UK Cloud Awards 2018 winners revealed

Yesterday played host to the fifth annual UK Cloud Awards, brought to you by Cloud Pro and the Cloud Industry Forum (CIF), where the creme de la creme of the industry gathered at London's County Hall to celebrate and recognise collective and individual cloud achievements.

Last night's ceremony, which was supported by headline sponsor Ingram Micro, rewarded the best cloud providers, products and projects from the past year, as decided by an expert panel of independent judges - led by chief judge Frank Bennett.

Margot James, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, was in attendance at the awards, which received hundreds of submissions, with just 18 walking home with prizes on the night.

"In 2016 the digital sectors contributed 116bn to our economy and we're very keen to continue the upward trajectory. By working closely with the private sector, we intend to increase this contribution to 200bn by 2025 - and I think that's a target that we can bust," James said.

"You, the cloud computing sector, are going from strength to strength. As companies across the country continue to adopt cloud-based services into their businesses at the rate they are doing, I see a great future for you all. Your technology allows SMEs to leverage technology and compete globally. You are providing a leapfrog technology. Your services are not only a catalyst in our country, they can be a catalyst in others, especially developing countries. So, there are great export opportunities for UK cloud service providers the world over. I wish you every success in exploiting those opportunities."

The winners of the UK Cloud Awards 2018 are as follows:

BEST IN CLASS PRODUCTS

Security Solution of the YearVerify by Aspect Software

Storage Solution of the Year Rubrik

Collaboration Solution of the Year Freshdesk

Business Continuity Solution of the Year iland Secure DRaaS by iland

Most Innovative Enterprise Product iPortalis Control Portal

Most Innovative SMB Product Advanced Voice Services by Natterbox

Unified Communications Product of the Year Advanced Voice Services by Natterbox

Fintech Solution of the Year Mambu

Cloud Platform Solution of the Year Cloud Protection Manager by N2W Software

BEST DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION PROJECTS

Best Public Sector Project Health and Social Care digital meal planning with Kafoodle Kare

Best Private Sector Project (SMB) Stephen James Group supported by Charterhouse Voice Data

Best Private Sector Project (Enterprise)Most Innovative Emerging TechnologyProject Freq by Amido

BEST IN CLASS CLOUD PROVIDERS

Best G-Cloud Public Sector Provider UKCloud Ltd

Best Cloud Service Provider (CSP) Sesui Ltd

Best Cloud Managed Service Provider (MSP) Ensonodiv

ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Cloud Visionary of the Year Apay Obang-Oyway, Ingram Micro (awarded Honorary CIF Membership)

Cloud Entrepreneur of the Year Mitchell Feldman, RedPixie

"The UK Cloud Awards have had a fantastic year and it is clear from the quality and number of submissions we received that this is an incredibly exciting time to be in the industry," said Alex Hilton, CIF CEO.

"The standard of entries we've seen this year has been so high that making the shortlist is an achievement in itself and deserves to be recognised. However, there can of course only be one winner in each category so I'd like to offer my congratulations to everyone that took home accolades on the night."

Paul Franklin, publisher of Cloud Pro and IT Pro, added: "These awards wouldn't be possible without the support from the industry and I would like to offer a special thanks to our headline sponsor Ingram Micro, as well iland and T-Systems, for helping to make the event a success. We pride ourselves on the impartiality and thoroughness of our judging process, which we believe is one of the reasons the UK Cloud Awards have struck a chord with the industry. We fully expect to repeat the success of this year's awards next year, so watch this space!"

Ross Kelly
News and Analysis Editor

Ross Kelly is ITPro's News & Analysis Editor, responsible for leading the brand's news output and in-depth reporting on the latest stories from across the business technology landscape. Ross was previously a Staff Writer, during which time he developed a keen interest in cyber security, business leadership, and emerging technologies.

He graduated from Edinburgh Napier University in 2016 with a BA (Hons) in Journalism, and joined ITPro in 2022 after four years working in technology conference research.

For news pitches, you can contact Ross at ross.kelly@futurenet.com, or on Twitter and LinkedIn.