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 Test of Character
By Dhaval Valia
The CRN Xcellence Awards this year are a reflection of the robustness and resilience of the IT channel. In many ways, it reflects the character of the channel.
As the saying goes, the true test of character is always in times of adversity, and it must be said that the IT channel has shown exceptional resilience in an exceptionally tough FY 2008-09.
The last fiscal was when several factors conspired to intimidate the channel. Apart from the global recession and the domestic slowdown, the channel had to counter other negative factors such as the rising dollar and the imposition of service tax on software.
Despite all this, the IT channel did well to sustain growth. As compared to an average of 35 percent topline growth recorded by the top three CRN Xcellence Awards finalists of last year, this year’s finalists posted an average of 11 percent.
What is inspiring is the agility with which the IT channel has adapted to one of the worst economic scenarios in the last fifty years. From strategies to achieve and manage high growth, the IT channel swiftly turned to improving the bottomline, enhancing productivity, aligning closely with customers, and devising solutions and services that matter most to customers in a tough economy.
This truly underlines the resilience and maturity of our industry. It also makes me wonder if the global recession was a Godsend because a correction after five years of aggressive growth was essential for the long-term sustenance of business.
Another point: this year’s Outstanding Channel Contribution Award which CRN presented to Jaishankar Krishnan. He is a man of few words, and fewer when it comes to interacting with the media. In my 12 years of covering IT, I have probably met him only thrice.
Honestly, he wasn’t on the first list of eminent channel chiefs our editorial team drew up to short-list this year’s Outstanding Contribution awardee.
Nevertheless, his name cropped up very frequently when our editorial team called up over 100 partners to get their views on who they would nominate for this important award.
So in many ways this isn’t just an editorial choice award but a channel choice award too.
In the end I hope that the methodology and process we have put in place for the CRN Xcellence Awards have been fair in choosing the most deserving partners.
My heartiest congratulations to all the winners and the nominees. Not to forget the companies that sent in their awards applications but failed to make the cut.
Indeed, it’s their participation that set the bar higher for the competition. |