Thursday, August 21, 2008

Toshiba Named Overall Notebook Winner of 2008 VARBusiness Annual Report Card


Toshiba Chosen as Company of the Year in Notebooks/Mobile Computers Category and Takes Top Honors for Support and Partnership Categories

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Toshiba's Digital Products Division, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., today announced that it received the honor of being named the overall notebook winner of the 23rd annual VARBusiness Annual Report Card (ARC). As the overall notebook winner, Toshiba was honored as Company of the Year in the Notebook/Mobile Computers category and also won first place in the Support and Partnership categories.

The VARBusiness Annual Report Card recognizes outstanding partner programs and superb vendor service in 18 major product categories. Toshiba was selected as the overall notebook winner by VARBusiness based upon the survey results of more than 5,000 systems integrators, IT consulting organizations, value-added resellers (VARs), solution providers and software developers.

We are honored that our Preferred Partners have selected us for such a distinction in two categories, said Jeff Barney, general manager and vice president, Digital Products Division, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. This honor validates Toshiba's commitment to serving our Preferred Partners' needs, proving that efforts such as the reintroduction of the Satellite Pro laptop brand and increased reseller rebates are making the impact we've hoped for.

Everything Channel's VARBusiness hosted the ARC ceremony Aug. 18 at the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center in Dallas.

Toshiba was selected as the overall notebook winner of the 23rd annual VARBusiness annual report card for their dedication to its Preferred Partner program, said Robert C. DeMarzo, senior vice president and editorial director of Everything Channel editorial. In the past year Toshiba focused on improving its partners' profitability by providing innovative and highly reliable solutions for the Preferred Partner Program.

To support its Preferred Partners, Toshiba has made the following channel enhancements:

Program Stability and Ease of Use: Toshiba's Preferred Partner Program has remained stable in terms of program structure, participation requirements and executive leadership. This consistency has resulted in an easy-to-use, channel friendly program.

Reintroduction of Satellite Pro: This economically priced line of business laptops was developed with channel partner input to deliver above and beyond the essential features users need for productivity at competitively low price points.

Increased Reseller Rebates: Recognizing that reseller rebates are an effective way to drive sales and increase margins, Toshiba has increased back-end rebates and reduced the time it takes Preferred Partners to receive rebates, improving their cash flow and making it easier for channel partners to conduct business.

Trade-in and Recycling Program: Through this program, reseller customers can trade in their current Toshiba or non-Toshiba laptops and projectors, and apply that value toward new Toshiba products. All Toshiba computers qualify for free recycling, while non-Toshiba computers and other consumer electronic products can be recycled for a small fee.

Increased Field Coverage: By adding additional account executives to the channel, Toshiba has broadened its support for Preferred Partners.

Special Bid Program: This program allows Toshiba's Preferred Partners to get instant discounts on orders as small as two units through Toshiba's authorized distributors. While for larger orders, resellers can get special pricing in a fashion that ensures sales opportunities can be closed.

New Business Opportunities: Toshiba's sales-engagement team reaches out to its preferred partners to drive SMB channel business through the company's distribution network. This group is an arm of the overall Toshiba sales team and brings additional support to resellers.

Additional information about Toshiba's Preferred Partner Program is available at www.sell.toshiba.com.

About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS)

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division, and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications.

TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba was founded in 1875, and today operates a global network of more than 740 companies, with 198,000 employees worldwide and annual sales surpassing $76 billion. For more information on Toshiba's leading innovations, visit the company's Web site at www.toshiba.com.

About VARBusiness (www.varbusiness.com)

For the past 20 years, VARBusiness' strategic resources have been the gateway to the commercial and public sector (or government) Solution Provider community. The VARBusiness integrated platform of media opportunities provides strategic insight for technology integrators through industry-defining research, in-depth editorial, channel events and innovative Web services, enabling these IT professionals to make educated decisions for their businesses, partnerships and customers. VARBusiness offerings lead vendors and distributors to unprecedented access to the most powerful strategic Solution Providers in the market. VARBusiness has been the recipient of numerous industry awards for both editorial content and design.

Everything Channel (www.everythingchannel.com, www.channelweb.com)

Everything Channel, formerly CMP Channel, is the one-stop-shop for accessing, enabling and accelerating technology sales channels. From branding and recruiting to marketing and sales, Everything Channel offers technology marketers the unmatched breadth and depth of global brands and market intelligence combined with an unparallel audience loyalty and credibility serving all technology sales channels. Through innovative sales and marketing solutions, Everything Channel arms the sellers of technology with the resources they need to achieve measurable and significant results. Everything Channel is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.

© 2008 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All product, service and company names are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Information including without limitation product prices, specifications, availability, content of services, and contact information is subject to change without notice.

Release Summary:

Toshiba's Digital Products Division today announced that it received the honor of being named the overall notebook winner of the 23rd annual VARBusiness Annual Report Card (ARC).

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