ARC 2011: Top 10 Vendors For Product Quality And Reliability

The Importance Of Quality And Reliability

Solution providers know that product quality is the lifeblood of their business, and partnering with vendors with high-quality products is key to their success. Solution providers surveyed in CRN's 2011 Annual Report Card said the criterion of Product Quality and Reliability was among the most important when rating their vendor partners.

Following are the 10 vendors with the best Product Quality and Reliability scores, according to solution providers.

No. 10: EMC - Enterprise Network Storage

EMC scored a 102.7 in the Product Quality and Reliability criterion in the Enterprise Network Storage product category. That's down from 105.1 in 2010. In both years, EMC had the highest overall score in the Enterprise Network Storage category.

No. 9: EMC - Backup & Recovery Software

EMC earned a 103.1 in the Product Quality and Reliability criterion in the Backup & Recovery Software product category. The vendor earned precisely the same score last year. In both 2010 and 2011, EMC swept all of the criteria in this category.

No. 8: EMC - SMB Network Storage

In its third, and final, appearance among the top 10 vendors in the ARC Product Quality and Reliability criterion, EMC scored a 103.3 in the SMB Network Storage category. Last year, the vendor was not included in this product category, which it swept in 2011. EMC has adapted its organization and products for its SMB push.

No. 6 (Tie): Kaspersky Lab - Network Security Software

Solution providers gave Kaspersky Lab a 105.0 in Product Quality and Reliability. The 100 percent channel company swept this category. The vendor was not included in this product category in 2010.

No. 6 (Tie): SonicWall - Network Security Appliances

SonicWall tied with Kaspersky Lab at 105.0 in Product Quality and Reliability. The vendor's score was up considerably from 2010's very respectable 101.5.

No. 5: Adtran - SMB Networking Hardware

Adtran received a 105.6 from solution providers surveyed for the ARC in Product Quality and Reliability. Although a stellar score for the hardware company, the vendor won neither the criterion nor the category. The score was, however, up 11.3 points from 2010.

No. 4: Panasonic - Notebooks/Mobile Computers

Panasonic's excellent performance here -- 106.3 -- could not make up for its overall lackluster scores in the Notebook category. Although the vendor's Product Quality and Reliability score was roughly 17 points higher than last year, Panasonic came in fourth place in this product category.

No. 3: Sophos - Client Security Software

Sophos' 106.8 earned it third place in the Product Quality and Reliability criterion. That score was an improvement from last year's 104.3. This year, Sophos moved to first place from second in the Client Security Software category.

No. 2: Ruckus Wireless - SMB Networking Hardware

With a score of 108.1, Ruckus came in second place in the Product Quality and Reliability criterion. The excellence in quality hasn't gone unnoticed: In the first half of 2011, Ruckus added 1,000 VARs worldwide and is continuing to add new partners at the rate of 200 per month. In 2010, the company's score in this criterion was 91.9.

No. 1: Intel - Processors

Intel earned top honors, pulling off a score of 108.8 in Product Quality and Reliability. That score was 1.1 points higher than its score the prior year. The vendor swept the Processor category, beating its sole rival, Nvidia.