IRISH services group Version 1 has been awarded one of the highest possible accolades by Microsoft to join an exclusively-vetted list of just 105 of Microsoft’s partners around the world to be named an Azure Expert Managed Service Provider (MSP).
The honour rubber stamps the IT services provider as one of Microsoft’s most capable global partners and is designed to allow potential clients across the public and private sectors to identify the top managed services providers to work with.
Technology and cloud managed services are a growth market globally, and a support heavily availed of by public sector organisations and commercial businesses alike across Ireland to outsource the responsibility for maintaining, improving and protecting IT estates to streamline operations and reduce expenses.
To achieve Azure MSP status, Version 1 - which employs nearly 2,000 people worldwide including more than 160 at its Belfast Gasworks site - had to complete a rigorous audit by an independent third party.
It also provide multiple customer references of Azure Managed Services projects delivered over the last 12 months. And to retain this status, it and other experts need to continue to meet pre-requisites annually and complete a progress audit every year.
Aisling Curtis, commercial director at Microsoft Ireland, said: “We're delighted that our trusted partner Version 1 has been named an Azure Expert MSP. To achieve this status, partners must meet stringent requirements as well as validate their skills, customer success, ability to scale, and commitment to providing next-generation managed service offerings to ensure that we can do the best for our customers.
“Only a select number of Microsoft partners are able to fulfil the requirements of the Azure Expert MSP programme which is designed to help our customers across Ireland find highly skilled and validated providers, such as Version 1, who can manage the most complex environments and strategically advise organisations on their digital transformation.”
Version 1 has been working with Microsoft technology since 2006 and has a broad and deep expertise across the Microsoft stack. It can look beyond specific requirements to underlying customer issues and identify integrated solutions that leverage the entire technology stack.
Alongside its Azure Expert status, Version 1 is also an Azure Migration & Modernisation Programme (AMMP) approved partner which enables it to guide its customers on a Microsoft supported and funded Migration / Modernisation journey to the cloud.
Tom O’Connor, chief executive at Version 1, said: “We're delighted to celebrate being recognised as a Microsoft Azure Expert MSP, which is not only a reflection of the significant investment we've made in our cloud and next-generation managed service capabilities, but the investment of our people in achieving reaching that goal.”
