Custom Ingenuity

At the recent XChange TechBuilder conference hosted by one of CRN's sister organizations, CRN editors served as judges for awards that recognized system builders for technical ingenuity and business savvy. The winners and categories are

Desktop/Workstation Solutions: Web Commerce of Brooklyn, N.Y., for building very price-competitive systems that include security software, patch-management and auto-restore features;

Mobile Solutions: Seneca Data of North Syracuse, N.Y., for creating a mobile PC that can be used across multiple classrooms, teachers and students;

Server Solutions: Maverick Computers of West Palm Beach, Fla., for creating a server that combines instant-restore hardware and a variety of software in a platform that offers ongoing managed services revenue opportunities;

Digital Home Solutions: IntelliHome Technologies of Anaheim, Calif., for extending Microsoft Home Media Server into the realm of home-automation control systems;

Embedded Computing Solutions: Beacon Technologies of Madison, Wis., for building a low-cost data acquisition platform around Linux that includes remote management tools;

Demand Generation:,/B> Seneca Data for inviting teachers and children to build PCs so they could see what makes a system work and maybe be less enthralled by branded systems; and

Fast Growth: Clear Cube Technology of Austin, Texas, for growing revenue more than 300 percent largely by selling a PC blade solution that makes it easy to centrally manage a large number of desktop PCs.

In this day and age, it's easy to assume that the innovation mantle belongs to the big branded system players. But in reality, the innovation crown belongs to the custom-system providers that live and die by their ability to provide unique value. With that in mind, we at CRN salute custom-system builders everywhere for leading the way toward compelling products and solutions that make a difference.

How are you making a difference? I can be reached at (516) 562-7477 or via e-mail at [email protected].