• Click Here for 2006 Winners Questions about the Well-Connected Awards 1. What is a Network Computing Well-Connected Award? 2. When are all the finalists announced? 3. When are the winners announced? 4. Are the award categories the same each year? 5. How are the award categories determined? 6. How are the awards selected? 7. How do I sign up to be nominated for a Well-Connected award? 8. What is the Well-Connected Award deadline for submission? 9. How can I get a product nominated for NEXT year's Well-Connected Awards? 10. How do I get a product tested for a feature or a review in Network Computing? General Questions about Network Computing Magazine 1. What is Network Computing's lead time? 2. What are the best methods of contacting the editors? 3. Can we include Network Computing on our press tour? 4. Does Network Computing sign non-disclosures? 5. Where can I find Previous WCA Winners? 6. Where is the Network Computing Beats List? 7. Where can I find the Network Computing 2006 Editorial Calendar? Questions about the Well-Connected Awards 1. What is a Network Computing Well-Connected Award? Well-Connected Awards honor the year's outstanding technology products and services. They represent the very best products and services the technology industry has to offer in networking. They are chosen by are technology editors from products that have been tested and evaluated in our labs. The awards are ONLY for products that have been through Network Computing analysis in the previous year. 2. When are all the finalists announced? Finalists are announced some time in the spring or early summer. 3. When are the winners announced? The schedule changes from year to year. 4. Are the award categories the same each year? The award categories change from year to year. 5. How are the award categories determined? Each year the award categories are determined by the technology most critical to the business of our readers for that year. They are compiled from the eight networking core areas that Network Computing covers: Security, Network & Systems Management, Enterprise Applications, Application Infrastructure, Messaging & Collaboration, Network Infrastructure, Wireless, Storage & Servers 6. How are the awards selected? Well-Connected Awards are chosen by are technology editors from products that have been tested and evaluated in our labs. 7. How do I sign up to be nominated for a Well-Connected award? If your product or service hasn't been reviewed by Network Computing, or it hasn't been through the Network Computing labs within this past year, it isn't eligible. The awards are ONLY for products that have been through Network Computing analysis in the previous year. 8. What is the Well-Connected Award deadline for submission? There is no deadline for submission. Candidates for Well-Connected nominations can only be selected by our technology editors. They can not be proposed by vendors, marketing specialists or PR reps. The only way to ensure that our technology editors are aware of a particular product or service is to keep them informed. You can do this by sending press releases through email or by being aware of our editorial calendar and upcoming topics we will be covering. 9. How can I get a product nominated for NEXT year's Well-Connected Awards? Products must be tested and evaluated in our labs by our technology editors. Our technology editors are interested in the latest technology and invite vendors to participate in our reviews and feature articles. The only way to ensure that our editors are aware of your product or service is to keep them informed. You can do this by sending press releases through email or by checking our editorial calendar for upcoming topics. When a vendor is invited to participate in a review and declines, the vendor is missing an opportunity to be considered for a Well-Connected award. 10. How do I get a product tested for a feature or a review in Network Computing? Many of Network Computing features and reviews are labs-based, while some of our features take on larger issues. Reviews are almost always comparative. Check our editorial calendar for our planned schedule of features and reviews. In addition to the content listed in the calendar, we run other features and workshops as well as sneak previews of individual products. Send product information to the appropriate section editor and the technology editor for that beat as early as four to five months ahead of the scheduled review date to ensure consideration. Please do not send us a product without first talking to the section editor or technology editor, to ensure the most current incarnation of the product is directed to the appropriate lab, and that the necessary arrangements are made so we can return the product to you after testing. General Questions about networkcomputing 1. What is Network Computing's lead time? Network Computing has a four-to five-month lead time. For reviews, lead times can extend to five months. We test products for approximately one month. For Sneak Previews, we have about an eight-week lead time and test products for a day or two. 2. What are the best methods of contacting the editors? Please contact editors via e-mail. E-mail is a highly efficient means of communication, and we can respond most quickly to it. You can reach Network Computing editors by sending mail to them using their first initial and last name at networkcomputing.com. Send detailed product information by mail. You can also view various contact names at our "Beats Page" (see below). Our technology editors spend the vast majority of their time in the labs, testing products and writing reviews. 3. Can we include Network Computing on our press tour? Yes. But because of our long lead times, we prefer not to be lumped in with the weeklies, and we prefer not to get high-level overviews. We prefer to see products, in action, far in advance. 4. Does Network Computing sign non-disclosures? Yes, we sign non-disclosures; in fact, we encourage them. We take beta and early products in our labs. Our Sneak Previews section is designed specifically to share the results of our first hands-on experience with early products. Furthermore, we have created our “Network Computing Exclusive” logo for those vendors who wish to provide us with a first and exclusive test of their networking products. We don't expect you to withhold the information from other publications, but we prefer to have the products in hand first, if possible. 5. Where can I find Previous WCA Winners? • 2005 Winners • 2004 Winners • 2003 Winners • 2002 Winners • 2001 Winners 6. Where is the networkcomputing Beats List? It's available at It's available here. 7. Where can I find the networkcomputing 2006 Editorial Calendar? It's available at It's available here. Back to the Well Connected Awards