REDMOND, Wash. - May 31, 2016 — Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday announced the winners and finalists of the Microsoft 2016 Partner of the Year Awards. The annual awards recognize top Microsoft partners demonstrating excellence in innovation and implementation of customer solutions based on Microsoft technology. Award winners and finalists from around the world will be recognized at the 2016 Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference taking place July 10–14, 2016, in Toronto, Canada.

This year, Microsoft acknowledged partners in 37 categories celebrating each of the core partner competencies, including cloud technology, public sector, citizenship and many more. The award finalists and winners were selected from more than 2,500 nominations collected from 119 different countries worldwide based on their commitment to customers, their solution’s impact on the market and exemplary use of Microsoft technologies.

“The 2016 Partner of the Year Award winners and finalists represent the most innovative and transformative work being done across our partner community,” said Gavriella Schuster, general manager, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft. “It is important to recognize and celebrate the value and opportunity these solutions create for our mutual customers. Congratulations to all of this year’s winners and finalists on this tremendous achievement.”

Categories, winners and finalists appear below. A complete list, including the Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award winners for 2016, is available at https://partner.microsoft.com/en-us/wpc/awards.

Alliance Partner of the Year

• Winner: Accenture/Avanade

Global Commercial ISV Alliance Partner of the Year

• Winner: DataStax

Application Development Partner of the Year

• Winner: Wortell
• Finalist: Cloudhouse Technologies
• Finalist: Resco spol. s r.o.
• Finalist: Veeam Software

Cloud Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Partner of the Year

• Winner: Sonoma Partners
• Finalist: Cloud2020 Ltd.
• Finalist: Computer Engineering & Consulting Ltd.
• Finalist: PowerObjects, an HCL Company

Cloud Packaged Solutions Partner of the Year

• Winner: SoftBank Technology
• Finalist: Caase.com
• Finalist: EDU 365 Group Ltd.
• Finalist: GNet Group LLC

Cloud Productivity Partner of the Year

• Winner: Atea AS
• Finalist: Dedalus
• Finalist: SADA Systems Inc.
• Finalist: SoftBank Technology

Collaboration and Content Partner of the Year

• Winner: Content and Code
• Finalist: BrightStarr
• Finalist: Kloud
• Finalist: Rapid Circle

Communications Partner of the Year

• Winner: Modality Systems
• Finalist: Accenture/Avanade
• Finalist: Nectar Services Corp.
• Finalist: Proge-Software

Data Analytics Partner of the Year

• Winner: Extend Solutions SA de CV
• Finalist: Bismart
• Finalist: Neudesic

Data Platform Partner of the Year

• Winner: Hewlett Packard Enterprise
• Finalist: Plain Concepts
• Finalist: Rosslyn Analytics
• Finalist: ScaleArc

Developer Platform Partner of the Year

• Winner: Black Marble
• Finalist: Commentor A/S
• Finalist: Northwest Cadence
• Finalist: Sogeti ** **

Distributor Partner of the Year

• Winner: Ingram Micro
• Finalist: ALSO Holding AG
• Finalist: Ingram Micro Brasil
• Finalist: SND Distribuidora de Produtos de Informática

Enterprise Mobility Partner of the Year

• Winner: Kloud
• Finalist: Onevinn
• Finalist: Oxford Computer Group
• Finalist: Synergy Advisors LLC

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Partner of the Year

• Winner: Columbus
• Finalist: K3 Software Solutions
• Finalist: mcaConnect LLC
• Finalist: UXC Eclipse

Hosting Partner of the Year

• Winner: Internet Initiative Japan Inc.
• Finalist: Datapipe
• Finalist: Extrinsica Global
• Finalist: SherWeb

Hybrid Cloud and Infrastructure Platform Partner of the Year

• Winner: Ensyst
• Finalist: Inframon Ltd.
• Finalist: innobit ag
• Finalist: Sonata Information Technology Ltd.

Internet of Things (IoT) Partner of the Year

• Winner: BlueMetal
• Finalist: eBECS
• Finalist: JCI
• Finalist: MOQdigital

Learning Partner of the Year

• Winner: DDLS
• Finalist: NetCom Learning
• Finalist: QA Ltd.

Messaging Partner of the Year

• Winner: SoftBank Technology
• Finalist: Dell
• Finalist: Quadrasystems.net (India) Private Ltd.
• Finalist: QUADROtech

Microsoft Azure Certified ISV Solution Partner of the Year

• Winner: Barracuda
• Finalist: Esri
• Finalist: Veeam Software

Microsoft Dynamics Industry Partner of the Year

• Winner: AEC360 Holdings
• Finalist: Accenture/Avanade
• Finalist: INFOMA Software Consulting GmbH
• Finalist: SAGlobal

Modern Marketing Partner of the Year

• Winner: PowerObjects, an HCL Company
• Finalist: MediaValet
• Finalist: Qorus Software
• Finalist: RedPixie

OEM Partner of the Year

• Winner: Exertis
• Finalist: MouseComputer Co. Ltd.

Open Source on Azure Partner of the Year

• Winner: OpenSistemas
• Finalist: i3 Systems Inc.
• Finalist: Link Development
• Finalist: Xpirit Nederland BV and GoDataDriven

Partner Seller Partner of the Year

• Winner: Rick Slager, Wortell
• Finalist: Margaret Totten, IA Cubed
• Finalist: Rob Kuehfus, Infront Consulting Group Inc.
• Finalist: Takeshi Fujisawa, SoftBank Commerce & Service Corp.

Project and Portfolio Management Partner of the Year

• Winner: CPS
• Finalist: Campana & Schott
• Finalist: Program Framework
• Finalist: Projectum

Public Sector: Education Partner of the Year

• Winner: 3P Learning Ltd.
• Finalist: CoreAzure Ltd.
• Finalist: Edsby
• Finalist: EDU 365 Group Ltd.

Public Sector: Government Partner of the Year

• Winner: SoftBank Technology
• Finalist: AvePoint Inc.
• Finalist: Caase.com
• Finalist: Sparked

Public Sector: Health Partner of the Year

• Winner: Innana S.A.S
• Finalist: Innofactor
• Finalist: Pyramid Analytics
• Finalist: Whanau Tahi

Public Sector: Microsoft CityNext Partner of the Year

• Winner: COPA-DATA
• Finalist: ITWORX Education
• Finalist: Tieto
• Finalist: Wortell

Public Sector: Public Safety & National Security Partner of the Year

• Winner: SMS
• Finalist: Accelera Solutions
• Finalist: IT Odjel
• Finalist: risual

Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions Partner of the Year

• Winner: EMIT
• Finalist: Be-CLOUD
• Finalist: ProServeIT Corp.

Software Asset Management (SAM) Partner of the Year

• Winner: Software Optimisation Services
• Finalist: Business Connexion
• Finalist: COMPAREX
• Finalist: ITERBI

Technology for Good Partner of the Year

• Winner: AvePoint Inc.
• Finalist: 3P Learning Ltd.
• Finalist: IA Cubed
• Finalist: Navantis

Volume Licensing Partner of the Year

• Winner: SoftwareONE Mexico
• Finalist: CDW
• Finalist: SHI International Corp.

Windows and Devices Deployment Partner of the Year

• Winner: CDW
• Finalist: Caase.com
• Finalist: MPGIO Co. Ltd.
• Finalist: Wortell

YouthSpark Partner of the Year

• Winner: QA Ltd.
• Finalist: IA Cubed
• Finalist: L3
• Finalist: Tribridge