Element Blue Named to CRN’s Next-Gen 250

HOUSTON, TX (August 28, 2012) – Element Blue, a leading IBM Premier Partner, today announced it has been recognized by UBM Channel as a member of CRN’s second annual Next-Gen 250 list. The CRN Next-Gen 250 highlights up and coming VARs that have recently entered the market with a smart and different approach to solution selling and integration.

This Next-Gen 250 list is a snapshot of solution providers who are zeroing in on lucrative and emerging technologies, among them cloud computing, mobility, virtualization, unified communications, business analytics and business intelligence.

“It was an honor to be recognized with this award,” said Steven Gerhardt, Element Blue managing partner and CEO. “Element Blue embraces continuous innovation to provide the industry’s most robust and efficient solutions for our clients, and is pleased to be the first IBM partner to deliver the Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) to the marketplace.”

“The channel is constantly evolving as existing models are being tested and new ones are created,” said Kelley Damore, VP, Editorial Director, UBM Channel. “All the companies on this year’s list have only been in business since 1999. Some have transformed their business to meet the demands of a changing market. Others didn’t have the baggage of transitioning from hardware to services to recurring revenue and have been able to build a business on an entirely new model and leverage new technology platforms. Regardless of how they got here, we congratulate each company for making this year’s list.”

To view a sample of the winners, visit http://www.crn.com/news/channel-programs/240005998/2012-crn-next-gen-250.htm.

A sample of the Next-Gen 250 list is available online at http://www.CRN.com. The entire 2012 database will be published only in CRN’s App for iPad, CRN Technology News. This new app will provide subscribers with exclusive content and full access to CRN’s premier Solution Provider lists.

About Element Blue 
Element Blue is a leading IBM Premier Partner creating software with an IBM technology advantage. The practice develops solutions through IBM SmartCloud – yielding a tremendous capital savings and long-term benefit for the transition of businesses to a more agile delivery platform. Element Blue is a provider of IBM’s Intelligent Operations Center (IOC), as well as IBM WebSphere® Portal, IBM Business Process Manager platform, and IBM SmartCloud™ solutions, and produces software solutions serving the Energy, Agriculture, Events, Government, Healthcare and Retail markets.

About UBM Channel 
UBM Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With more than 30 years of experience and engagement, UBM Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives, managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. UBM Channel is a UBM company.

UBM plc 
UBM plc is a leading global business media company. We inform markets and bring the world’s buyers and sellers together at events, online, in print and provide them with the information they need to do business successfully. We focus on serving professional commercial communities, from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewellery traders, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. Our 6,000 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into specialist teams that serve these communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.