Storage Networking World (SNW), in conjunction with Computerworld and the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), is seeking IT user-organization case study submissions for its "Best Practices in Storage" Awards Program.

Eligible nominees are exclusively IT end-user organizations. Nominations of IT end-user organizations are accepted from IT users themselves, their public relations representatives, or vendors on behalf of their IT end-user customers. Multiple submissions of case studies describing different deployments per IT end-user/organization will be considered.

Deadline for Receipt of Submissions–Via this Online Process: Tuesday, September 2, 2008.. Five finalists in each category will be recognized at Storage Networking World, October 13-16, 2008, at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas, Texas. The top honoree in each category will be recognized on the main stage during the SNW Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony. All finalists will be recognized on the event website, in an event press release, and may be featured in a special supplement of Computerworld magazine.

• Financial return and measurable payback (returns on investment, assets, resources) through created/protected revenue opportunities or cost savings.
• Strategic importance to the business.
• Substantive customer impact (service, retention, acquisition).
• Positive impact on other business/organization units.
• Addresses system and department interoperability issues and heterogeneous platform integration challenges.
• Provides a strategic advantage to the business/organization while anticipating and accommodating the deployment of future storage solution initiatives.
• Supports the efficient and reliable data, information and application sharing/access between personnel, departments, divisions, etc.
• Addresses challenges of data, information and application security, recovery, business continuity, etc.
• Please note: multiple nominations can be made by one company, but an individual nomination cannot be submitted in multiple categories. In the case of an individual nomination being submitted in multiple categories, it is Computerworld's discretion to determine which category the submission will remain in contention for.

• Award recipients will be announced in a Computerworld issue announcement and may be profiled in a Computerworld Custom Supplement.
• Award recipients will be entitled to use logo, promote achievement, etc., on their corporate Website, collateral, etc.
• All approved IT end-users nominated will be eligible and invited to attend Storage Networking World, October 13-16, 2008, at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas, Texas with a complimentary registration.

All information gathered is for the exclusive use of Computerworld and the judges. The judges use will be solely for purposes of this awards program. Computerworld may profile award recipients in a special supplement, using excerpts and information from the award recipient submissions. Award recipients will be contacted and expected to provide additional information including quotes, pictures, etc.