We are thrilled to announce that ARO has been shortlisted for four prestigious categories at the 2024 CRN Channel Awards:

  • Cloud Service Partner of the Year
  • Cyber Security / Data Protection Partner of the Year
  • Best Sustainability Project / Initiative of the Year
  • Reseller of the Year

The CRN Channel Awards have long been recognised as one of the most coveted accolades in the technology industry, celebrating excellence, innovation, and success across the channel. Being shortlisted in four categories is a significant milestone for ARO and a testament to our commitment to delivering outstanding solutions to our customers.

Cloud Services Partner of the Year

The role of a trusted Cloud Services Partner has never been more critical in today’s rapidly evolving technological landscape. At ARO, our journey with Cloud solutions began over 14 years ago, when we pioneered the UK’s first Mitel Cloud-based multi-tenant MICD, even before Mitel themselves offered Cloud Telephony.

Since then, we have expanded our offerings to include UCaaS, CCaaS, and comprehensive IT Cloud Services, with targeted acquisitions between 2017 and 2022 that bolstered our cloud expertise. Our own Data Centre in Liverpool, coupled with a dedicated network backbone, allows us to create bespoke Private and Hybrid cloud solutions tailored to the specific needs of our clients, including those with stringent security and data sovereignty requirements. Our Cloud services are trusted by some of the UK’s most demanding sectors, including universities, the NHS, medical research organisations, law firms, TV studios, and financial institutions.

Cyber Security / Data Protection Partner of the Year

In today’s interconnected world, a robust cybersecurity strategy is essential. At ARO, cybersecurity is woven into the fabric of everything we do. Every solution architect in our Cloud division approaches projects with a security-first mindset, and our dedicated team ensures that cybersecurity solutions can be overlaid onto any infrastructure, whether built by us or by another provider.

With over 600,000 end users relying on our cybersecurity services, we are proud to have earned Platinum status with SonicWall and annual Partner Awards from global vendors like Barracuda for the past six years. We believe that our people are the driving force behind this success. With 90% of our staff as shareholders in ARO and an impressive eNPS score of +51, they are fully invested in delivering top-tier results. Their commitment is reflected in our exceptional customer satisfaction scores, with a customer NPS of 95, 85% first-line resolution rate, and a 20-minute average response time to incidents.

Best Sustainability Project / Initiative of the Year

Sustainability has become a central concern for businesses in 2024, as companies across industries strive to reduce their environmental impact. ARO has been leading the charge with our award-winning service, POD – an innovative energy management software solution. POD provides comprehensive energy consumption reporting across businesses, giving organisations the tools to cut costs, increase efficiency, and achieve their sustainability goals.

The POD platform, which started in 2015 as a way to consolidate energy documentation, has evolved into a powerful tool linked directly to energy meters. It provides in-depth consumption reports that have saved our customers hundreds of thousands of pounds by identifying inefficiencies. Now, we are taking POD further by integrating Net-Zero reporting, offering real-time insights into energy consumption and carbon emissions. With its powerful analytics, POD allows businesses to track energy usage, identify waste, and model changes to drive cost-effective emissions reduction strategies and optimise sustainability efforts.

Reseller of the Year

ARO’s journey as a Reseller has been marked by significant transformation over the past eight years. Today, we support over 8,000 Public Sector, Enterprise, and Mid-Market customers, continually expanding our expertise and offerings. In October 2023, we achieved our fifth Microsoft Accreditation, adding to the 61 individual certifications our engineers have earned, underscoring our commitment to excellence in service delivery.

The past year has seen us innovate and launch our own products in cybersecurity and sustainability. In November 2023, we unveiled our Net Zero Journey initiative, including the introduction of ‘POD for Net Zero’, a carbon reporting and management tool offered free of charge to our customers. And in January 2024, we launched Secure+, our very own SOC product that layers seamlessly over Microsoft 365, providing enhanced security and peace of mind for our clients.

Looking Ahead

We are immensely proud of the work our teams have done to get us to this point, and we are honoured to be recognised for our efforts by the CRN Channel Awards. These nominations are a testament to our ongoing commitment to innovation, sustainability, and delivering exceptional service to our customers.

As we eagerly await the results, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our customers, partners, and employees who have made these achievements possible. We look forward to continuing our journey of growth and excellence in the years to come.