Success for our customers means success for us

By Jack Linnett: Product Manager, Telefónica UK

The annual Computing Vendor Excellence Awards 2016 was probably the first awards ceremony I’ve been to since age twelve, which would have been a football awards do. Team colours sprayed into my hair, high on Panda Pops and Wham bars. The organisers reminded us of proper awards etiquette, though, as the invitation to July’s event read ‘Smart casual: NO TRAINERS’. There goes my footwear of choice.

O2 Gateway was shortlisted for the Networking Infrastructure award, and O2 Unified Communications was shortlisted in the Unified Communications category. Our O2 team for the day consisted of product experts, sales specialists, marketeers, solution architects and customers. None of whom had blue hair sprayed in. And we were in good company, with the likes of Amazon Web Services, Oracle and SanDisk.

Criteria for the Networking Infrastructure award was: innovative nature, robust capability, incorporating Software Defined Networking (SND) and cloud interoperability. The Unified Communications criteria were: functionality, innovation, competitive differentiation and adoption. In both entries, we were able to bring it to life with customer examples. For O2 Gateway, we explained how we’d taken a market-leading, high street bank with a global presence on a digital transformation journey, helping them to not only improve their operating model but also their customer service ranking. For Unified Communications, we used Suffolk County Council as an example of helping a business move from a traditional, wired layout to a wires-free, hosted environment, providing flexibility of workplace, and a full set collaboration tools.

At O2 Business, we are all highly confident in the work we do and the services we offer to our business customers. This confidence was duly rewarded, as O2 Gateway went on to win the Networking Infrastructure award. O2 Gateway was praised for its excellent philosophy of joining together technology and the award entry for a use of a standout collection of hugely effective use cases. It’s important to remember our roots, and I see that as entering a market as a breath of fresh air, something different and refreshing, rather than simply being a mobile operator. Industry-wide recognition of how we have delivered simplicity and connectedness is not only proof of our strengthening position in the Business and IT markets, but also of how we take our customers on a digital transformation journey.

What’s more, the O2 Unified Communications team were awarded second place  in their category for Hosted Skype. This was recognition that O2 has created a truly unique solution for customers, based on the Microsoft Skype solution. It allows customers to communicate, collaborate and share on any device, in any location. Take Suffolk County Council for instance – they are incredibly forward-thinking in their approach to flexible working, and should be recognised as a trailblazer for what is possible both now, and looking to the future.

See this as your invite into a simpler, better connected Business IT market with O2 Gateway and O2 Unified Communications. But remember, no trainers.