FRAMINGHAM, Mass., Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today at COMDEXvirtual, UBM Channel unveiled the highly anticipated "Best Companies to Partner With," a comprehensive directory of the must-have vendors that VARs should choose as partners.   The annual ranking, in its second year, provides IT solution providers a much needed roadmap to navigating vendor relationships based on brand, market breadth and depth and profitability. Earlier this year, UBM Channel's CRN editorial team surveyed more than 1,000 solution providers on 213 vendors in 12 technology categories to gauge VAR perceptions of a company's brand, technical prowess, market strength and channel programs.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121113/AQ12615LOGO)

Of note, Adobe was an upset moving from #22 on the inaugural list to #8 in 2012. Cisco was the big winner, earning the number one spot and moving from its 2011 rank of #5 to #1 for 2012. To view the full list, please visit http://www.COMDEXvirtual.com or follow us on Twitter @COMDEXvirtual for live updates.

"This annual ranking is more important than ever, as customer needs are rapidly changing and solution providers need to alter their business models and constantly evaluate their most trusted vendor relationships. With limited dollars, time and resources, VARs need to decide where to place their bets.  As the number one trusted resource for the IT channel today, we are pleased to provide actionable information to help VARs make the most strategic decisions for their business," said Kelley Damore, Editorial Director and SVP, UBM Channel.   

Best Companies to Partner With also surveyed solution providers about which technologies were critical in terms of bringing on strategic partners and to the future of their business. Key highlights include:

• Networking technologies were most important to VARs, followed by virtualization, security, storage, applications, data center and cloud.
• As VARs evaluate their vendor partners, customer demand for the technology was the top criteria followed by best of breed technology, customer demand for the brand and finally how the vendor's products and programs contribute to their company's overall revenue.

To learn more about the Best Companies to Partner With, please visit: www.COMDEXvirtual.com.

Visit the Best Companies to Partner With Showcase within COMDEXvirtual to hear exclusive interviews with select winners.

Follow us on Twitter @COMDEXvirtual and use hashtag #comdex to discuss the event!

About UBM Channel
UBM Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With more than 30 years of experience and engagement, UBM Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives, managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. UBM Channel is a UBM company. To learn more about UBM Channel, visit us at http://www.ubmchannel.com.

UBM plc (www.ubm.com)
UBM plc is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world's buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.

SOURCE UBM Channel