Quality, Reliability Given Their Due In ARC Survey

The Annual Report Card results are in, and the results in quality and reliability reflect the vendors that are most attentive to the fit and finish of their products.

The ARC ranks vendors in 18 technology categories; 39 vendors participated, many in multiple categories. Each of those categories comprises 18 subcategories related to product quality, support and partnership. In each of those subcategories, a company could have finished at the top with a rank of No. 1 -- or at the bottom with a rank of No. 73. Here's a look at which finished in the top 10 in the quality and reliability subcategory.

Cisco had the 10th strongest scores in quality and reliability in the unified communications/VoIP category. Cisco remained strong during the year while many competitors faced huge financial challenges. A testament to its success is the fact that this company captured not only all three categories that make up the ARC voting, but also all 18 subcategories.

This company, a strong player in network infrastructure for the enterprise, finished ninth in the subcategory of quality and reliability. Channel partners said that above all, Kaspersky's products are well-made and reliable, resulting in high customer satisfaction and minimal troubleshooting visits.

Cisco had the eighth highest scores in product quality and reliability in the wireless infrastructure category. The company understands that today's workers are goin' mobile, and is providing the tools to allow business information to follow those road warriors.

Although EMC has made its name as a hardware vendor with solution providers, over the years it's acquired some solid software companies in the market and built such a strong suite of application-driven solutions that for many VARs, hardware has become the attachment. EMC came in seventh in quality and reliability in storage software.

Adtran, a vendor in the SMB Networking category, came in sixth. Adtran developed a quality system in 1992, and obtained registration to ISO 9001 in 1993. Adtran was among the very first telecommunication suppliers to receive registration to TL9000 in 2000. The TL9000 standard was developed by the Quality Excellence for Suppliers of Telecommunications Leadership Forum (QuEST Forum), a consortium of more than 100 suppliers and service providers in the telecommunications industry.

From the Server Virtualization Software category, VMWare won recognition for its attention to quality and reliability, and finished fifth in the subcategory. VMWare is nearly synonymous with virtualization. Its ESX family of products has dominated the market for years, giving it a market share of more than 80 percent.

Western Digital finished fourth in quality and reliability. WD participated in the External Portable Hard Drives product category. This company understands the importance of the data that is entrusted to its drives. WD's focus is on building products that reliably keep information and content safe and secure from loss.

Network security appliance vendor Fortinet took third place in the ARC quality and reliability subcategory. Last year, the company received certification to the ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems standard. The certification scope of the Quality Management Systems standard includes the design, development and manufacturing of network security products and the delivery of associated security services and support.

This rugged notebook and mobile computer maker came in second for quality and reliability. Its focus on product quality and technical innovation enables the company to successfully compete against bigger, more entrenched competitors.

This vendor came in No. 1 out of all the companies in the ARC. EMC was the top finisher in the quality and reliability subcategory. EMC also took overall honors in the network storage category, due to its attention to product quality and its channel program. In little more than six years, the company has transformed from one with a near total dependence on direct sales to one that is consistently rated highest by partners for its support and its mitigation of channel conflict.