Excellence Awards 6 Winners, Finalists Show Innovation Up and Down IT Stack

WINNER

RealiTea 4.5

This single category represents the central mandate of these awards: In any given year, we make a vital statement by deeming one class of product—let alone a single product in that class—a foundation for elevating infrastructure performance and return on investment to their next levels. This year, we focus on the need to achieve greater consistency of results in every customers online experience, and we name TeaLeaf Technologys RealiTea 4.5 as a means to that end. RealiTea monitors in real time how online customers are navigating a site and can provide immediate alerts if something goes wrong.

Indeed, the cost of e-customer dissatisfaction is devastating. A November 2005 study commissioned by TeaLeaf found that "customers who encounter problems in completing an online transaction are likely, one out of three, to go elsewhere rather than try again—and almost nine out of 10 report encountering such problems."

Too often, though, we rely on a systems own opinion of whether its working instead of enabling independent measurement—such as that provided by RealiTea—of whats actually going on. IT managers comments to eWeek Labs have consistently noted that help desk calls or other employee feedback are often their first notice of problems on even a well-instrumented network.

We urge eWeek readers to make the coming year one of far better feedback on whats really happening, not merely on whether the system is up or down.

FINALISTS

Hummingbird Enterprise 2005

The digital assets of the enterprise serve both internal knowledge needs and outward communication goals, requiring disciplined management. Hummingbirds Enterprise 2005 suite enables the unified storage and creative, insightful use of unstructured information, combining freedom to collaborate with rigor in asset protection and process governance.

Microsoft

Windows Server 2003 R2

Windows Server 2003 R2 distinguishes itself with useful improvements to management and performance in core functions, such as file sharing and identity services. Noteworthy are improved interoperability with Unix variants and more cost-effective licensing of up to four virtual instances.

—Jason Brooks

Vulnerability Assessment & Remediation

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