Solution providers have to be at the top of their game these days. Not just to meet the needs of their increasingly demanding customers, but also the ever tougher expertise and certification standards being set by IT vendors.

Here we present a sampling of this year’s CRN Tech Elite 250, the definitive list of solution providers with deep technical expertise and premier certifications serving customers in North America. CRN editors developed the Tech Elite list based on the level and depth of certifications from EMC, IBM, Cisco, VMware, Citrix, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Symantec and NetApp. These VARs are best-of-breed integrators who have invested in technical knowhow and top-level certifications in the areas of data centers and infrastructure to differentiate themselves.

For information about purchasing the Tech Elite 250 list, please send an e-mail to laurie.condon@ubm.com.

Location: Independence, OH
Region: East North Central
No. of Certifications: 37

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Select
Citrix Silver
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Silver
VMware Premier

Location: Overland Park, KS
Region: West North Central
No. of Certifications: 22

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
Microsoft Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Hauppauge, NY
Region: Mid-Atlantic
No. of Certifications: 22

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
EMC SN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
IBM Premier
Microsoft Certified
NetApp Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Cincinnati, OH
Region: East North Central
No. of Certifications: 2g

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
Dell Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Platinum
Symantec Platinum
HP Elite
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
EMC ASN Implement Partner
VMware Premier

Location: Dallas, TX
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 38

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Platinum HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Platinum
Symantec Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Richmond Hill, ON
Region: Canada
No. of Certifications: 25

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Platinum
Dell Preferred
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Meridian, ID
Region: Mountain
No. of Certifications: 20

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Silver
Citrix Gold
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC ASN Implement Partner
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Teterboro, NJ
Region: Mid-Atlantic
No. of Certifications: 32

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Silver
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Houston, TX
Region: West South Central
No. of Certifications: 23

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Silver
Dell Preferred
HP Elite
Microsoft Certified
NetApp Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Bedford, MA
Region: New England
No. of Certifications: 25

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
Dell Premier
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Platinum
Symantec Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Campbell, CA
Region: Pacific
No. of Certifications: 30

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Silver
Dell Premier
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Symantec Gold
VMware Enterprise

Location: Newport Beach, CA
Region: Government
No. of Certifications: 20

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Platinum
Dell Premier
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Silver Virtualization
Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Gardena, CA
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 34

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
Dell Premier
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Cloud Accelerate
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Gold Virtualization
Symantec Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Herndon, VA
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 34

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
Dell Premier
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Cloud Accelerate
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Gold Virtualization
NetApp Star
Symantec Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Westbury, NY
Region: Mid-Atlantic
No. of Certifications: 33

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
Dell Preferred
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Silver Virtualization
NetApp Star
Symantec Platinum
VMware Professional

Location: Virginia Beach, VA
Region: South Atlantic
No. of Certifications: 24

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
Dell Premier
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Symantec Platinum
VMware Enterprise

Location: Richmond Hill, ON
Region: Canada
No. of Certifications: 20

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Virtualization Solutions Elite
Microsoft Certified
NetApp Gold
VMware Enterprise

Location: Skokie, IL
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 33

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Citrix Gold
Dell Premier
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM-DI Specialty Elite: Virtualization & Consolidation
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Gold
Symantec Platinum

Location: San Francisco, CA
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 30

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Citrix Gold
Dell Preferred
EMC-ASN Implement Partner
EMC-VCE Coalition Partner
EMC-Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Symantec Platinum

Location: Kittery, ME
Region: New England
No. of Certifications: 27

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Gold
Dell Preferred
EMC-ASN Implement Partner
EMC-VCE Coalition Partner
EMC-Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
Symantec Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Campbell, CA
Region: Pacific
No. of Certifications: 28

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Silver
Citrix Silver
Dell Premier
Microsoft Certified
Microsoft Cloud Accelerate
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
NetApp Platinum
Symantec Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Herndon, VA
Region: Government
No. of Certifications: 20

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Platinum
Dell Preferred
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
IBM Advanced
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Gold
Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Fremont, CA
Region: Pacific
No. of Certifications: 30

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Silver
HP Elite
Microsoft Certified
NetApp Gold
Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Chantilly, VA
Region: Government
No. of Certifications: 31

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
Dell Premier
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Salina, KS
Region: West North Central
No. of Certifications: 23

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Dell Preferred
Dell Premier
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Tempe, AZ
Region: Mountain
No. of Certifications: 18

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Dell Preferred
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
VMware Enterprise

Location: Denver, CO
Region: Mountain
No. of Certifications: 23

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
Dell Premier
HP Elite
Microsoft Certified
NetApp Star
VMware Premier

Location: Larkspur, CA
Region: Pacific
No. of Certifications: 28

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Silver
Dell Preferred
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Gold
Symantec Silver
VMware Enterprise

Location: Farmington Hills, MI
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 40

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
IBM-DI Specialty Elite: Information Infrastructure
IBM-DI Specialty Elite: Virtualization & Consolidation
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Silver Virtualization
NetApp Platinum
Symantec Platinum
VMware-Professional

Location: Bessemer, AL
Region: East South Central
No. of Certifications: 17

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
VMware Enterprise

Location: Calgary, AB
Region: Canada
No. of Certifications: 26

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
Dell Preferred
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Gold Virtualization
NetApp Star
Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Nashville, TN
Region: East South Central
No. of Certifications: 24

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Citrix Platinum
Cisco Silver
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Gold Virtualization
Microsoft Cloud Accelerate
Symantec Gold
Vmware Premier

Location: Vienna, VA
Region: Government
No. of Certifications: 19

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Symantec Silver
VMware Enterprise

Location: Deerfield Beach, FL
Region: South Atlantic
No. of Certifications: 23

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Silver
Citrix Gold
Dell Premier
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Platinum
Symantec Gold
VMware Enterprise

Location: Stamford, CT
Region: New England
No. of Certifications: 22

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Platinum
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Gold Virtualization
NetApp Platinum
Vmware Enterprise

Location: Chesterfield, MO
Region: West North Central
No. of Certifications: 23

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver EMC-ASN Implement Partner
EMC-VCE Coalition Partner
EMC-Velocity Solution Provider
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Gold
Symantec Silver
VMware Enterprise

Location: Lexington, KY
Region: East South Central
No. of Certifications: 17

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Silver
Dell Preferred
HP Elite
Microsoft Cloud Accelerate
Microsoft Gold
VMware Enterprise

Location: Waltham, MA
Region: New England
No. of Certifications: 28

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Platinum
Dell Preferred
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Gold Virtualization
Symantec Silver
VMware Premier

Oconomowoc, WI
Region: East North Central
No. of Certifications: 36

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Silver
Citrix Gold
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Silver Virtualization
NetApp Platinum
Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: El Segundo, CA
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 30

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Dell Premier
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
IBM Premier
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold Virtualization Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: Houston, TX
Region: West South Central
No. of Certifications: 17

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Select
Citrix Silver
Dell Preferred
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Gold
Symantec Silver
VMware Enterprise

Location: Greenbelt, MD
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 33

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
Dell Preferred
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
IBM Premier
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Star
Symantec Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Toronto, ON
Region: Canada
No. of Certifications: 20

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Dell Premier
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP PartnerONE Preferred Partner
IBM Premier
Microsoft Certified
NetApp Platinum
Symantec Gold
VMware Premier

Location: San Antonio, TX
Region: West South Central
No. of Certifications: 24

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Gold
Dell Preferred
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Star
Symantec Platinum
Vmware-Premier

Location: San Antonio, TX
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 30

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
Dell Premier
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Star
Symantec Gold VMware Premier

Location: Richmond, VA
Region: South Atlantic
No. of Certifications: 21

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
Microsoft Cloud Accelerate
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Gold Virtualization
VMware Enterprise

Location: Rochester, NY
Region: Mid-Atlantic
No. of Certifications: 26

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Silver
Dell Premier
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
NetApp Gold
Symantec Platinum
VMware Premier

Location: Northbrook, IL
Region: East North Central
No. of Certifications: 23

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Premier
Citrix Gold
Dell Preferred EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Certified
NetApp Star
VMware Enterprise

Location: Birmingham, AL
Region: East South Central
No. of Certifications: 18

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
Dell Premier
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Silver Virtualization
VMware Premier

Location: Houston, TX
Region: West South Central
No. of Certifications: 19

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Select
Citrix Silver
Dell Preferred
HP Elite
Microsoft Certified
VMware Enterprise

Location: Ridgeland, MS
Region: South Atlantic
No. of Certifications: 23

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Silver
Dell Preferred
EMC ASN Implement Partner
EMC VCE Coalition Partner
EMC Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
Symantec Silver
VMware Enterprise

Location: Urbandale, IA
Region: West North Central
No. of Certifications: 25

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
HP Elite
Microsoft Gold
Microsoft Silver Virtualization
VMware Premier

Location: St. Louis, MO
Region: National
No. of Certifications: 31

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Cisco Gold
Citrix Gold
EMC-VCE Coalition Partner
EMC-Velocity Solution Provider
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Certified
NetApp Star
VMware Premier

Location: Centennial, CO
Region: Mountain
No. of Certifications: 24

Data Center and Infrastructure Certifications:
Citrix Gold
HP Elite
IBM Premier
Microsoft Gold
VMware Premier