This year we went from in-person to a virtual event to hand out the awards. Nothing to compare with being live and in-person, but we made some lemonade out of the lemons. Thank you all for attending and enduring yet another virtual event.

Every year, we invite our channel base in the UK to vote for their favourite vendors and distributors. The goal is simply to learn what channel partners are thinking about their suppliers. It’s such an easy and powerful way for channel partners to recognize the suppliers that helped them the most in 2020 while sending a message to the others to do better next year!

When more vendors and distributors improve their support for the channel, everyone wins!

Currently our channel partner network is over 5,000 and growing every year. It’s a solid cross-section of the entire UK Channel.

If you see your name on this list, it means that you got the most votes from the channel partners. The winners are those who got the most votes (and it is up to each nominee to get out their supporters to vote).

We typically send about 6 invitations to our network to vote. Channel partners can nominate any vendor and distributor in the appropriate category. In the UK, we only focus on Top 10 Cloud; Best Distributor; Best Vendor; Best Security Vendor and new this year, Best Support During the Pandemic. Every year we will expand towards more of the 70+ Categories that we offer in our North American Reseller Choice Awards program.

What does seeing your company name on this award winner’s list mean?

  1. It means that your channel partners think you are #1.
  2. It means that you are doing a very good job in the channel.
  3. It means that other channel partners should consider doing business with you.

Here are Britain’s 2020 Reseller Choice Awards Winners:

TOP 10 Cloud Vendors:

  1. Microsoft
  2. Webroot/Carbonite, an OpenText company
  3. Datto
  4. Connectwise
  5. Cryoserver 
  6. Veeam
  7. AWS
  8. Google
  9. HPE 
  10. Sophos

Best Distributor: Westcoast

Best Security Vendor: WEBROOT

Best Support During The Pandemic: Webroot/Carbonite, an OpenText company

Best Overall Vendor: Microsoft

Some comments from the winners:

“We stayed flexible while keeping the rapport with customers”

“We did anything we could to support our partners while they shifted their customers”

“Help partners sell in uncertain times”

“Had longer conversations with customers”

“Important to be agile, pivot quickly and support our MSP community”

“Saw great creativity and resilience from our partners who were the first-responders to customers”

Over 50 vendors and distributors were nominated this year. If you won this year, then congratulations. Remember, it’s voted on by the channel partners so there is no bigger recognition that you can get in the industry! There are no “expert” judges deciding who wins. There is no way anyone can buy or sponsor their way into winning this award.

Some channel managers, chiefs and reps do leverage this to energize their careers :o)

To those who did not make this year’s 2020 winner’s circle, there is always next year. Remember that voting will start again in October 2021 and the Awards Gala will be on December 9th, 2021 (save the date). Keep an eye out for the announcements!

Check out and compare with last year’s (2019) winners!