System Builders Honored At XChange Tech Builder Conference

The 2005 CRN Fast Growth Tech Builder Innovation Awards, presented Tuesday night at CMP Media's XChange Tech Builder conference in Las Vegas, put the spotlight on the expanding array of products, solutions and services that are driving growth and profitability in the evolving system-builder channel, according to CRN Publisher Dan Dignam.

"System builders are generating demand and growing margin by offering unique applications and solutions," Dignam said during the awards presentation. "Tonight, we honor and celebrate the unique innovations that are driving sales for today's system builders."

Web Commerce, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based integrator and system builder also known as Webcom247, earned its innovation award in the desktop/workstation category for its Secure Desktop Cyber Defender System. The system features a range of Panda Software security products, hardware-based fast-restore technology from Crossfire, patch management support and help-desk service.

The recipient of Mobile Innovations Solutions Award, Seneca Data, a North Syracuse, N.Y.-based system builder, worked with one of its longtime customers, the Vision Group, to create a mobile wireless lab for the Syracuse Catholic Diocese Schools. The solution helped the diocese's K-12 school comply with state standards and enabled students to gain access to advanced computer labs without having to leave their classrooms.

Seneca also received the Demand Generator Innovation Award for a program targeting the education market that included a "Build a PC" curriculum, which teaches students about the basic components of a PC and provides hands-on opportunities to assemble a system. The program also offers customized packaging, asset tagging, imaging services and training for school district administrators.

In the Server Solutions category, Maverick Computers of West Palm Beach, Fla., earned the innovation award by combining instant restore hardware and a variety of software services to create a secure platform that yields ongoing revenue opportunities from managed services.

Intellihome Technologies of Anaheim, Calif., and Martinsville, N.J., took the award for Digital Home Solutions for its Manhattan home automation server that, according to the judges, took Microsoft's Windows Media Center platform to the next level by combining home automation technology and practical usage in a high-end solution that offers rich margin and service opportunities.

Beacon Technologies, Madison, Wis., worked with contract engineering and manufacturing partners to build stand-alone data collection devices tailored to customers' needs. The devices, built using industry-standard hardware and Linux, are powerful enough to efficiently manage a dynamic set of data for systems management and prepress solutions at a fraction of the cost of branded systems, the judges said.

The final award, for fast growth, recognized ClearCube Technology, Austin, Texas, as the No. 1 fast-growth performer on the CRN list of Leading System Builders. The company grew unit sales 201 percent in 2004 over the prior year, while revenue climbed 300 percent, thanks to the growing adoption of its PC blade technology in various enterprise markets. The solution saves space and reduces management costs by delivering desktop functionality to users from rack-mount PCs in a data center.