Winners of the NetEvents Innovation Awards 2013 were announced during Ethernet’s 40th Birthday Party at the Computer History Museum, Mountain View, USA. The annual Innovation Awards honor organizations and individuals that lead the world by innovation and performance in the networking and telecommunications sector. All proceeds from the awards, gala dinner and charity auction are being donated to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education project.
This year’s Awards – hosted as part of the two-day Ethernet birthday celebrations viewed by audiences across the globe thanks to Carrrier Ethernet broadcast services from Comcast and Tata Communications – included an honourary award for ‘The Greatest Contribution to the Networking Age’ which was presented to Bob Metcalfe, co-inventor of Ethernet & UT Austin Professor of Innovation.
An additional “Ethernet Idol” award category for the individual considered to have successfully picked up the mantle from the original inventors and made the most outstanding individual contribution to Ethernet in the past 15 years was won by industry legend Andy Bechtolsheim.
Bob Metcalfe says, “It’s ironic that Andy would be voted ‘Ethernet Idol’ for his work in the LAST 15 years of Ethernet when he was my Ethernet Idol for the FIRST 15 years.”
The other seven award categories for organisations were:
- Carrier Ethernet Business Services – won by Verizon for the most innovative new business service to enterprise clients within the past 18 months.
- Telecoms Product – won by RAD Data Communications for ”best in class” infrastructure equipment and innovative solutions to Service Providers’ current challenges.
- Enterprise Wireless Solutions – won by Xirrus for the most innovative solution to managing the BYOD challenge. Xirrus founder Dirk Gates was presented with the award by Aloha Net inventor Norm Abramson.
- Cloud/Datacenter Solution – won by Arista Networks for the most innovative Cloud/Datacenter solution, providing major business benefits.
- Security Solution – won by ClickSecurity for the most innovative contribution to countering the latest threats, including organised crime and government-sanctioned hacking and cyber attacks.
- SDN Solution – won by HP for the most innovative SDN solution.
