Computerworld

Integral takes top honours at IBM Business Partner Awards

Fronde Anywhere, Ability Software and SSI were among the other category winners

Integral Technology Group’s utility computing solution for marketing specialist Jericho took the top prize at this year’s IBM Business Partner Awards, which are held in conjunction with Reseller News, a Computerworld stable-mate.

The winning entry provides an on-demand utility computing infrastructure which Jericho uses to host its SmartMail-branded email marketing software and services. Integral owns and operates the infrastructure, providing Jericho with the ability to scale operations up or down, only paying for what is actually used.

Jericho managing director Jeff Mann says Integral has exceeded his company’s expectations and added tremendous business value. “We shifted from a traditional host with limited scalability to a system that has already allowed our business to grow.”

Reseller News associate publisher Bill Bennett says the judges were impressed by Integral’s technical and business model innovation.

“Integral’s entry shows just how sophisticated New Zealand integrators and resellers are becoming. It could form a template for a number of similar future projects,” he says.

The Jericho project was entered under the Infrastructure Innovation category. Integral also won the Best Small Business category with its Maximise solution at Crown Dental and Medical.

Wellington’s Fronde Anywhere topped the Industry Innovation category with its TwoSecure multifactor authentication suite which is being used by South Africa’s Radio Surveillance Security Services to manage identity theft and financial fraud.

Ability Software’s Lotus Notes-based AbilitySuite for Email Content Management and Archiving won the Best Built on Express category at the awards.

According to Scott Holmes of New York-based Sportcraft, the software has eased his job considerably by managing the company’s litigation-risk database.

Christchurch-based Systems, Software & Instrumentation (SSI) picked up the Best Non-IBM Reseller Solution award for a Global Trader System developed for British wool supplier H Dawson.

Certus Solutions and Cosyn Software took highly commended awards in the Workplace Collaboration and Information Management categories.