding company performance for throughout 2019. Performance can relate to growth, customer service, staff development and support, or defining new markets. Entries should include details of recent market activities with a recent case study, staff development plans and also a testimonial from a customer and principle supplier.

Reseller of the Year - Mid Market

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Companies with a turnover of £2.5 - £7.5 million

This is award is dedicated to resellers, VARs, dealers, or any other kind of Channel Partner which sell solutions directly to businesses (i.e. End users). This is a company award presented to those who can demonstrate outstanding company performance for throughout 2019. Performance can relate to growth, customer service, staff development and support, or defining new markets. Entries should include details of recent market activities with a recent case study, staff development plans and also a testimonial from a customer and principle supplier.

Reseller of the Year - Enterprise

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Companies with a turnover of £7.5 + million

This is award is dedicated to resellers, VARs, dealers, or any other kind of Channel Partner which sell solutions directly to businesses (i.e. End users). This is a company award presented to those who can demonstrate outstanding company performance for throughout 2019. Performance can relate to growth, customer service, staff development and support, or defining new markets. Entries should include details of recent market activities with a recent case study, staff development plans and also a testimonial from a customer and principle supplier.

MSP of the Year

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This is award is dedicated to Managed Service Providers which sell solutions directly to businesses (i.e. End users). This is a company award presented to those who can demonstrate outstanding company performance throughout 2019. Performance can relate to growth, customer service, staff development and support, or defining new markets. Entries should include details of recent market activities with a recent case study, staff development plans and also a testimonial from a customer and principle supplier.

Comms Distributor of the Year

This category is open to all comms distributors. These awards are for Channel distributors who have significantly opened up and developed markets in 2019 through a combination of activities. These activities may include but not be restricted to; innovative product development, imaginative Channel marketing programs, effective sales and technical support programs, appropriate but cost effective accreditation and Channel sales incentivisation. Applicants will need to detail these activities and place, in confidence, verifiable sales figures before the judges.

IT Distributor of the Year

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This category is open to all IT distributors. These awards are for Channel distributors who have significantly opened up and developed markets in 2019 through a combination of activities. These activities may include but not be restricted to; innovative product development, imaginative Channel marketing programs, effective sales and technical support programs, appropriate but cost effective accreditation and Channel sales incentivisation. Applicants will need to detail these activities and place, in confidence, verifiable sales figures before the judges.

Best Fibre Connectivity Provider

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Providers may enter multiple connectivity awards if their portfolio encompasses a number of technologies.

Do you provide fibre services to the Channel? This award is for you! As the investment in fibre continues its importance to the UK economy cannot be underestimated. Now serving as the backbone to many businesses services Comms Business will recognise those that are doing a fantastic job of launching new fibre products and making them easily accessible for the market to sell into businesses.

Best SD-WAN Connectivity Provider

Providers may enter multiple connectivity awards if their portfolio encompasses a number of technologies.

SD-WAN has started to take off in the Channel market and this award is designed to reward those who are producing true SD-WAN products to the Channel. Suppliers must be able to demonstrate installations which have involved a partner and delivered tangible benefits to the customer.

Best Wireless Connectivity Provider

Providers may enter multiple connectivity awards if their portfolio encompasses a number of technologies.

It’s not all about fixed connectivity! The market is seeing new forms of connectivity hit the market which can provide either a credible alternative to fixed line propositions or equally can compliment a fixed line solution. This award will reward those that are able to demonstrate the capabilities of their solution and where it has added value to partners portfolios. This category will encompass a number of technologies which all have one thing in common, the last mile is delivered without the use of cables.

Contact Centre Vendor

This award is designed to recognise those who excel in the Contact Centre space. The Contact Centre space is still growing and many businesses are differentiating their offerings by investing in their Customer Experience. Judges will be looking for those offerings which created genuine value for those business to customer and offer a step into new and innovative technology like Artificial Intelligence. These solutions MUST be channel friendly and vendors should be able to demonstrate how their partners have utilised their offerings to achieve success.

Billing Platform Supplier

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The importance of billing cannot be underestimated. For Channel Partners, it will be the most important piece of software they have within their internal systems. In a market with tight margins, ensuring you bill in a timely and accurate manner could make the difference between thriving business and one that is constantly plagued with cash flow ‘issues’. This award seeks to recognise those companies who many consider to be the engine room of the Channel.

UC Platform Supplier

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This new award for 2020 is for those Unified Communications suppliers who service the Channel. As one of the biggest growth areas in the Channel the UC market is attracting new suppliers and is driving innovation among its established providers. Applicants need to detail their activities over 2019 and how they are enabling their channel with an innovative platform and business model. To be eligible for this award providers MUST demonstrate UC features within their offering. This is open to all hosted telephony and collaboration providers if they can satisfy the criteria.

End Point Device Vendor

This award is for hardware vendors who sold end-point devices through Channel during 2019. Entrants should include details of their business success and product development during the year. Judges will be looking out for innovation, design and disruptive business models which have brought new dynamics to the Channel. Entries should include information about the flagship product and provide reseller/ customer testimonials. This award can be entered multiple times if vendors have multiple success stories to share. This is also open to those who have white-labelled end-point products to sell through the Channel.

Cloud Services Vendor

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This award was new to the fold in 2019 and is for all those cloud services vendors that sell physical or virtual solutions through the Channel. Companies that enter this award will offer network services, infrastructure or business applications in the cloud. If you manufacture/ develop cloud-based products for the Channel this is the category for you.

SMB ICT Solution (up to 250 users)

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This is award is dedicated to resellers, VARs, dealers, or any other kind of Channel Partner which sell solutions directly to businesses (i.e. End users). This category is for those selling a particular solution which is suitable for businesses in the SMB sector up to 250 users. Solutions will be accepted from across the ICT sector which includes telecoms, IT and data. All submissions should include a case study which clearly states before and after snapshots so judges can identify users’ needs were identified and met. Submissions should also include evidence of ROI and end user testimonials.

Mid Market ICT Solution (250 - 500 users)

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This is award is dedicated to resellers, VARs, dealers, or any other kind of Channel Partner which sell solutions directly to businesses (i.e. End users). This category is for those selling a particular solution which is suitable for businesses in the mid-market sector for between 250 -  500 users. Solutions will be accepted from across the ICT sector which includes telecoms, IT and data. All submissions should include a case study which clearly states before and after snapshots so judges can identify users’ needs were identified and met. Submissions should also include evidence of ROI and end user testimonials.

Enterprise ICT Solution (500+ users)

This is award is dedicated to resellers, VARs, dealers, or any other kind of Channel Partner which sell solutions directly to businesses (i.e. End users). This category is for those selling a particular solution which is suitable for businesses in the Enterprise sector for 500+ users. Solutions will be accepted from across the ICT sector which includes telecoms, IT and data. All submissions should include a case study which clearly states before and after snapshots so judges can identify users’ needs were identified and met. Submissions should also include evidence of ROI and end user testimonials.

Diversity in the Workplace

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This is a company award to those channel businesses who are going above and beyond to attract and retain a diverse workforce. This award isn’t simply for those with a standard diversity policy but for those who can demonstrate they are making a tangible difference to the business and the market as a whole.

The Workplace Award

Any great business will recognise the value of its employees. This award will recognise those businesses who are going above and beyond for their staff. This may include staff reward systems, team building, small perks, or could be a fundamental ‘people-first’ philosophy. Comms Business wants to support those businesses that genuinely look after their staff. Please note: This award will also take into consideration your Glassdoor reviews where applicable.

Women in Channel

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The Channel has a diversity problem. In a bid to champion the exceptional female talent the Channel has produced, Comms Business introduced Women in Channel last year for the first time. After overwhelming support for the category last year we have brought it back to continue promoting the success of women in the market. Research shows that diverse companies perform better and so it is essential to create an environment which is attractive to women starting out in their careers. Nominations for Women in Channel will open in early 2020 and will be for those Channel women who have produced stand out results within their organisation. This award is open to all women who have made a difference within their organisation regardless of their position in the company.

Services to the Channel – Hall of Fame

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This special award will be decided by a reader vote. Editor of Comms Business, Charlotte Hathway, will nominate candidates who she believes have displayed certain qualities over their Channel tenure. These include; innovation, entrepreneurialism, forward thinking, pioneering, financial success and longevity within the Channel market. Once you are in the Comms Business Hall of Fame you will not be nominated again. Currently the Hall of Fame is made up of three Channel legends, Paul Taylor, Bob Falconer and Julian Niman. Who will be next?!