Hitachi's Channel Partner Program Earns 5-Star Rating
from VARBusiness for Second Consecutive Year
Vice President of Global Channels Karen Sigman and Vice President
of Americas Channels Tom Valiante Recognized as Top Channel
Executives by VARBusiness
Valiante Named among the Top 50 Channel Chiefs by CRN
SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 26, 2007 — Signaling Hitachi's continued momentum with its global channel partners, Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), today announced that the company's partner program has achieved a 5-star rating for the second consecutive year, according to CMP Technology's VARBusiness magazine. Additionally, Karen Sigman, vice president of Global Channels and Tom Valiante, vice president of Americas Channels, were named on VARBusiness' list of the Top 60 Channel Executives. Mr. Valiante was also named among CRN magazine's list of Top 50 Channel Chiefs.
Of the 230 vendor-program entries reviewed for the past year, only 65 companies received the coveted 5-star rating in VARBusiness's 13th annual Partner Programs Guide survey. The guide appears in the March 19, 2007, issue of VARBusiness.
"To achieve the 5-star rating for two consecutive years is certainly a great achievement for Hitachi Data Systems," says VARBusiness Editor Lawrence M. Walsh. "We applaud them for their ongoing best practices and the leadership they have continued to demonstrate within the IT distribution channel."
"Building and maintaining a multi-faceted network of partners whose top priorities are quality and service is essential to our success," said Sigman. "Earning top marks for a second time illustrates the ongoing momentum of Hitachi Data Systems and the dedication of our team to our partners, and it provides validation for what we feel are great things to come in the year ahead."
The VARBusiness "Top 60 Channel Executives" list is based on a survey of channel executives with respect to years of service, size of their channel programs and their partner priorities for the coming year. In addition to being published in the March 19 issue of VARBusiness magazine, the feature package and executive listing is posted to the Web at www.channelweb.com.
CRN magazine recognizes the most influential channel executives who consistently create, promote and execute effective channel partner programs and strategies. The CRN Channel Chiefs are an elite group of individuals that consistently ensure that the voice of the channel is heard within their companies. The CRN Channel Chief list is in its fifth consecutive year. Top Channel Chiefs were chosen based on criteria including policy and program innovations made during the past year, the amount of revenue their company generates through partners, their willingness to speak out publicly on behalf of the channel, and the number of years they have dedicated to channel activities over the years.
"These recognitions underscore the unmatched dedication and performance of our channel leaders," said Scott Genereux, executive vice president and general manager, Worldwide Marketing, Sales and Support. "We have worked exceptionally hard alongside our worldwide channel partners over the past year to deliver smart, profitable sales and support initiatives that best meet our customers' business and technology goals, and we are pleased to accept these honors."
Hitachi Data Systems leverages global R&D resources to develop storage solutions built on industry-leading technology with the performance, availability and scalability to maximize customers' ROI and minimize their risk. By focusing on the customer's perspective as we apply the best hardware, software, and services from Hitachi and our partners, we uniquely satisfy our customers' business needs. With approximately 3,200 employees, Hitachi Data Systems conducts business through direct and indirect channels in the public, government and private sectors in over 170 countries and regions. Its customers include more than 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies. For more information, please visit our Web site at http://www.hds.com.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 356,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2005 (ended March 31, 2006) consolidated sales totaled 9,464 billion yen ($80.9 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.
Hitachi Data Systems
Mary Ann Gallo
(408) 970-4836
mary.ann@hds.com
® 2007, Hitachi is a registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Hitachi Data Systems is a registered trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks, services marks, company names are properties of their respective owners.
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