Channel Awards winners announced

Below is a list of the winners along with a short paragraph based on the judges comments on why they were chosen

Software vendor of the Year – GFI
A hotly discussed category this year, but GFI’s entry was marked out by the judges as being stronger and more tailored to the UK market than some of its bigger competitors in this category. The panel was also impressed with the strength of testimonials and the level of detail contained in the entry.

Judges Commended: IBM

Software distributor of the Year – Computer 2000
Another closely fought category saw Computer 2000 beat a very strong field to this title. Its entry gave strong evidence to the judges of a thriving software licensing business and top class reseller support. The distributor also demonstrated a clear investment in marketing its software services. The whole entry was backed up with strong partner testimonials which impressed the judging panel.

Judges Commended: Interactive Ideas

AV Distributor of the Year – C2000/Maverick

This was a closely contested category with a very high standard of entry, but Maverick scored the highest marks with the judges for its entry with a demonstrable focus on the AV space and its capability for delivering value to its reseller base. The entry also scored highly with the judges for its strong testimonials.

Service Provider of the Year – Eurodata

In a very tightly contested category Eurodata emerged as the winner after demonstrating tremendous consistency in service delivery and setting the highest standards in terms of customer satisfaction and retention. The judges were impressed by the way the company’s entry showcased its forward thinking approach to developing a services-led business model.

Specialist vendor of the Year – Meru
There was a real battle for the top spot in this category, but the judging panel selected Meru as the overall winner due to its strong use of statistics in its entry, examples of channel support activities and good use of a case study backed up with customer and partner testimonials.

Judges Commended: Entanet

Specialist Distributor of the Year – VADition

Another hotly contested category saw VADition rise to the top of the pile in the eyes of the judges. With impressive growth since its inception, which was well documented throughout its entry, the distributor demonstrated a strong specialisation in its chosen field and further impressed the panel with its forward looking approach to business. The entry also had very strong testimonials to back up its claims.

Specialist Reseller of the Year – NCE

NCE demonstrated proven technical expertise, unrivalled experience and an impressive set of accreditations in its specialist field of data storage. The tremendous care and dedication that the company demonstrated to the judges in listening to and understanding customer needs, means that the firm can make a real difference to organisations that need to address the complex issues associated with storage growth and complexity.

Security vendor of the Year – Trend Micro

A clear winner it is category. The entry was packed full of facts and figures and information about its strong channel incentive programme, backed up by powerful reseller and distributor testimonials. The judges had no hesitation in picking Trend Micro as the winner.

Judges Commended: AVG

Security Distributor of the Year – e92plus

There was a lot of debate between the judges over this category and the standard of entry was very high indeed. However it was decided that e92plus should carry away the award because its entry demonstrated innovation in the security field and real value add to the security market. The varied spread of strong testimonials from different customer and partners areas also helped the judges to make up their minds.

SME Reseller of the Year – CCS Media

CCS Media has been working with SMEs for more than 25 years and demonstrated to the judges that it really understands the needs of its customers. It provides a highly personal service and has developed innovative and accessible schemes that enable smaller and mid-sized businesses to take advantage of the latest solutions and technologies. It has also experienced fantastic growth which was well documented in its entry.

Judges Commended: NCI Technologies

Storage vendor of the Year – Dell

The judging panel was unanimous in selecting Dell as the winner of this category. The panel remarked on how the EqualLogic acquisition has made Dell more channel-aware and the entry itself was full of facts, statistics and figures and was backed up by strong partner and customer testimonials.

Storage Distributor of the Year – Hammer

Hammer’s entry showed a strong commitment to the storage market and also documented how it was investing heavily in order to grow in its chosen field and stay top of its game. The entry was backed by strong testimonials from partners and proved to the judges that it was a deserving winner.

Mid-Market reseller of the Year - Fabric Technologies

The judges chose Fabric Technologies because they felt it was breaking new ground among mid-market resellers by delivering highly reliable solutions that reduce costs and achieve tangible business for its customers. The panel felt it was a strong entry, and coupled with demonstrable evidence of its uncompromising approach to customer service, the company was voted the winner.

Networking vendor of the Year – ShoreTel

ShoreTel stood out to the judges as a clear winner in this category due to its extremely strong case studies and customer testimonials and strong UK focused entry. The panel was also impressed with its customer satisfaction programme detailed in the entry.

Judges Commended: NetGear

Networking Distributor of the Year – Comstor

Another closely contested category but Comstor scooped the Judges vote due to its strong entry which demonstrated clear value add to its reseller and vendor partners and good examples of how it is driving growth. The high number of glowing testimonials from resellers also strengthened the entry in the eyes of the judges.

Enterprise Reseller of the Year – PC Ware
The judges picked PC Ware after much deliberation in this category. The company beat its tough competition because it demonstrated how it delivers tremendous value to corporate organisations, helping them to keep costs under control, meet regulatory requirements and ensure they have access to the best applications and services. These qualities have seen the company grow significantly and broaden its customer base to Europe and across the globe.

Judges Commended: Trustmarque

Systems vendor of the Year – Acer

Another unanimous choice with the judges in the form of Acer, which submitted a detailed, yet simple entry which was packed with information, facts and figures. The competition in terms of candidate calibre was very tough in this category, but Acer’s entry stood out for the CRN judging panel.

Systems distributor of the Year – Micro P

Yet another hotly contested category saw Micro P pip its closest rivals to the title. The entry was extremely focused with clear evidence of growth and investment in its systems business and also very strong examples of growth backed up with testimonials. A deserving winner in the eyes of the CRN judges.

Judges Commended: Avnet

Converged Reseller of the Year – Britannic Technologies

Britannic is a well-established business with an enviable reputation that demonstrated in its entry a keen awareness and ability to respond to customer requirements. The judges were impressed by how it enables its customers to adopt new technologies that bring voice and data together, reduce costs and maintain the highest standards of quality and service.

Judges Commended: 2e2

Channel Personality of the Year – Paul Barlow

Paul has been in the IT industry since the late 1980s, working at Compaq and Atlanta Busines Systems before taking a role at successful reseller Equanet before becoming managing director of Equanet in November 2002. Paul oversaw the sale of Equanet to PC World Business – part of DSGi Retail – and moved onto a sales director role at corporate VAR giant Computacenter. When he left Computacenter Paul worked for a short time as a management consultant before reentering the reseller world this year by taking over the managing director role at Servium. He has been a valuable contact to CRN over the years and is a respected player in the industry which is why the editorial team decided to give him this award.

Emerging Company of the Year – Block Solutions

Block Solutions was set up by Jonathan Pickering five years ago and has consistently grown its revenue since its inception to hit £4m revenue in its latest financials. The firm has also become one of just a handful of top level Cisco Gold partners in a short time and has been described by Cisco as one of the most ‘innovative partners in the UK’. Block Solutions is an ambitious young company and is definitely one to watch in the future and is a deserving winner of the Emerging Company award.

Vendor of the Year – NetApp

In the new style judging process where vendors had to present their case to the judges in person, NetApp stood out from the crowd as the winner, although the judges had a tough job deciding who should scoop the award. NetApp’s presentation was described as ‘passionate’ and making a clear case. The vendor answered all the judges questions about its direct strategy and impressed them with its candid and honest answers. A deserving winner.

Judges Commended: Kyocera

Distributor of the Year – Computer 2000

The judges remarked how closely fought this category was and took nearly an hour to reach their conclusion. However C2000 scooped the award from its competitors due to its slick final presentation which was punchy and clear, demonstrating a commitment and value add to its customers and vendor partners that stood out from the competition. Backed up with strong growth figures and testimonials, C2000 was crowned the winner by the judges.

Judges Commended: Comstor

Reseller of the Year – Softcat

Softcat was a unanimous choice with the judges. By placing the emphasis on people first, the reseller has been able to achieve record levels of growth and customer satisfaction. It has achieved this during a time in which the whole industry has faced very significant challenges. By encouraging a positive and productive atmosphere among staff, Softcat has driven higher levels of customer loyalty and lead to long term profitability and set an example to the rest of the reseller community.