It’s always a challenge to start something new and different, especially in a “mature” industry. Earlier this year, my team worked tirelessly to create and promote the inaugural IT Vanguard Awards program, presented by Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. We wanted to recognize the unsung IT heroes—professionals who are leveraging IT network and communications technologies in order to transform operations and improve customer interactions for their companies.

We asked for IT Vanguard nominations, hoping we would get some that were innovative, award worthy, and most of all, good stories that could be shared with the industry. Knowing that some IT professionals would rather not receive recognition and that nominating someone for an award takes time, we had measured expectations. However, the IT network and enterprise communications community did not disappoint! The many IT Vanguard nominations we received were indeed innovative, but also educational and inspiring.

We are happy to present the IT Vanguard Award Honorees for 2019 and share their success stories. These leaders are managing crucial projects, leading cross-functional teams, and getting the results they carefully planned for. Working in diverse settings such as healthcare, education, transportation, government and telecommunications, the IT Vanguards challenged the status quo and are moving the industry forward with their solutions.

On our IT Vanguard Award site, the honorees provide details on their projects, offer lessons learned, and share what it takes to become an integral business leader. Our judges—five IT thought leaders—also share their insight on the future of IT and the customer experience. We hope you are inspired by their stories and ready to challenge the status quo in your own organization.

If you missed out on the nomination period, watch for the announcement early next year for the 2020 IT Vanguard Awards. We’re pleased to keep this tradition going and can’t wait to hear your success stories!