This award will go to the BI or analytics vendor that best helps its customers extract value from their data. Customer case studies, where possible, will be an important element of this award. Innovation and functionality will also be taken into account.

Awarded to the entrant with an outstanding digital transformation product or service that aids in transforming the workplace, business models, customer experience or operational models. Instigating change can be difficult and controversial, so the winner should also prioritise simplification and modernisation.

The culture of technology is one of DIY – from the early days of Linux to thousands of scientists collaborating to decipher the findings of the Large Hadron Collider. Open-source is an enabler to solve a wide variety of problems, and a platform for innovation; even traditional organisations are now pushing their developers in this direction. How has your organisation used open source software and/or hardware to improve the lives of your customers or employees?

Awarded to an innovative new product or service that has delivered measurable benefit for customers in areas such as IT security, data protection, information management, risk management, business continuity, cybersecurity or disaster recovery. Please indicate if your product is designed for the enterprise or SME space when entering, or both.

Securing the IT estate is vital for modern business. The winning company will be innovative, trustworthy and able to adapt to accommodate customers’ needs in areas like IT security, data protection and risk management. Both security vendors and specialist MSPs are welcome to submit entries.

Artificial intelligence has been evolving for years, but industries keeps finding new ways to use it. This award will go to the company that can demonstrate a truly industry-leading approach, which has changed the way that the business or a department operates. Case studies are strongly encouraged.

Business users know they need to remain agile and efficient, and that has never applied more than in the modern era, when nothing can be taken for granted any more. This prize is awarded to the software application that has made a measurable difference to business users in security, communication, project management, or more generally in raising productivity and efficiency.

AI and machine learning can help organisations to free staff up from repetitive tasks, or support their jobs in a new way. This award will go the firm that most impresses our audience with its offering; innovation, functionality, market share and performance will all be important. Real world use cases and customer references will help.

There is a major shortage of skilled IT professionals, and in this category we recognise the very cream of the crop. We are seeking evidence of innovation; of support for colleagues; of the major role the winner plays in the development and delivery of new initiatives; and of skills growth.

Awarded to the customer project that best demonstrates the benefits of well-managed IT implementations and collaboration between vendor and customer. The winner will demonstrate innovation, management quality (i.e. was the project completed on time and in budget?) and impact. The project must have been finished within the last 12 months and have a significant UK-based element.

What is fresh and exciting about your cloud service? Does it have new features, a new way of providing an established function, or was it developed in a genuinely new way? Details of exactly how it demonstrates innovation will be essential, and customer references, where available, will be helpful.

Artificial intelligence is changing how we use and interact with technology, as well as the capabilities of that tech: from automating cybersecurity to detecting cancer cells. This award is for a product making a substantial difference to peoples’ professional and/or personal lives. Entries should cover how the product uses AI; how it is different from similar tools on the market; and customer stories where possible.

Companies large and small face security challenges: from IT sprawl to tight budgets. The winning innovation should aim at relieving some of this pressure and enabling continued business operations and growth – with examples.

The winning product will have delivered measurable benefit for customers in areas such as data centres, networking, systems management, server hardware and software, storage, application development, IT support or another business infrastructure area. At least one customer case study is required.

This award recognises the company that has demonstrated high levels of innovation in the last 12 months, rewarding the organisation that has contributed to the development and deployment of innovative IT systems that improve operations or enhance services. The winning entry will show evidence of demonstrable and quantifiable success.

Backing up data is critical in a world where the effects of a security breach can lock or corrupt company-wide systems. The winner of this award will, as well as providing a robust business continuity service, work with customers to find the best solution for them on a bespoke level. They will demonstrate flexibility, adaptability and product or service choice. Customer testimonials are strongly encouraged.

With the continued increase in businesses adopting cloud platforms, this category highlights the importance of the high levels of integration that firms need for success in the Internet age. Any SaaS provider is eligible, as long as they can demonstrate how their work makes a difference to their customers.

This award is for an innovative new product that has made a significant contribution to business technology, or to IT in general. A ‘product’ might be an application, service, device or technology. Bespoke projects will be accepted, as long as they use a technology that can be easily extended to other customers.

Artificial intelligence has been evolving for years, but industries keeps finding new ways to use it. This award will go to the company that can demonstrate a truly industry-leading approach, which has changed the way that the business or a department operates. Case studies are strongly encouraged.

This award recognises the most significant Internet of Things development of the past 12 months. Entrants should describe what the product does, how it is different to other solutions, how customers are using it and what the benefits are – some examples might be time/money saved, or new approaches made possible.

Security concerns still plague many organisations when it comes to storing valuable data in the cloud, making products and services that set minds at ease more important than ever. Our audience are looking for examples of innovation, features and market share; but the winning entry is likely to be the one that most impresses in terms of its ability to protect data and applications.

With the world relying ever-more on technology to work remotely, networking and communications are essential to business. The winner of this award will provide robust and reliable systems that support modern workflows. They might offer secure connections to remote locations, or conferencing systems for dispersed teams. Usability and innovation will be key to deciding a winner.

This category recognises the software provider that best meets the needs of its customers, whether they are SMEs, large enterprises or public sector organisations. Customer care, product innovation and flexibility will all be important in choosing a winner.

We are seeking the cloud vendor who goes above and beyond, demonstrating more than the expected. It could be outstanding customer service; a breakthrough in product development; or a major strategic shift which has produced genuine results. The winning entry will clearly explain how it separates itself from the pack, and how this difference benefits its customers.

Distributed technology is on the rise, from the public-facing (cryptocurrencies, NFTs) to those that are more accurately classed as ‘backend’. These technologies, collectively known as Web3, have a host of applications, and we are looking for a widely adopted and innovative tool that solves a real problem. It could use distributed tech itself, or be involved with regulating and refining the process. A product that lowers the carbon footprint of blockchain is just as valid as a distributed store of personal data, or a smart contract. Your entry must include a customer case study.