The 50 Most Powerful Women of the Channel

It's no secret that the IT industry has traditionally been dominated by men. Just look at the majority of VARBusiness covers over the years; suits and ties rule. But the channel--and the IT industry at large--is evolving, and women are becoming a force to be reckoned with across the board. While vendors have been quicker to take on women executives, solution providers are following suit (forgive the pun). In fact, more than 25 VARs on this year's VARBusiness 500 are headed by women, and those are the cream of the crop.

As part of our ongoing efforts to serve readers better and celebrate the channel, the editors of VARBusiness have selected 50 women who epitomize success in the IT channel. We honor 25 women from solution providers, 20 from vendors and five from distributors, all of whom have worked their way to the top, have great stories to share about their journeys and offer advice to anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder or strike out on their own.

NEXT: Executive profiles