Circling the Winners

Unless you've been living on another planet, it's tough to ignore the interdependence of telecommunications and networked storage. Indeed, service providers are among the leading consumers of high-end storage products and services worldwide.

As data services of all kinds continue to drive the market for networking gear, storage will be a key part of the equation. In his keynote address during the Light Reading Links 2004 Executive Summit last month, Bob Hammer, CEO of CommVault Systems Inc., indicated that service providers can only hope to cope with new opportunities if they have the necessary storage underpinnings.

Still got your doubts? Ask John Chambers why Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), with a raft of service provider customers worldwide, opted to launch its own storage division three years ago.

Now that it's clear that in the global network, network and storage are taking on new significance, those companies that cook up the most exciting new networking and storage products will be in high demand.

That's precisely the reason why our parent site, Light Reading, has launched Leading Lights, a new industry awards program that spans all of its affiliated publications.This is Light Reading's first awards program since the company was founded in February 2000. The categories and criteria on which judging will be based have been developed based on the subsequent years of experience the editors have had analyzing the networking market, supplemented by extensive feedback from industry analysts and service providers.

Nominations for the Leading Lights program, which is free to enter, must be completed by November 1. It spans a range of awards and encompasses both public and private companies.

Interested? Here's what to do:

The Leading Lights award winners will be announced before an audience of 200+ service providers, Wall Street financial analysts, and technology and business press at an exclusive, invitation-only gala dinner to take place on the evening of Wednesday, December 15, following Light Reading's Telecom Investment Conference at the four-star Westin Times Square Hotel, New York City.

Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch0