Novell's Nat Friedman has revolutionized the industry with SuSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, the first practical graphical interface and integrated app for the popular open-source operating system. Not bad for a guy who's not even 30. Add to his credentials: VARBusiness' first-ever Technologist of the Year award.
>> PLUS: Technologist of the Year finalists
From its push deeper into managed and professional services to its growing security and storage offerings, IBM is driving innovation for the market and for its partners.
Despite the challenge of differentiating their wares in increasingly commoditized hardware markets, Lexmark, HP and ViewSonic each get big thumbs up from solution providers.
Altiris, Business Objects, Sage, 3Com and 01 Communique wow VARs with a strong sense of business purpose and a group of products that favor real ROI over bells and whistles.
> PLUS: IBM scores for servicing the little guys.
Systems and network infrastructure represent the lifeblood of enterprises of all sizes. And D-Link, HP IBM and Iomega each have an offering that stands apart from their competition.
Meet the faces fueling innovation when VARBusiness honored the latest and greatest in channel products and companies at the fourth annual Tech Innovator Awards dinner and presentation.
"It takes a channel-committed technologist and vendor to realize and embrace the value of solution providers in the technology-development lifecycle," says VARBusiness editor Larry Walsh.
"Every solution provider and vendor needs to shout from the mountaintops how innovative they are and how dedicated to innovation they remain," says VARBusiness publisher Bob DeMarzo
