Channel awards
Simon Meredith meets two more hopefuls in the running for this year's awards.
Storage specialist defends title
A strong focus on the complex and growing storage market should provide CMS Peripherals with a good chance of retaining the Specialist Distributor of the Year title it won in 2002.
This year there are no awards for specific product areas, but CMS believes its concentration on storage will once again put the company in contention.
"This focus means our customers can rely on us, not only to represent the best, established brands but also to have our fingers on the pulse of the storage market," said Frank Salmon, managing director.
"We can identify new vendors and products that will offer them opportunities for business development and margin."
CMS's business focuses solely on storage, and Salmon believes the company can retain its Specialist Distributor title because of this.
"Our unique position in the market allows us to offer an unrivalled level of service and expertise in an increasingly important area of the IT industry," he said.
Winning the award again would give the company further momentum. "We value the opinion of our customers. A vote of confidence like this proves we are getting it right and gives us something to build on," Salmon added.
CRN analysis
CMS's key vendor partners are Hewlett-Packard and Veritas, both of which are looking to grow their businesses this year. They may also be consolidating channels to compete effectively, and delivering the best service will be more important than ever. CMS must have a good chance of making it to the Specialist Distributor short list.
Parity takes SMEs' pulse
The idea of providing small firms with IT health checks has helped Wirral reseller Parity ICT to stand out from the crowd. It could also help the firm pick up an SME award at the Channel Awards in November.
Steve Wood, managing director of Parity, said: "I've been working on the concept of health checks for small businesses for about six months. I think it could make a real difference to our business."
Vendors have still not found the right formula for the SME market, and every solution, as Wood points out, is likely to come from several vendors.
"SMEs want to say, 'Come and look after my IT and support me.' Most of them don't have any IT knowledge, especially the smaller ones," he said.
Wood has taken the health check concept to market with some success. "It has worked for us locally and given us a differentiator," he added.
The company has been most successful in approaching companies with between five and 50 staff, especially in the education sector. A popular feature is the reporting system that sets out the priorities for the customer.
Wood is looking at expanding the offering and providing the reporting service though a number of partners.
CRN analysis
With turnover of about £2m and 22 staff, Parity ICT is a Hewlett-Packard Centre of Excellence and is Technology Means Business accredited. It has the commitment to be a contender for the award, but competition will be strong.
Put yourself in the running
Eight categories at the Channel Awards will be put to a vote from a short list of six companies.
Voting will start in September and go on until late October. The short lists will be drawn up by a panel of independent judges from entries received between now and 4 July. This means that if you want to be in with a chance of winning, you have to put yourself forward.
It is easy to enter, and as long as you provide a minimum amount of information, the judges will consider your entry carefully. To post your entry, go to www.crn.vnunet.com and click on the Channel Awards button. The eight categories you can enter are:
- Corporate Vendor of the Year
- SME Vendor of the Year
- Specialist Vendor of the Year
- Corporate Distributor of the Year
- SME Distributor of the Year
- Specialist Distributor of the Year
- Corporate Reseller of the Year
- SME Reseller of the Year
All CRN reader votes will be audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulation.