Best of Interop 2013 Awards

Thanks to the growth of cloud computing, companies that need big data center capabilities no longer need a big data center budget to match. As the cloud continues to define itself, we see a blossoming opportunity for companies to become less tied to their own hardware and more focused on responsiveness and flexibility.

The cloud presents flexible and evolving sets of resources, features and services. The Cloud Computing category includes hardware, services and cloud-enabling technologies, including those intended for sub-categories such as Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) and other Web-based utility computing products.

Because the lines between public and private clouds are blurring more and more every day, for 2013 this category has been expanded to include all Virtualization products. This category now examines products such as virtualized desktop and server operating systems as well the tools needed for physical to virtual conversion (P2V), high-availability (HA), process automation, orchestration and resource allocation. Hardware products for enabling technologies such as storage virtualization, IO acceleration and specialized computing platforms targeted at virtualization applications also fall in this category.

If data is the lifeblood of a business, then the data center is its heart. Implementing appropriate server and storage systems and data management technologies ensures that an organization's data is always available, protected and retrievable, and that practices comply with industry and government regulations regarding retention, security and disposal of data.

The Data Center & Storage category covers blade or racked servers, network-attached storage (NAS), storage area networks (SAN), iSCSI, InfiniBand, Fibre Channel, Fibre Channel over Ethernet products. This also includes converged network, data center switches as well as data encryption and other data security tools. Tape drives and libraries, flash drives and optical technologies will also be considered; as well as products and services for long-term data management, archiving and retrieval.

Also included in the Data Center & Storage category are the products that form the core of the data center, like cooling equipment, power conditioning and power backup equipment, equipment racks, cable management systems, and physical security systems.

To build a resilient, cost-efficient data center and handle the ever-increasing data payloads brought on by new company initiatives; IT professionals need a robust set of tools that offer the control, visibility and diagnostics to provide 24x7x365 reliability.

The Management & Monitoring category includes products, technologies and services for managing the health of network devices and applications software, such as policy servers, configuration management, emerging technologies and strategies designed to optimize converged networks, load and capacity monitoring, and user activity tools. This category also includes products that provide visibility into the increasingly virtualized datacenter environment and welcomes next-generation management products that cross over traditional server, storage and networking boundaries.

From routers to DHCP services, your core network infrastructure is the foundation for reliable delivery of connectivity and application throughput for your staff, business partners and customers. Today's network professional must design and manage complex, global IT infrastructures from the data center to throughout your enterprise with a constant eye on performance, redundancy and the budget.

The Networking category includes traditional products that make up the hardwired, core connectivity in the data and communication network; such as LAN and campus switches, hubs, routers, IP phones, PBXs, and voice and video gateway, as well as critical network services such as DNS and DHCP.

Successful businesses compete in high-volume and high-demand environments where every microsecond and every kilobit counts. Measuring, optimizing and managing networked applications is key to business success, but the "secret sauce" for achieving high performance remains an elusive combination of appropriate technology, process optimization and plain old-fashioned know-how.

The Performance Optimization category encompasses products and technologies that assist in the measurement and performance optimization of the network; these include network analyzers, application load generators and performance enhancement tool as well as process optimization technologies such as WAN optimization products, application accelerators, caching devices, traffic tuners and load balancers that help to optimize network application performance. This category also includes products that focus on testing and verifying hardware functionality and performance capabilities as well as traditional network test equipment that actively measures local- and wide-area physical and logical network performance.

For all the benefits the Internet affords us, it's proving to be one tough neighborhood. Spam, spyware, blended threats and viruses undermine consumer confidence and interfere with business applications. Identity theft, information espionage and cyber-terrorism are omnipresent threats. Despite this dismal scenario, innovations in mobile, collaborative and converged applications are accelerating the delivery of Internet applications and services. Security professionals are thus pressed on two fronts: reducing risk and providing defenses and countermeasures to combat known and zero-day attacks, while enabling new applications for an increasingly mobile workforce and consumers.

The Security category includes products that monitor and provide security services. Product examples include firewalls, VPN products, identity management, network access control, policy management and compliance, intrusion detection systems, tools to detect and stop denial of service attacks, and vulnerability assessment tools. (Note: This category excludes data and storage security, including stored data encryption products - please see the Data Center & Storage category above).

The overwhelming popularity of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices over the last few years is turning up the heat on IT managers to find ways to support the growing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) movement; not only for your employees but for your external business customers as well. Loaded with dual- or even quad-core processors these little devices can be capable of much more than the older desktops you're used to supporting and they may actually represent the future of business computing. We have expanded this category to highlight back-office products that provide tools for multi-platform application development, user management and security issues that may be specific to mobile devices. Please Note - We do not intend to cover smart phones and tablets themselves, but we may consider specialized or hybrid mobile devices that are designed specifically to address issues within specialized vertical markets, (e.g. – for scientific, medical or engineering applications.)

As in years past, the Wireless, Mobility and BYOD Support category also includes hardware and software wireless products, technologies, devices and services. Products based on personal area networking (PAN), local area networking (LAN), wide area networking (WAN), fixed/mobile and mobile/mobile convergence as well as fixed-access wireless will be examined. On the software side, wireless middleware, security and application technologies will also be considered here.

Any hardware, software or service in any of the nine categories above will be evaluated to see whether they meet the criteria for consideration for the Best Startup Company award. To be considered, the vendor cannot have existed as an independent company prior to January 1, 2012, and the company cannot have previously been considered for a Best Startup Company award. This winner is chosen from among all entries of Best of Interop and is not a category that can be selected within the nomination form.

An overall Grand Prize Winner award will be given to the category winner judged to have the single most significant new product or service at the show.

For the very first time, Best of Interop will include an Audience Choice Award for 2013. The Audience Choice Award will be determined by attendees of the Keynote Address on the morning of Wednesday, May 8, 2013. We will conduct a live poll and attendees will be allowed to choose their favorite from amongst the 2013 Category Winners. The result will be announced immediately upon completion of polling.

You are welcome to submit a new version of an existing product but keep in mind that the judges are often looking for revolutionary products rather than evolutionary products.

Our judges review each entry that meets the criteria for inclusion in each of the categories. Based on the judges' review, three finalists are selected in each category. Finalists are required to teleconference with the judges prior to the start of Interop Las Vegas to cover the specifics of their product or service. Remote product demos, slides and briefings are all appropriate for these teleconferences. This conference is not optional. Our judges will choose the Category Winner.

NEW FOR 2013 – Audience Choice Award
For the very first time, Best of Interop will include an Audience Choice Award for 2013. The Audience Choice Award will be determined by attendees of the Keynote Address on the morning of Wednesday, May 8, 2013. We will conduct a live poll and attendees will be allowed to choose their favorite from amongst the 2013 Category Winners. The result will be announced immediately upon completion of polling.

Winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 7, 2013 during Interop Las Vegas.

Category Finalists for the "Best of Interop Awards" will be notified a few weeks prior to the show by email and phone. Winners will not be announced until the live award ceremony at Interop Las Vegas 2013.

Finalists and winners receive a marketing package including a customizable press release, electronic logos, usage rights to the logo and other marketing communications guidelines so that they can leverage the company's Best of Interop status. Winners of categories and winners of the "Best Start-Up" and the "Best of Interop" Award will also receive sign for their booth. All winners will receive a customized physical award during the live awards ceremony at Interop Las Vegas 2013.

No, but you will be notified if you are a finalist. Winners will learn of their status during the live awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 7, 2013.

Yes. We can insure that your submission is kept private until our scheduled announcements; however Interop reserves the right to announce Best of Interop Category Finalists prior to the start of the show. If your product is selected as a Category Finalist, we can make special arrangements to protect your Interop product release plans. Please contact us at to discuss a solution.

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The panel of judges chosen to select the Best of Interop finalists was made up of 16 award-winning IT editors and analysts.

Interop® drives the adoption of technology, providing knowledge and insight to help IT and corporate decision-makers achieve business success. Part of UBM Tech's family of global brands, Interop is the leading business technology event series. Through in-depth educational programs, workshops, real-world demonstrations and live technology implementations in its unique InteropNet program, Interop provides the forum for the most powerful innovations and solutions the industry has to offer. Interop Las Vegas is the flagship event held each spring, with Interop New York held each fall, with annual international events in Mumbai and Tokyo, all produced by UBM Tech and partners. For more information about these events visit, www.interop.com.