BankOne Awards Top IT Suppliers

To increase morale and give exposure to IT suppliers, Chicago-based BankOne recently honored six technology solution providers with awards-based on work performance for the bank this year.

The bank, with assets of $290 billion, debuted the IT Supplier awards in October in order to recognize outstanding performance. More than 100 of the bank's top suppliers, as well as senior and account executives from the bank, attended the awards ceremony at BankOne's headquarters.

The bank initiated the awards ceremony to recognize outstanding performance of IT suppliers that provide service for the bank, according to Thomas M. Kelly, senior vice president and chief technology officer. The awards also aim to raise awareness of these technology solutions providers and boost the companies' popularity.

"The benefit is really twofold," says Kelly. "First of all they (the awards) give suppliers exposure to both the IT organization and the overall bank itself. The other goal is motivational and to express a sense of partnership and a sense of obtained excellence in the view of the bank."

Among the six winners were: BancTec, Inc. (Dallas), which won the Partner award for its commitment to the bank as a partner; AT&T (Bedminster, N.J.), which received the Heroic Effort award for performing in a crisis or high-risk environment; Ab Initio Software Corp. (Lexington, Mass.), which got the Innovation award for providing leadership through innovation; Virtusa Corp. (Westborough, Mass.), receipient of the Diversity/Small Business award; Tata Consultancy Services (Bangalore, India), which received the Quality award for providing quality in delivery and execution through a day-to-day performance; and EMC Corp. (Hopkinton, Mass.), which won the IT Supplier of the year award because it was considered to have demonstrated the highest level of performance,.

This year's winners were judged based on the results of performance score cards votes from chief technology officers in different technology departments within the bank. The awards ceremony, which featured a keynote address by the bank's CEO, James Dimon, will continue to run annually, according to Kelly.

"What we want to do is, once a year, have the bank try to recognize the IT suppliers that have provided outstanding performance in some way or another," he says.