R&D throughout the industry has led to significant steps in innovation this year. VARBusiness Tech Innovator Awards recognize the most innovative of these offerings from several different sectors.
Vendors submitted hundreds of entries for the 2008 VARBusiness Tech Innovator Awards, but only a handful emerged as purveyors of unique, groundbreaking products. Here's a look at the winners.
HP's first touch-screen notebook for consumers has plenty of options for work and play.
Inside This Issue: June 30, 2008
Cover Story
Creating A Ruckus
Upstarts like Ruckus Wireless and its president and CEO Selina Lo are nipping the heels of the channel's top dogs. Meet this year's challengers.
>> 2008 Emerging Vendors Database
>> The Emerging Tech List
News Analysis
Symantec Give-And-Take: Case For Integration
A CRN interview with Symantec chairman and CEO John Thompson reveals a proponent of security and storage integration who isn't afraid to call competitors out on the carpet. Plus, hear what Cisco
is doing about a worldwide IT talent shortage.
Breakdown: Profits? Virtually Yours
This year's Everything Channel Profitability survey went out to a hundreds-large base of randomly selected solution providers. Among its many findings-to be published on Channelweb and in the July issue of CRN's sister publication VARBusiness-is that on average, revenue is growing most quickly in the areas of virtualization, midrange servers and unified communications. Virtualization has somewhat of an unfair growth advantage because, on average, providers say, VARs offering virtualization realize a very small percentage of their total revenue from it (6.2 percent overall in 2007, according to those surveyed).
>> Stemming An IT Talent Shortage
Fast Growth
Right Partners, Right Results
Going behind the curtain at ZSL-a recent VARBusiness 500 award winner-suggests just how much innovation can be gleaned from solid collaboration.
Market Focus: Business Applications
Compliance Driven
CA took a long look at its markets and decided a bolstered security and compliance product lineup was a necessity. CRN checks out its torrent of new releases.
Tech Focus
Got Sprawl?
Think your virtualized data center is a money-saving move with no possibility of actually wasting cash? Better make sure it's not sprawling. And speaking of savings, the CRN Test Center just built its own green PC.
>> The Environmental Differential
ShadowRAM: June 30, 2008
Not The Usual Pitch: Thanks For The Memories, Bill; Seen And Heard.
PREVIOUS CRN ISSUES
These articles were mentioned in this issue of CRN.
• 20 Most Strategic Networking Vendors
• Microsoft Gets Hyper About Virtualization Launch
• VARs Report Public Sector Wins With Dell
• VARs Race To The Midmarket
• The Hottest Companies In The Midmarket Right Now
• Video: Cisco CEO On The U.S. Economy
• Slide Show: 2008 Year Of The Notebook
COLUMNISTS
Robert C. DeMarzo:
Microsoft's Moment Of Truth Is In The Clouds
Some insiders believe that Microsoft was dangerously close to cutting the channel out of the software plus services model altogether.
Robert Faletra:
On The Record
Print Management Is Ripe For The Picking
Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, Lexmark Xerox and others are all interested in a more engaged channel around the print management market.
Steven Burke:
The Final Cut
The Emerging Rule
Solution providers not filling out their product portfolio with emerging vendors are putting both their clients and themselves at risk.
Larry Hooper:
Under The Radar
Beware Behemoths
As someone who just can't help but root for the little guy, when a solution provider files suit against a vendor--especially a giant in the IT world--I am wired to root for the VAR.
