CMP Technology's Digital Connect Magazine Honors Leading Vendors at 1st Annual Digital Integration Channel Excellence Awards CeremonyStudy to Become Premier Resource to Evaluate Channel Vendors and ProgramsPRNewswire-FirstCall At an awards ceremony last night during the CMP XChange Tech Connect conference, CMP Technology's Digital Connect Magazine announced the 1st annual DICE award winners. The Digital Integration Channel Excellence study measures overall business and technology integrator perceptions of vendor products and services. The result is a premier resource to be used by digital and home integrators throughout the industry to evaluate vendors and their programs. The DICE study is the only digital integrator study in the industry today that focuses on the IP enablement for the home and small office markets. The survey rated vendors in 13 key product and service categories. Digital Connect received more than 1,400 vendor ratings for all categories combined. Over 250 Solution Providers responded to the survey, conducted between March 2006 and April 2006, with many respondents qualified to rate more than one vendor. In all, more than 60 technology vendors participated in the study. The Solution Providers were chosen at random from the CRN and Digital Connect subscriber lists and were carefully screened to ensure that they worked in the category, were familiar with the products, and had a significant relationship with the vendor(s) being rated. Digital Connect specified that the solution providers rate only those vendors with whom they had either a strategic partner type of business relationship, when possible. The 2006 DICE Overall winners are as follows: * Flat Panel Televisions -- Panasonic * Projectors -- Epson * Wireless Networking -- Belkin * Wired Networking -- Belkin * PC and Network Security Software -- McAfee * External Storage -- Seagate * Power Protection -- Belkin * Backup Storage Software -- Symantec * Desktop LCD Monitors -- NEC * Media PCs -- Hewlett Packard * Home Control Platforms -- AMX * Distributed Audio -- Crestron * Premise Security Cameras -- D-Link Additional awards were given to the following vendors for receiving the highest average rating in the categories in which they competed: * Technical Criteria Winner -- ViewSonic * Channel Criteria Winner -- Seagate Digital Connect also took the opportunity to honor the following companies for their contributions to help drive digital convergence forward: * Digital Connect Manufacturer of the Year -- Intel * Digital Connect Distributor of the Year -- D&H Distributing "We commend the leading vendors recognized as DICE winners. They represent the 'best of the best' by Solution Providers and VARs who recommend them to their customers," said Keith Newman, Chief Strategist, Digital Connect Magazine. "An essential resource for the home and small office integrators, we'll continue to provide Solution Providers with the information they need to help meet the growing demand and higher margins available in this market segment." "This study will become the benchmark to evaluate channel vendors. Our research provides a perspective of the marketplace, like no other resource," said Jeff O'Heir, editor of Digital Connect. "In the upcoming August Digital Connect issue, we will recognize all of the leading channel vendors and programs in the DICE study that were recognized by satisfied business partners." The Digital Connect DICE awards will be published in the August issue of Digital Connect Magazine. The 1st annual DICE awards were generously supported by Toshiba, Belkin and ViewSonic. About Digital Connect Magazine Digital Connect Magazine is for solution providers engaged in the digital home and SOHO networking markets. Digital Connect provides a unique editorial perspective uniting IT and consumer electronics products to create innovative applications in the home and small office. Solution providers and integrators turn to Digital Connect for technology updates and related channel programs to enhance their business models and go-to-market strategies. Digital Connect can be found online at http://www.digitalconnectmag.com/ About CMP Technology (http://www.cmp.com/) CMP Technology is a marketing solutions company serving the technology industry. Through its market-leading portfolio of trusted information brands, CMP has earned the confidence of more technology professionals than any other media company. As a result, CMP is the premier provider of access, insight and actionable programs designed to connect sellers and buyers in ways that yield superior return on investment. CMP Technology is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $3 billion. Contact: Laura Mastroberti Digital Connect Magazine 516.562.7382 lmastroberti@cmp.com SOURCE: CMP Technology CONTACT: Laura Mastroberti of Digital Connect Magazine, +1-516-562-7382, Web site: http://www.cmp.com/ |