Best of Interop 2013 Nominations Open

Nominations are now open for Best of Interop 2013 in Las Vegas. The Best of Interop awards recognize innovative products and services from exhibitors at the show. The competition includes eight categories (listed below), and the winners will be announced on the show floor on May 7. This year the show introduces the Audience Choice award, in which attendees pick their favorite product from the category winners.

I’ve served as a judge for Best of Interop for several years. It’s a chance to dig into the compelling products that have emerged during the past 12 months. Most interesting are the debates among the judges. We’re all on the lookout for products and services that advance the state of the art, but we also have our quirks. Some lean toward practical, if incremental, improvements (hey, look at all the ports they added!) while others are drawn to bold, and potentially risky, ideas that shake up the status quo (SDN). This makes for some interesting conversations.

Judges aren’t the only ones who benefit. All the Best of Interop finalists and category winners will have their hardware and software on the show floor at the Mandalay Bay convention center, so it’s a great opportunity for attendees to get a first-hand look at a host of innovative products. In the meantime, you can see a slideshow of the 2012 winners.

The nomination process is open now. Companies can submit an entry until March 27. I’ve included all the nomination details below, and they can also be found here.

2013 Best of Interop Categories

* Cloud Computing & Virtualization

* Data Center & Storage

* Management & Monitoring

* Networking

* Performance Optimization & Testing

* Security

* Wireless, Mobility & BYOD Support

* Best Startup Company

New for 2013, the Best of Interop Awards includes additional recognition with an Audience Choice Award. Attendees will choose their favorite from among the 2013 Category Winners. This award will be announced during the Opening Keynote Address on Wednesday, May 8.

Entry Criteria and Guidelines

To enter the Best of Interop competition, a vendor must be a primary exhibitor at Interop Las Vegas 2013 (May 6-10). A primary exhibitor is a company that has contracted directly with the respective event for its own standalone exhibit space.

Products or services are not eligible if they were announced prior to Sept. 1, 2012. Eligible products must be available for public viewing in your booth at Interop 2013 in Las Vegas. This will be personally confirmed at the show.

Products or services must be available for purchase no later than Aug. 31, 2013. An award may be rescinded if a product is not generally available to the public by Aug. 31, 2013.

No product may be entered in more than one category. The judges reserve the right to change the award category of the product submission.

Pricing information must be included with the entry since it is an essential part of the judging criteria. Entries will not be considered if pricing information is not included with the entry--no exceptions. A product news release must accompany completed entry forms (a preliminary draft is acceptable).

To be considered for nomination, all entry forms must be received no later than Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 3:00 p.m. PST. Late entries will not be considered--no exceptions.

For more information, please contact Interop at [email protected]. Submit your entry today!