Vodafone awarded Palo Alto Networks ANZ Service Provider of the Year

Vodafone New Zealand, which will transition into One New Zealand in early 2023, announced it received the Palo Alto Networks ANZ Service Provider of the Year award for 2022.

Announced during the Palo Alto Networks Australia & New Zealand (ANZ) Partner Summit, these awards are presented to an elite group of Palo Alto Networks partners that over the past 12 months have excelled in the following areas:

• Performance: Bookings that partners initiate, the pipeline they build, innovative new services launched, and net new customers added.
• Enablement: Number of Palo Alto Networks technical, pre-sales, sales and post-sales training and certifications completed.
• Engagement: Nominated by the Palo Alto Networks team for exceptional engagement with Palo Alto Networks and our customers.

Vodafone New Zealand entered a strategic partnership with Palo Alto Networks in 2022 and achieved success in their first transactional year together. The company built notable momentum within the first few months and has a strong joint pipeline of New Zealand businesses engaging with Vodafone products powered by Palo Alto.

Vodafone NZ also embarked on an enablement journey with PANW that saw more than 30 staff accredited and certified across NGFW, Cortex and SASE technologies. One of the keystones of the partnership included the launch of Vodafone Secure Access powered by Palo Alto Networks to the NZ market in September 2021, the company states.

Chief Enterprise Officer Lindsay Zwart states engaging working with partners like Palo Alto Networks will help usher in a more efficient, safer and more technologically enabled Aotearoa.

Zwart says, "The technology required to do business and do it well, is evolving at such a rapid rate that New Zealand businesses owners need to trust their providers to source them the best products. Vodafone is committed to partnering with the best, like Palo Alto Networks, so our business customers can focus on delivering amazing outcomes for everyday New Zealanders.

"Other companies we work with include DEFEND, one of New Zealand's leading cybersecurity architects, with a majority shareholding purchase by Vodafone NZ earlier this year. Through the magic of technology, we can create a more awesome Aotearoa for the generations to come."

Bryan Stibbard at Palo Alto Networks says, "At Palo Alto Networks, our partners play a critical role in securing the tech-enabled future of the enterprise, and never has that been more apparent against a backdrop of challenges in 2022.

"Enterprises rely on Palo Alto Networks technology and our trusted partners to bring the services and solutions that offer choice, flexibility, and simplicity. That adds up to better customer deployments and faster time to value. We're proud to recognise [Vodafone New Zealand on their ANZ Service Provider of the Year award for delivering valuable business outcomes and helping our mutual customers protect their digital way of life."