Enlighten Designs and Microsoft: Our Story of Partnership and Awards

For over two decades, we've partnered with Microsoft to transform how teams collaborate and work smarter. This partnership shaped our business and ignited a journey that took us from a small New Zealand tech company to a globally recognised Microsoft partner. 

Here's how we built something extraordinary together.

Our Early Days and Early Wins

Our mission was simple when we started. It was to transform how teams collaborate and connect, all while creating value through the emerging tech of time. That vision quickly gained momentum. 

In 2002, we became finalists in both the Best Small Business and the Hamilton City Council Innovation Award categories at the Waikato Business Awards, marking our first set of recognitions. 

By 2007, our efforts had captured the attention of the industry. We were named finalists in the Microsoft Partnering Award of the Year and again earned recognition from the Waikato Business Excellence Awards for innovation. These early honours validated our innovative approach and set the stage for bigger milestones ahead.

Our Breakthrough National Wins

2008 marked a turning point for Enlighten Designs. That year, we won the Microsoft Partnering Award of the Year, as well as the Microsoft Software + Services Solution of the Year, and were also named finalists for the Microsoft Rising Star of the Year award. This streak of recognition proved that our focus on customer-driven innovation was paying off.

Over the next few years, Enlighten Designs became a fixture at the Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards. Between 2009 and 2013, we were consistently recognised across categories like Enterprise Content Management, Portals & Collaboration, and Business Impact Solutions.

Our defining moment came in 2013, when we were awarded Collaboration & Content Partner of the Year at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, where we were selected from more than 3,000 entries globally. Our work with Mighty River Power was highlighted as a best-in-class SharePoint solution, cementing our reputation on the world stage. 

Around this time, we also earned a place in the Deloitte Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500 (2010 and 2011), confirming our status as one of the region’s fastest-growing innovators.

Recognitions Keep Coming

As technology advanced, so did our impact. From 2014 through 2016, we gained multiple finalist and winner placements in Cloud Enterprise, Data Analytics, Education, and Collaboration & Content. By 2016, our recognition in the Data Analytics Partner of the Year and Education Partner of the Year categories reflected our growing strength in data-driven and industry-specific solutions.

In 2017, we continued this momentum with finalist placements in Microsoft's Public Sector awards in Education and Data Platforms & Analytics. These years showcased the diversity of our expertise and our ability to deliver solutions that transformed industries.

Reaching the Global Stage

The late 2010s brought Enlighten Designs to new heights. In 2018, we were finalists in the Transforming Products category at the Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards and became a Microsoft Co-Sell Ready Partner, joining an exclusive global group of integrators. In 2019, we were recognised with the Microsoft Cloud for Good Award and the Transforming Business Award, and became finalists in the Modern Workplace Award.

Then, in 2020, we achieved one of our proudest milestones yet: being named Microsoft Country Partner of the Year for New Zealand. This recognition reflected not only our technical excellence but also our role as a trusted advisor for clients both locally and globally.

Our Awards Over the Years

Alongside these milestones, Enlighten Designs has been consistently recognised across a wide spectrum of categories. Here’s the full picture of our awards journey:

2021

• Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards 2021 – Digital & Application Innovation Category (Highly Commended)

• Reseller News Innovation Awards 2021 – Tech Innovation Category (Finalist)

• Reseller News Innovation Awards 2021 – NZ-Wide Innovation Category (Finalist)

2020

• Microsoft Country Partner of the Year – New Zealand (Winner)

• Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards 2020 – Transforming Products Category (Finalist)

• Microsoft New Zealand Partner Awards 2020 – Cloud for Good Category (Finalist)

• Reseller News Innovation Awards Corporate Citizen Award 2020 (Winner)

2019

• Microsoft Cloud for Good Award (Winner)

• Microsoft Transforming Business Award (Winner)

• Microsoft Modern Workplace Award (Finalists)

2018

• Microsoft Transforming Products Award (Finalists)

2017

• Microsoft Data Platforms & Analytics Award (Finalists)

• Microsoft Public Sector – Education Award (Finalists)

2016

• Microsoft Data Analytics Award (Finalists)

• Microsoft Education Award (Finalists)

2015

• Microsoft Cloud Enterprise Award (Finalists)

• Microsoft Collaboration & Content Award (Finalists)

• Microsoft Data Analytics Award (Finalists)

• Deloitte Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500

2014

• Microsoft Cloud Enterprise Award (Finalists)

2013

• Microsoft Collaboration & Content Award (Winner)

• Microsoft Cloud Enterprise Award (Finalists)

2012

• Microsoft Collaboration & Content Award (Finalists)

2011

• Business Intelligence Solution of the Year (Finalists)

• Citizenship Solution of the Year (Finalists)

• Microsoft Portals & Collaboration Solution of the Year

• Web Development Solution of the Year (Finalists)

• Deloitte Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500

2010

• Microsoft Enterprise Content Management Solution of the Year

• Microsoft Business Impact Solution of the Year

• Deloitte Asia Pacific Technology Fast 500

2009

• Microsoft Partnering Award of the Year

• Business Productivity Enterprise Content Management (Finalists)

2008

• Microsoft Partnering Award of the Year (Winner)

• Microsoft Software + Services Solution of the Year (Winner)

• Microsoft Rising Star of the Year (Finalists)

2007

• Microsoft Partnering Award of the Year (Finalists)

• Hamilton City Council Innovation Award – Waikato Business Excellence Awards

2002

• Best Small Business – Waikato Business Awards (Finalists)

• Hamilton City Council Innovation Award – Waikato Business Awards (Finalists)

Our Next Chapters

Our partnership with Microsoft remains one of the driving forces to continue innovating in the field. The tech industry will always remain ever-changing, but our core values of excellence, innovation, and customer success will always be there.

We're grateful for the recognition, proud of what we've achieved, and excited for what comes next. So, if you’re excited about what Enlighten Designs brings to the table, check out our services here and let's create something award-winning together.