Reseller News is proud to announce the winners of Innovation Awards in 2023 featuring a leading and diverse line-up of partners, vendors, distributors and individuals across New Zealand.

Celebrated during a black-tie event on 18 October at Cordis Auckland, the Innovation Awards brought together more than 540 members of New Zealand’s channel community.

This year’s Innovation Awards celebrated the accomplishments of 35 winners and a new inductee into the Reseller News Hall of Fame – PB Tech founder, Pat Huo. 

20 finalists received highly commended nods, indicating the overall quality of submissions and high levels of ecosystem achievement. 

Representing the entire Kiwi ecosystem, 206 finalists (60 individuals and 86 companies) made the shortlist from organisations spanning partner, start-up, telco, vendor and distributor businesses.

“This is an impressive line-up of business and individual excellence across the channel and we are proud to recognise and celebrate such achievements,” Reseller News editor Julia Talevski said. 

“It's important to recognise the success stories behind these awards and how they continue to shine the best spotlight on the ICT industry. Congratulations to all the winners, highly commended and finalists."

In 2023, the Innovation Awards honoured the channel across eight categories, spanning Partner Innovation, Tech Innovation, New Zealand-wide Innovation, Start-up Innovation, Personal Innovation, Vendor Innovation, Distributor Innovation and Hall of Fame.

Reflective of a diverse technology network, finalists range from large-scale multinational consultancy firms to emerging start-ups, alongside leading system integrators, managed service providers and solution consultants, plus cloud specialists, independent software vendors, boutique agencies and application developers. This is in addition to channel-centric vendors, telecommunications providers and supply chain experts.
 

In addition to honouring winners, Reseller News also holds wider responsibility for ensuring as many credible technology providers are endorsed through this unique awards program, aligned to the collective goal of providing a platform upon which the ecosystem can shine across New Zealand.

Reseller News congratulates all winners, highly commended and finalists and thanks the judging panel, which comprises many of the industry’s leading influencers.

PARTNER INNOVATION

Partner Innovation recognises customer innovation and excellence across the key market segments of Enterprise, Mid-Market and SMB, in addition to pioneering technology specialists and collaborative providers.

Enterprise:

• CCL
• BayCom
• netQ
• NTT
• Qrious
• Securecom
• The Instillery
• TIMG 
• Vega Global

Winner: CCL

CCL has recorded impressive growth off the back of partnerships with global vendors and services underpinning clients’ projects involving hybrid cloud, business transformation, AI, security and data protection. The launch of hybrid cloud management platform CloudIQ has provided flexibility to choose the most suitable cloud environment for a company’s data and application needs. 

Mid-Market:

• BayCom
• Delta Insights
• Lexel Systems
• Securecom
• TIMG

Highly Commended: Securecom

Winner: Lexel Systems

Lexel Systems wins this award for crafting a differentiated, tailored value proposition for mid-market customers. Recognising the unique demands and opportunities within this segment, Lexel has established a dedicated team focused on delivering end-to-end managed services and solutions.  

SMB:

• BayCom 
• Both Brains
• Entelar Group
• iT360
• Vega Global

Highly Commended: iT360

Winner: Both Brains

Both Brains delivered digital transformations for customers in the sport and energy industries, helping them overcome remote access, workflow and collaboration challenges. Providing full helpdesk support and managed services, Both Brains has enhanced security measures and developed bespoke solutions to maximise productivity for both clients. 

Think Differently:

• BayCom
• Boxfish
• Circle Consulting & Software
• Entelar Group
• One New Zealand
• Vega Global

Highly Commended: Boxfish

Winner: One NZ

One NZ has been recognised for its strategic partnerships with the likes of Starklink and initiatives such as its device as-a-service offering. A portion of these devices were sent out to its Toitu te Toki - Digital Equity program, which aims to reduce digital barriers for underprivileged rangatahi.
 

Collaboration:

• BayCom
• Leaven
• NTT
• Spark

Highly Commended: Leaven

Winner: Spark

Through a collaboration with Christchurch City Council (CCC), Spark, Attentis, FENZ and Rayonier Matariki Forests, they trialed a New Zealand-first in providing an early fire detection system. The project uses environmental sensor units to monitor for fires and track weather, with the information relayed into the CCC’s platform. 

TECH INNOVATION

Tech Innovation recognises partners leveraging established and emerging solutions to enhance customer innovation levels, underpinned by deep levels of expertise and specialist services.

Cloud:

• ASI Solutions
• Assurity Consulting
• Crayon
• CyberCX
• Datacom
• Insight Enterprises
• Kyndryl
• Lancom Technologies
• Leaven
• Qrious
• The Instillery
• Volo

Highly Commended: The Instillery

Winner: CyberCX

CyberCX is recognised for an 18-month cloud migration project with a public sector client to build, deliver and migrate a vast majority of existing VMware vSphere platforms from on-premises to VMware Cloud on AWS. The company successfully migrated the customers’ VMware footprint from on-premises data centres to the cloud, eliminating capital expenditure on aging hardware and providing an agile and flexible platform. 

Security:

• Advantage
• Datacom
• DataMasque
• netQ
• Securecom
• Softsource vBridge
• The Instillery

Winner: DataMasque

DataMasque is New Zealand’s first ISV for masking sensitive data. Since forming in 2020, DataMasque has helped organisations obfuscate sensitive information. With data masking now included in updated ISO27001 security control requirements, DataMasque is positioned to help organisations address this. 

Digital Transformation:

• Datacom
• Delta Insights
• Devoli
• ElementX
• Lancom Technology
• Leaven
• PwC
• Qrious
• Softsource vBridge
• Securecom

Winner: Softsource vBridge

Softsource vBridge puts its money where its mouth is by constantly rewarding its teams for innovation and creativity. By continuously encouraging its teams to ideate and iterate, Softsource vBridge ensures it stays ahead of technological advancements, transforms expertise and learnings into standardised solutions and ensures customers get results quickly.  

Emerging:

• BayCom
• Blacklock Security
• CyberGrape
• Leaven 
• Softsource vBridge

Winner: Softsource vBridge 

Softsource vBridge has emerged as a key player in New Zealand’s technology scene due to its ability to anticipate and capitalise on global emerging trends, identify the most suitable applications for the local market and leverage this to meet its customers’ specific needs.  

Homegrown ISV:

• Atomic.io
• Boxfish
• DataMasque
• Integration Fox
• iViis

Highly Commended: Boxfish

Winner: iViis

iViis wins this award for its proprietary Low Code Application Platform (LCAP), which aims to help businesses streamline complicated digital ecosystems. IViis’ platform is allowing New Zealand organisations to build innovative solutions without costly customisation, by offering 'fit-for-purpose' solutions to business functions like project management, human resources and contract management.  

NEW ZEALAND-WIDE INNOVATION

New Zealand-wide Innovation recognises partners delivering customer innovation headquartered outside of the three most-populated metropolitan areas in the country. This partner is a market-leading specialist which thrives in challenging end-user environments, sparking new ideas and outcomes through an unconventional approach to technology consulting and implementation. Note: This award is open to partners headquartered outside of Auckland and Wellington.

National:

• Advantage (Palmerston North, Manawatū-Whanganui)
• CyberGrape (New Plymouth, Taranaki)
• DataSentinel (Nelson)

Winner: Advantage

Advantage wins this award for work with an automation partner to implement a managed detection and response (MDR) solution to mitigate cyber risk delivered out of Advantage’s Security Operations Centre. The company boasts a 25-year history and runs its IT and networking services largely out of the regional HQ in Palmerston North. 

Regional:

• Advantage (Palmerston North, Manawatū-Whanganui)
• CyberGrape (New Plymouth, Taranaki)
• DataSentinel (Nelson)

Highly Commended: DataSentinel

Winner: CyberGrape

Taranaki-based, born in the cloud cyber security player CyberGrape focuses on protecting kiwi SMBs. When a charitable community foundation approached CyberGrape for assistance with cyber security on a small operating budget, CyberGrape built a security portfolio focused on low operating costs.