2012 Best of Interop Finalists Announced

SAN FRANCISCO, April 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InformationWeek Reports, the leading resource for peer-based IT research and analysis, and Interop, the leading global business technology event series, today announced the 2012 Best of Interop finalists.  Best of Interop Award winners will be announced on Tuesday, May 8 at 3:00 pm on the expo floor during Interop Las Vegas, taking place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. For more information on Best of Interop visit: www.bestofinterop.com.

"The Best of Interop awards program supports Interop's goal of fostering innovation within the business technology marketplace," said Jennifer Jessup, Interop General Manager.  "Each Best of Interop finalist should be proud of their unique contributions to the industry.  It's exciting to recognize the accomplishments and innovations of the companies who are truly making advancements in business technology."

Best of Interop recognizes some of the world's most innovative technologies across eight major categories. More than 130 companies submitted products for consideration and judges selected finalists based on the products they believe have the greatest potential to impact and advance business technology efficiencies.  The panel of judges chosen to select the Best of Interop finalists was made up of 16 award-winning editors and analysts from InformationWeek Reports. 

"The Best of Interop Awards are an indicator of the most innovative and exciting offerings available in the business technology marketplace and this year's finalists have truly demonstrated their commitment to the industry," said Art Wittmann, Vice President and Director, InformationWeek Reports. "We want to applaud each of the participating companies for their advancements in technology and capturing the spirit of innovation."

The finalists selected for each category include:

Cloud Computing & Virtualization
Cisco - Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card 1240
Citrix Systems - Citrix VDI-in-a-Box
Kontiki, Inc. - Kontiki Enterprise Video Platform

Collaboration
Alcatel-Lucent - Alcatel-Lucent OpenTouch Conversation
Avaya, Inc. - AvayaLive™ Engage
HD Distributing, LLC - SCOPIA XT5000

Data Center & Storage
Ceph Storage, Inc. - Ceph
Panzura - Panzura Quicksilver Global Cloud Storage System v3.0
Riverbed Technology - Granite

Management, Monitoring & Testing
NEC Corporation of America - NEC ProgrammableFlow Controller, PF6800
Net Optics - Spyke
Riverbed Technology - Virtual Cascade Shark

Networking
Gnodal - New GS-Series Switch
Mellanox Technologies - SX1024
PLX Technology - TeraPHY TN8045 10GBASE-T Tranceiver

Performance Optimization
Cisco - AppNav Service Controller
Citrix Systems - Citrix NetScaler 10
Riverbed Technology - Steelhead Cloud Accelerator

Security
Avaya, Inc. - Avaya Identity Engines
ManageEngine - Firewall Analyzer
McAfee - McAfee Network Security XC Cluster

Wireless & Mobility
Broadcom Corp. - BCM43460 - 5G Wifi System-on-Chip (SoC)
Cisco - Aironet 3600 Series Access Point
Cloudpath Networks - XpressConnect Enrollment System

In addition to the eight category winners, there will be two special awards: "Best of Interop" Award which is the overall grand prize winner and will be determined by the judges from the pool of category winners and "Best StartUp" which selects a vendor that has existed as an independent company for two years or less.  Best of Interop is hosted by InformationWeek Reports.  For more information on Best of Interop categories and awards, visit www.bestofinterop.com.

About InformationWeek Reports
InformationWeek Reports is the leading resource for peer-driven research, providing business technology professionals with the real-world analysis and perspective they need to run better, smarter IT organizations.  InformationWeek Reports content is written and produced by an analyst team comprised of practicing senior IT professionals and InformationWeek's world-class editors.  Featuring a combination of quantitative research and qualitative real world analysis, coupled with technology-adoption best practices, the InformationWeek Reports' site boasts more than 900 reports and briefs written specifically for and by IT professionals.  InformationWeek Reports is part of the InformationWeek Business Technology Network.  For more information, visit www.reports.informationweek.com.

About Interop®
Interop® drives the adoption of technology, providing knowledge and insight to help IT and corporate decision-makers achieve business success. Part of UBM TechWeb'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 TechWeb and partners. For more information about these events visit, www.interop.com.

About UBM TechWeb
UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and professional information, enables people and organizations to harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed brands and media applications in the technology market. More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers) actively engage in UBM TechWeb's communities and information resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands include: global face-to-face events such as Interop, Cloud Connect, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect; award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM company, a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

SOURCE UBM TechWeb