Microsoft Canada Co. Announces Winner of the First TechNet Canada Innovation Award
Chris Diaz of Allstream is recognized by Microsoft for delivering a collaborative work environment for Canadian businesses
MISSISSAUGA, ON - March 7, 2006 - Microsoft Canada Co. is pleased to announce that Chris Diaz of Allstream, the Enterprise Solutions division of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. and a leading Canadian communication solutions provider, is the recipient of the first TechNet Canada Innovation Award. Mr. Diaz, a member of the Collaboration Services Team at Allstream, is being honoured for his work on the Allstream Collaboration Suite which empowers businesses to take advantage of the latest collaboration technology. Presented by the TechNet team at Microsoft Canada, the award recognizes IT professionals who have used Microsoft-based technology to create a positive impact on their organization or community.
The Allstream Collaboration Suite (ACS) leverages Microsoft® Exchange, Microsoft Office Live Communications Server, Microsoft SharePoint® and Microsoft Office Live Meeting to provide businesses with a hosted environment that enables them to share applications, documents and communicate in real-time via instant messaging, video conferencing and email. Mr. Diaz was specifically recognized for resolving firewall issues that allowed the company to deliver the product to customers in a safe manner.
"Microsoft Canada believes it is important to recognize IT heroes for the work they do that continuously makes a positive impact on our lives," said Andrew Dixon, Director of Microsoft Windows Server System, Microsoft Canada. "Chris Diaz won this award because he went above and beyond the call of duty to help deliver an integrated solution that would meet the needs of Allstream's business customers. Small businesses or companies that do not have the necessary infrastructure to support their own collaboration platforms can now look to Allstream for solutions that maximize IT across their teams and organizations."
"Working on this project was a great experience; it's a good feeling when we come up with a new solution and the company gets recognized for what we do as IT professionals," said Chris Diaz, Senior Solutions Architect, ACS Team, Allstream. "Even though one person was nominated for the Microsoft TechNet Innovation Award, our entire team was excited and it has invigorated us to continue developing innovative solutions that help our customers and contribute to Allstream's business success."
From an initial group of nominations, a panel of judges selected the top five candidates for the prestigious award. The candidates, including Mr. Diaz, were featured in the TechNet Flash newsletter and the TechNet Canada Web site where the IT Pro community voted for their favourite IT professional. Mr. Diaz has won a prize package that includes a Microsoft Windows Media® Center-based PC, a cash prize of $500 and an equivalent $500 donation that will be made on his behalf to the Children's Miracle Network in his local community.
The Microsoft TechNet program in Canada provides comprehensive, technical resources through events, webcasts, advisor blogs, virtual labs, the TechNet Flash IT newsletter and other online tools to help IT professionals evaluate, deploy and support Microsoft-based solutions.
To hear more from Chris Diaz and learn about his solution, you can visit http://www.microsoft.com/canada/technet/innovationaward5/. Registration Information for the next round of nominations is available by signing up for TechNet Flash at http://www.microsoft.com/canada/technet/tnflash/.
About Microsoft Canada
Established in 1985, Microsoft Canada Co. is the Canadian subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq "MSFT") the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft Canada provides nationwide sales, marketing, consulting and local support services in both French and English. Headquartered in Mississauga, Microsoft Canada has 10 regional offices across the country dedicated to empowering people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. For more information on Microsoft Canada, please visit www.microsoft.ca
About Allstream
Allstream is a leading communication solutions provider with a world-class portfolio of Connectivity, Managed Services and Professional Services. Focused on the business market, Allstream collaborates with customers to create tailored solutions that meet their unique needs and help them compete more effectively. Allstream is a division of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. (MTS), with a team of dedicated employees focused on delivering outstanding value to its customers. MTS has an extensive broadband fibre-optic network spanning more than 24,300 kilometres, and provides international connections through strategic partnerships and interconnection agreements with other international service providers. MTS's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (trading symbol: MBT). For more information, please visit: www.mts.ca and www.allstream.com
©2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, SharePoint, Windows Media and Windows Server System are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
