2012 Channel Champions: Processors

With the exception of the price for performance criteria, where AMD beat out Intel with a 98.2, Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel was voted best-in-class for all technical criteria. Its most exceptional score was in the product quality and reliability criterion, in which Intel earned a 109.3—the highest score in the entire survey. It also ranked highest in the other criteria in the technical satisfaction subcategory, including scalability, configurability or customization tools, and multivendor support and support of standards.

The chip giant faced steep competition in the support subcategory as well, where it won every criteria and beat its rivals handily in terms of postsales support, presales support, evaluation and demo equipment policies, general availability of technical training, and education and enablement.

Intel saw similar success in the financial factors category, winning all the criteria with the exception of the competitive pricing. AMD was again crowned a winner here.

Vice President and General Manager of Intel's Worldwide Reseller Organization Steve Dallman noted that the chip maker's channel program extends far beyond the processor space. "Intel has provided transformational products that are delivered each year and that provide a new opportunity [for partners] to refresh currently installed PCs as well as increase value and savings to end customers," he said. Cloud-based installations and the Ultrabook are examples.

Todd Swank, vice president of marketing at Nor-Tech, a Burnsville, Minn.-based systems integrator, praised Intel for seeking out new niche markets for partners—even the smaller ones.

"If you look over the past 10 years, they constantly have been championing new programs and new opportunities for smaller partners. They were one of the first people talking about managed service providers and how that was going to evolve into new opportunities for channel players," said Swank.