NetApp Named 2009 CRN Channel Champion

Business Wire, March 11, 2009

Honored as the Top Vendor in the Network Storage Category

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- NetApp (NASDAQ:NTAP) was named a 2009 CRN Channel Champion in the category of Network Storage at an awards ceremony in New Orleans, LA on March 10 at the XChange Solution Provider conference. The CRN Channel Champions study measures overall Solution Provider perceptions of vendor products and services. The survey is the largest and broadest-based technology integrator market study in the industry. The result is a premier resource used by VARs and technology integrators throughout the industry to evaluate vendors and their programs.

The survey rated more than 100 vendors in 24 key product and service categories. The categories included: Client Security Software; Collaboration Software; Data & Information Management; Enterprise Networking Hardware; Flat Panel Displays 19"-30"; High Capacity Hard Drives (300GB ); Middleware; Midrange Servers; Multifunction Printers; Network Security; Appliances; Network Security Software; Network Storage; Notebooks/Mobile Computers; Power Protection and Management; Server/Application Virtualization; SMB Business Software Suites; SMB Networking Hardware; SMB Wireless LANs; SMB External Storage; SMB Volume Servers; Storage Management Software/Data Protection Software; Systems and Network Management Software; Unified Communications/Voice-over-IP Technology; and Workgroup Color Printers.

The CRN Channel Champions survey was conducted between January 2009 and February 2009. Solution Providers were chosen at random from CRN’s subscriber list and were pre-qualified to ensure that they worked in the category, were familiar with the products and had a significant relationship with the vendor(s) being rated. Many respondents were qualified to rate more than one vendor. CRN specified that VARs and technology integrators rate only those vendors with whom they had either a strategic partner type of business relationship, when possible. Vendors rated in each category were chosen on the basis of market share data provided by major research firms. In the case where market share data was not available, vendors were chosen by CRN senior editorial staff recommendations. VARs and technology integrators were asked to rate the relative importance of the individual evaluation criteria. To derive the overall score for each vendor, the raw satisfaction scores were weighted according to the relative importance of the evaluation criteria.

“We are honored to receive this award from CRN,” said Julie Parrish, vice president of Worldwide Channel Sales at NetApp. “It’s particularly special that this recognition comes straight from the feedback channel partners provide based on the value they see working with NetApp. NetApp is dedicated to investing in its channel and opening up new opportunities for our partners—we will continue to work closely with our partners to further their businesses, especially in the current challenging economic environment.”

“Solution Providers have come to rely on the CRN Channel Champions study as a way to evaluate the leading technology vendors in the Channel today. We congratulate the winners for delivering high-quality solutions that satisfy business partners,” said Robert C. DeMarzo, senior vice president and editorial director, Everything Channel.

For additional information on Channel Champions, visit www.channelweb.com. Channel Champions award winners and related study will be published in the April 27, 2009 print issue of CRN Magazine, which for 26 years has been the technology channel’s paper of record, and the source for channel analysis and technology insight.

For additional information on the NetApp VIP Program please visit http://www.netapp.com/us/how-to-buy/resellers/reseller-partners.html.

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About NetApp

NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that accelerate business breakthroughs and achieve outstanding cost efficiency. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.

To learn more about the history and culture of NetApp, get a copy of How to Castrate a Bull by NetApp founder Dave Hitz at www.howtocastrateabull.com.

Everything Channel (www.everythingchannel.com, www.channelweb.com)

Everything Channel is the one-stop shop for accessing, enabling, managing and accelerating technology sales channels. From branding and recruiting to marketing and sales, Everything Channel offers technology marketers the unmatched breadth and depth of global brands and market intelligence combined with unparalleled audience loyalty and credibility serving all technology sales channels through an extensive database. Everything Channel provides innovative sales and marketing solutions to arm the sellers of technology with the resources they need to achieve measurable and significant results.