The Cloud Industry Forum has today revealed its shortlist of contenders for this year's UK Cloud Awards, narrowing down hundreds of entries to just a few.
The awards, which first launched in 2014, are designed to celebrate innovation, entrepreneurialism and technical excellence within the UK's cloud industry, with categories including data management, fintech, cyber security and UX, across both SMB and the enterprise.
Supported by Platinum sponsors ScienceLogic and CDW, the awards will be hosted at London County Hall on 16 May 2019.
"Entries for the UK Cloud Awards have improved year-on-year as the technology has continued to transform the business landscape," said Jez Back, head judge of the UK Cloud Awards. "When we started the awards, cloud technology was in its infancy and companies had yet to realise the potential benefits that it has to offer. That is no longer the case and this year's entries have emphasised the outstanding work that vendors, suppliers and individuals have contributed to the UK cloud market."
He added that the volume and quality of the entries made for "some extremely difficult judging decisions" and that all those shortlisted "should be proud of their efforts".
"I would like to wish everyone that has made the cut the best of luck and look forward to celebrating on the night itself," said Back.
The CIF, a non-profit membership trade body, was first established in 2009 to help support the development of the UK cloud industry. Since its inception, the CIF has acted as a platform to discuss and engage with the wider cloud supplier community, holding regular media and customer events, including an annual awards ceremony, and producing whitepapers on the state of the industry.
Alex Hilton, CEO of the Cloud Industry Forum, said that the quality of this year's entries had particularly impressed the panel of expert judges.
"These awards were established to highlight innovation and achievement in the British cloud computing sector, benchmarking the amazing cloud leadership in the UK. I'm pleased to report that this year's entries have well and truly delivered on all fronts.
"A big thank you is owed to everyone who has supported us this year, not least our Platinum sponsors CDW and ScienceLogic, and Award sponsors Fujistu, Navisite, and TechData, without which these awards wouldn't be possible," added Hilton. "I would like to congratulate everyone that has been shortlisted and let everyone know that the process of choosing the winners is going to be the most challenging decision yet."
The shortlist for the UK Cloud Awards 2019 is as follows:
BEST-IN-CLASS
Most Innovative Enterprise Product
- Business Planning Cloud from Adaptive Insights
- Cloud Business Management from Apptio
- Cloe from Densify
- Wdesk from Workiva
Most Innovative SMB Product
- Breathe HR
- Micro from Clear Books
- Dropbox Business from Dropbox
- GoSimple Tax
- ERP v18.3 from Priority Software
- Xero
- Nebula from Zyxel Communications
Best Cloud Platform Solution
- Cloud Business Management from Apptio
- CloudManager from CloudM
- Partner Insights from intY
- Innovative Cloud Solution with Manchester United and HCL
- Notting Hill Genesis and Amido
- SuiteCloud from Oracle NetSuite
- Call Manager from Sesui
- Wdesk from Workiva
Cyber or Security Product or Service
- USM Anywhere from AlienVault
- Darktrace Cloud from Darktrace
- Cyber Resilience from Mimecast
- N2WS, a Veeam Company
- ThreatDetect from Redscan
- OnDMARC from Red Sift
- Cloud Workload Protection Suite from Symantec
- iCS Protect from Tollring
Best FinTech Product or Service
- Micro from Clear Books
- Float
- Zoho Books from Zoho
Best AI/ML Enabled Product or Service
- Threat Intelligence Service from Exabeam
- Anna talkbot from HansaWorld
- InfoSight from Hewlett Packard Enterprise
- SaneBox
- Data Science from SnapLogic
Best Data Management Product or Service
- Cloud Data Services from Pure Storage
- QoreStor from Quest
- Zenko from Scality
- SL1 from ScienceLogic
- OneXafe from StorageCraft
- Availability Suite from Veeam
Best Cloud Enabled End User Experience
- Meetings Platform from BlueJeans
- Citrix Workspace
- Bria Teams from CounterPath Corporation
- Dropbox Business from Dropbox
- Natterbox
- Johnny mobility bot from Tangoe
BEST DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PROJECTS
Public Sector Project/3rd Sector Project
- MTCnovo in partnership with Cloud Fundamental
- City & Guilds Group in partnership with Ensono
- Notting Hill Genesis in partnership with Amido
- Financial Conduct Authority in partnership with Sopra Steria
- St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in partnership with UKCloud Ltd
Private Sector Enterprise Project
- AMT Coffee in partnership with Charterhouse
- The Disabilities Trust in partnership with CDW
- Manchester United in partnership with HCL
- Sky in partnership with Dell Boomi
Private Sector SMB Project
- Media Matters in partnership with Chalkline
- Small Luxury Hotels in partnership with Chalkline
Best DevOps & Functions-as-a-Service Implementation
- Gridz
- HeleCloud
- Lloyds Banking Group
BEST-IN-CLASS CLOUD SERVICE PROVIDERS
Best Cloud Service Provider
- 8x8
- Box
- iland
- RingCentral
- UKCloud Ltd
- Workiva
Best Cloud Managed Service Provider
- ANS Group
- CANCOM
- CDW
- TechQuarters
- Unify Communications Ltd
Cloud Migration Partner/Technical Collaboration Project
- Ancoris at Lush
- Cloud Technology Solutions at Homeserve
- Ensono at Guinness World Records
ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Best Newcomer of the Year
- James Moran, solution architect at Trustmarque
- Myles Clarke, product manager at Cloud Gateway
Cloud Visionary of the Year
- Chris Dunning at TechQuarters
- Dan Scarfe at NewSignature
- Dave Strong at Sopra Steria
- Julian Dyer at Cobweb
- Simon Ratcliffe at Ensono
