Nvidia, Silverfort and Pax8 are among the ISVs to receive Microsoft Partner of the Year awards this year.

A chip making giant. An identity protection upstart. And a disruptor to IT distribution.

Nvidia, Silverfort and Pax8 are among the independent software vendors (ISVs) to receive Microsoft Partner of the Year awards this year in a variety of categories.

Named as Microsoft closes out its fiscal year, these partners of the Redmond, Wash.-based tech giant received the annual awards for demonstrating “amazing agility and creativity in building solutions on Microsoft Cloud, with the goal of exceeding customer expectations by bringing technology to life in meaningful ways,” according to the vendor.

[RELATED: Microsoft 2024 Partners Of The Year: Solution Providers Advancing AI, Copilot, Security]

Microsoft 2024 POTY

Other vendors that impressed the tech giant enough to receive Partner of the Year awards include:

• Rubrik
• AvePoint
• Lenovo
• Confluent

For this list, CRN focused on the Partner of the Year award winners based in the United States, with significant presences in the U.S. or with channel partner programs.

Read on for why Microsoft named these ISVs the best of the best.

Rubrik

Microsoft’s industry Partner of the Year for health care and life sciences was Rubrik.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based security vendor received the award for its working with Microsoft protecting “healthcare organizations and their patients by reducing their cyber risk and helping to recover critical workloads faster in the event of an attack, enabling these providers to fully protect the integrity of their Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems,” according to Microsoft.

“Rubrik was instrumental in assisting one of the first healthcare institutions to move to Azure, an innovation that helps organizations implement the end-to-end security required to move protected data from on-prem to the cloud,” according to Microsoft.

In its own online post on the award, Rubrik said that with its work, “St. Luke’s University Health Network achieved 73 percent Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings over three years by switching to Rubrik for its Epic backup hosting on Azure.”

In June, Rubrik revealed an integration With Microsoft Information Protection (MIP) sensitivity labels to help customers better track and secure files with sensitive data within and outside of Microsoft environments.

Microsoft was also an investor in Rubrik, helping the vendor reach a $4 billion valuation in 2021. When Rubrik filed documents for its initial public opening (IPO), the vendor revealed that its Microsoft partnership included a committed $220 million spend over up to 10 years to use Azure for data security offerings and preferentially offer Azure public cloud functionality to Rubrik customers.

Former Microsoft Board Chairman John Thompson is a member of Rubrik’s lead independent director.

Rubrik has about 2,500 channel partners worldwide and 785 in North America, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.

AvePoint

AvePoint took home Microsoft industry Partner of the Year for education.

Microsoft gave the Jersey City, N.J.-based data management tools vendor the award for its AI-powered MaivenPoint platform and work on FairBot, Singapore’s first Teams chatbot, according to Microsoft.

“AI and machine learning have enabled tailored workforce training with the education industry customer’s Learning Hub and automated learning experiences, saving more than 2,500 hours annually,” according to Microsoft. “Modern learning now blends academics with emotional development, preparing learners for constant change.”

AvePoint’s Azure-hosted software-as-a-service (SaaS) products have more than 21,000 users, according to AvePoint. In April, it revealed general availability of new analytics capabilities in its tyGraph product for Copilot for Microsoft 365, capabilities that aim to measure and optimize Copilot use.

AvePoint is part of CRN’s 2024 Partner Program Guide.

Pax8

Pax8 was named Microsoft’s 2024 distributor Partner of the Year for its Cloud Commerce Marketplace, which Microsoft said “has created a disruptive category in the channel ecosystem and become a champion for managed service providers (MSPs) who serve small to medium businesses (SMBs) around the world.”

The Greenwood Village, Colo.-based IT distributor “is positioned for growth opportunities, igniting the potential of this market to achieve mutual success,” according to Microsoft.

SMB customers who work with Pax8 partners consume 2.5 times more Microsoft services than those using competitor’s platforms, according to the distributor.

Pax8 said it is the No. 1 distributor of Copilot sales, with more than 1,700 partners selling more than 5,500 Copilot seats.

Pax8 has more than 35,000 channel partners worldwide. It has about 24,000 in North America, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs

Nvidia

Nvidia received a Partner of the Year award for ISV innovation for its role in “empowering customers and partners to achieve new levels of productivity and innovation with Next-Gen AI tools, solutions, and services,” according to Microsoft.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based chipmaker’s collaboration with Microsoft includes using the latter’s “Azure infrastructure and extensive lineup of software with the power of Nvidia’s GPUs and networking to deliver a platform unmatched in performance, security, capability, and resiliency,” according to Microsoft.

“Years of purpose-built design and joint architecture supply the fundamental foundation for handling massive computing workloads and unlock the next era of AI hyperscale computing and industrial digitalization,” Microsoft said.

In March, Microsoft and Nvidia revealed new integrations leveraging Nvidia GenAI and Omniverse across Microsoft Azure, Azure AI services, Microsoft Fabric and Microsoft 365.

That same month, the vendors said that Microsoft’s Phi-3 family of small language models will be optimized to run on Nvidia GPUs and made available as Nvidia NIM inference microservices in another example of their collaboration.

Nvidia has about 1,600 channel partners worldwide and 350 in North America, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.

BlueVoyant

BlueVoyant came away from the 2024 Microsoft Partner of the Year awards with a win in the security category.

The New York-based security vendor uses “Microsoft’s cloud-based, AI-powered Cyber Defense Platform to protect over 1,000 customers in more than 40 countries from cyber threats,” according to the tech giant.

“BlueVoyant excels in innovation, thought leadership and customer results, and has a unique impact on customers, partners, and Microsoft,” according to the tech giant. “BlueVoyant is a premier cybersecurity provider that spans the entire Security Operations landscape as defined by Gartner.”

BlueVoyant has about 150 channel partners worldwide, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.

Lenovo

Lenovo won a Partner Innovation award from Microsoft for devices thanks to its “delivers a deep portfolio of Windows-based products across Consumer, Commercial, Gaming and Education.”

Over the past year, the China-based computer maker “has deepened its expertise by further expanding in areas that align with Microsoft’s strategic priorities such as AI, Cloud, and Security,” according to Microsoft. “From the Legion Go handheld gaming device to enabling Windows 365 on Motorola’s ThinkPhone platform, Lenovo has demonstrated its commitment to innovation and further enhancing the customer’s Windows experience.”

Lenovo is one of the launch partners for Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC line of devices that aim to bring AI processing local to users. The devices went on sale in June.

In March, Lenovo launched its ThinkSmart Tiny Kit and the ThinkPad Universal USB-C Smart Dock – ThinkSmart Edition as two offerings meant to help businesses turn meeting spaces into Microsoft Teams Rooms.

Lenovo is a member of CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.

Silverfort

Microsoft’s Partner Innovation award in the Microsoft for Startups category went to Silverfort, “a leading identity protection company with hundreds of customers – including Fortune 500 companies – across the globe.”

The Boston-based vendor, founded in 2016, “is a private preview partner for Microsoft Copilot for Security, enabling organizations to protect their workforce identities (human and non-human), regardless of their location,” according to Microsoft.

In January, Silverfort raised a $116 million Series D round of funding. In May, the upstart launched a new integration with external authentication methods (EAM) in Microsoft Entra ID.

Silverfort has about channel partners worldwide, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs. It launched a formal channel partner program in May.

Siemens Digital Industries

Microsoft’s industry Partner of the Year award in manufacturing went to Siemens Digital Industries for its Data Driven X (DDX) platform, which matches internet of things (IoT) data with contract information for the benefit of finance institutes, machines users and machine builders.

The Plano, Texas-based industrial technology vendor “is embracing the Microsoft Cloud to drive innovation within manufacturing companies,” according to Microsoft.

“Siemens launched the Teamcenter app on Microsoft Teams (using voice and AI to connect factory workers and engineering); showcased the Industrial AI Copilot (which automates programmable logic controller coding) and the NX Copilot (automatic creation of computer-aided design files),” according to Microsoft. “Siemens also plans to make their Xcelerator software available through Microsoft’s cloud, integrating it with Gen AI and Copilot features.”

Siemens Digital Industries Software has about 1,800 channel partners worldwide and 140 in North America, according to 2024 Channel Chiefs.

Wiz

Wiz received a Microsoft Partner of the Year award this year in business transformation in the area of commercial marketplace.

Microsoft Azure users leverage the New York-based security startup “to reduce risk and gain unmatched visibility, accurate prioritization, and business agility on their cloud,” according to Microsoft.

“With more than 70 percent of Wiz’s business billed through cloud marketplaces, and a significant amount through the Microsoft Commercial Marketplace, Wiz is paving the way for ISVs to successfully implement a marketplace-first approach,” according to Microsoft.

“Wiz has expanded its marketplace business by engaging channel partners through multi-party private offers and closed more deals by leveraging benefits offered through Marketplace Rewards,” according to Microsoft.

A case study published on Microsoft’s website in February said that Wiz – founded in 2020 – executed a three-month campaign using more than $350,000 in Azure sponsorship credits to close over a dozen competitive deals.

“Wiz internal research found 10 times better results with Azure Marketplace than efforts with other CSPs in terms of ROI,” according to the case study.

That same month, Wiz unveiled new AI security posture management (SPM) support for Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, which aims to help Azure customers securely build, deploy and scale AI models.

In March, Wiz added AI-generated remediation guidance that leverages Azure OpenAI Service’s GenAI models, according to the startup.

Wiz has about 190 channel partners worldwide and 150 in North America, according to CRN’s 2024 Channel Chiefs.

Pros

Microsoft’s 2024 Partner of the Year for partner innovation among global ISVs was Pros.

The Houston-based platform provider was described by Microsoft as “a market leader” for configure, price, quote (CPQ) “and price optimization capabilities,” leveraging AI with the aim of providing users better products.

“According to a recent ROI study, PROS customers have reported a near 96 percent efficiency gain; up to 5 percent margin improvement and a near 20 percent revenue lift,” according to Microsoft.

In its spring platform release, Pros integrated its Smart CPQ tool with Copilot for Microsoft 365, according to Pros. The integration allows sales representatives to modify, clone and send quote information without leaving Outlook, for example.

Pros has a partner program for SIs, advisory firms and other types of partners.

Icertis

Microsoft’s industry Partner of the Year winner in defense and intelligence was Icertis.

The Bellevue, Wash.-based contract intelligence vendor “was early to recognize the once-in-a-generation opportunity for AI to transform business relationships and drive performance through the use of contract data,” according to Microsoft.

“The Icertis platform equips customers with powerful insights to grow revenue, control costs, mitigate risk, and ensure compliance,” according to Microsoft. “Today, 30 percent of the Fortune 100 companies trust Icertis to realize the full intent of millions of commercial agreements in more than 90 countries.”

Icertis was a launch partner for Microsoft Copilots, according to Icertis. The two companies launched the market’s first copilots for enterprise contract management, which became Icertis’ fastest-selling product ever released.

Icertis has a partner program for system integrators, consultancies and other partner business types.

SymphonyAI

SymphonyAI took home the AI Innovation Partner of the Year award under the area of business transformation.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based provider of AI software-as-a-service products for supply chain performance and space planning received the award for its work in financial crime risk management, according to Microsoft.

“The SymphonyAI Sensa Investigation Hub is a cutting-edge AI-powered application that runs on Azure,” according to Microsoft. “It helps investigators work more efficiently by accelerating investigations with a generative AI assistant that sources, summarizes, and analyzes data at scale.”

The app “can reduce false positives by up to 70 percent improve the risk-alert ratio by 81 times and increase by 30 percentthe detection of risks that merit the filing of a suspicious activity report (SAR).”

In January, SymphonyAI launched retail AI software applications using Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service for retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies worldwide, according to SymphonyAI.

In April, it revealed a a predictive and generative AI-based Media Copilot, which integrates Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service with Revedia media and entertainment products.

SymphonyAI has a partner program for system integrators, consultancies and other partner business types.

Confluent

Microsoft’s 2024 Azure Partner of the Year in the area of open source software (OSS) is Confluent.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based Apache Kafka-based streaming platform provider “accelerates development cycles by up to 70 percentand reduces management costs by up to 60 percent,” according to Microsoft. “In addition, Confluent seamlessly integrates with Azure Marketplace and services, providing a unified management, security, and billing approach.”

“With over 120 pre-built connectors and a serverless stream processing service for Apache Flink, Confluent simplifies data migration and real-time integration with many Azure data services,” according to Microsoft.

In April, Microsoft launched a simpler way to integrate Azure services with Apache Kafka and Apache Flink on Confluent Cloud through Azure Service Connector.

Confluent has a partner program for system integrators and other partner business types.

TeamViewer

For its work on applications for Microsoft Teams, TeamViewer received a 2024 Microsoft Partner of the Year award.

The Germany-based remote IT tools provider “integrates with Teams, enriching remote connectivity and streamlining operations,” according to Microsoft.

“Offering features like support for mobile workforces, AR-driven remote guidance and advanced troubleshooting capabilities, TeamViewer is helping more than 4,000 organizations achieve unprecedented efficiency and productivity enhancements, with an 80 percentreduction in IT support ticket resolution time,” according to Microsoft.

TeamViewer has a partner program for service providers and other partner types.

Cognite

Cognite took home an Microsoft industry 2024 Partner of the Year award in energy and resources.

The Norway-based software provider “continues to lead the charge in global Industrial DataOps on Microsoft Azure in 2024, enabling industrial companies to leverage AI for a transformative digital journey,” according to Microsoft.

Cognite’s Data Fusion offering leverages GenAI “enables simple access to complex industrial data and digital twin capabilities, increasing by 10 times the efficiency of industrial workflows,” according to Microsoft.

As part of a deeper partnership announced in January, Cognite is integrating Data Fusion with Microsoft Fabric to deliver a data operations (DataOps) with engineering technology (ET) and operational technology (OT) data workload capabilities enabled through industrial copilots.

The provider has a partner program for services partners, SIs and other partner business models.