Stand up and be counted

A lack of opinion is not something that afflicts many people in the channel, which is one reason why it is such an upbeat corner of the IT industry.

Apathy is not usually associated with our sector either, which, in view of the fact that this week marks the start of voting for the CRN Channel Awards, is an excellent thing.

Compiling the short lists for the awards, which I and the other 10 analysts and industry watchers acting as judges completed last week, was a very tough task. Having read all the entries

before our meeting, we then battled it out and whittled it down to those names we finally agreed deserved to make it onto the short list.

But now it is time for the most important part of the awards: time for you to make the difference and put your vote where it counts. Who has really gone out of the way this year to help your company to grow and develop? Who has gone above and beyond the call of duty? Which company really had the wow factor?

For the first time, all votes will be cast online this year, so it is simply a matter of three clicks to express your opinion and give a company you think deserves to win the chance to take home one of the channel Oscars. The best thing is that even if there is a company which has taken your breath away this year, but is not on the short list for whatever reason, you can still vote for your candidate in the Outstanding Achievement category.

One thing to remember about the voting process is that not only are you helping one company to win, but you are also helping others not to win. That is why it is so vital that everyone votes. If you don’t, you could find your nemesis edging closer to an unmerited award.

With an exceptionally large array of companies on this year’s short lists the competition is hotting up, so vote now to make sure your opinion counts.

Who wins? You decide.

To vote, just go to www.channelawards.co.uk.