Kerio's IP PBX phone system was named a winner of the prestigious CRN 2011 Tech Innovator awards in the Networking VOIP category. Nominations were open to new products or solutions and judged not only on their innovative features, but also on the value they bring to the IT channel.

Jim Ringham (on the left with the nice suit), Kerio's global product marketing director, accepted the award onstage during a ceremony at the NexTI conference in Miami, Florida.

Kerio Technologies entered the IP PBX market earlier this year with the mission of bringing simplicity, security and functionality to the SMB VoIP space. Kerio Operator 1.1 is an easy-to-manage system that shifts telephony needs away from the expensive phone technician to the IT manager or reseller.

The key to Kerio Operator 1.1's simplicity for administrators is the intuitive web-based GUI, which has drag and drop capabilities for interface configuration, contextual help, and a configuration assistant. As with other Kerio products, the system can be configured and managed remotely from within an Internet browser.

Now is the time for voice services to be delivered through the IT VAR channel. The distinction between voice and data traffic is effectively irrelevant and has created a huge opportunity for our partners to grow their business. Any reseller who is good at selling traditional IT services such as email, security and storage is well-postioned to sell VoIP, and should add this award-winning product to their arsenal.

Kerio Operator 1.1 offers capabilities that are typically found in larger organizations such as voicemail/email integration, enhanced SIP security, and auto-provisioning of popular phones.