Augsburg/Germany, 1 August 2007
Product tests performed by TechTarget already enjoy enormous popularity among its readers. The editorial teams working on the search pages have now decided to underscore their evaluation of individual products with an official test assessment and a seal of approval. In this way, readers will be able to establish quickly how the products concerned have fared in comparison with each other and which ones are recommended by the editorial teams.
The first assessments and seals of approval are going to be issued by the editorial team of SearchDataCenter.de and the comprehensive tests carried out will be made available to readers of the website in the form of an editorial whitepaper (http://www.searchdatacenter.de/technik/). The editorial teams at SearchSecurity.de, SearchStorage.de and SearchNetworking.de will be following suit in the next few weeks and will be testing products from their own specific specialist fields.
„Our seals of approval will help readers to establish quickly and simply how well a product has fared. What’s more, they will have a much more transparent means of comparing it with other products,“ explains Achim B.C. Karpf, Editor-in-Chief at SearchDataCenter. „And our seal will give manufacturers the opportunity to publicise their products‘ test assessments.“
Highly demanding tests
By working in cooperation with two independent test laboratories, TechTarget Deutschland is expanding its information portals, www.SearchDataCenter.de, www.SearchNetworking.de, www.SearchSecurity.de and www.SearchStorage.de, to incorporate top-quality, first-class product tests. These will be made available to the websites‘ readers in the form of editorial whitepapers. Because these tests are highly popular on the market, the individual editorial teams have now decided to enhance the informative value of the tests by introducing a seal of approval, providing manufacturers with an appropriate way of publicising their product’s assessment. „We intend to throw a more prominent light on the high quality of our tests using this visual form of assessment,“ says Andreas Donner, Editor-in-Chief at SearchNetworking. „The effort that we put into these tests is very great and we therefore intend the results of the tests to be quick to classify. Readers will immediately be able to identify the rating which a product has been given.“
From the test assessment to a seal of approval – a guide for the reader
The first step in the process is when tested products receive their assessment which takes the form of a uniform seal of approval, each bearing the relevant grade. The seal is placed prominently in the test reports so that the reader can see immediately how the product has fared. Independent test laboratories and independent individuals suggest which assessment to give and this is then examined by the editorial teams and given their approval.
Seal of approval as a special recommendation by the editorial team
Apart from the test assessments, at regular intervals the editorial teams also select certain products from the individual categories which fulfil the particular criteria and they award the „Editors‘ Choice“ seal of approval as a special recommendation by the editorial team. Not only the test assessments but also experience with the products and with the manufacturers are all taken into consideration in this selection process. „What’s more, we are also able to draw on the feedback from our readers with whom we are in close contact and with whom we compare notes very intensively,“ says Peter Schmitz, Editor-in-Chief at SearchSecurity. „This feedback and our own experience with the products and manufacturers are all criteria which are then reflected in our recommendation.“
Logos for the manufacturers
The manufacturers of the products tested automatically receive the test assessments, the relevant logos and the links to the test reports. In this way, the seal of approval can be quickly and easily included as a visual element for publication on the manufacturers‘ websites and in their printed documents. Information on the necessary steps to be taken can be provided directly by the editorial teams concerned, who will also answer any possible questions about the results of the tests.
More information about Vogel IT Media:
Vogel IT Media, Augsburg/Germany, is a 100 percent subsidiary of Vogel Business Media, Würzburg/Germany. Ever since 1989, the publishing company has been producing specialised media aimed at decision-makers whose jobs involve the production, procurement or use of information technology. Alongside its print and online media features, the company also has a broad portfolio of events to offer. Its most important products and events can be listed as follows: IT-Business, eGovernment Computing, SearchNetworking.de, SearchSecurity.de, Information Security, IT-Security Partner Solution Days, SearchStorage.de, Storage, Storage Partner Solution Days, SearchDataCenter.de and the Virtualisation Solution Days & IT Decision-maker Congress 2007.
If you have any queries about the information portals, please feel free to contact:
Andreas Donner
Vogel IT-Medien GmbH
Editor-in-Chief of SearchNetworking.de
August-Wessels-Str. 27
86156 Augsburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)821 2177-125
Fax +49 (0)821 2177-35 125
Email: andreas.donner@vogel-it.de
www.searchnetworking.de/
Achim B.C. Karpf
Vogel IT-Medien GmbH
Editor-in-Chief of SearchDataCenter.de
August-Wessels-Str. 27
86156 Augsburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)821 2177-124
Fax +49 (0)821 2177-35 124
Email: achim.karpf@vogel-it.de
www.searchdatacenter.de/
Peter Schmitz
Vogel IT-Medien GmbH
Editor-in-Chief of SearchSecurity.de
August-Wessels-Str. 27
86156 Augsburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)821 2177-165
Fax +49 (0)821 2177-35 165
Email: peter.schmitz@vogel-it.de
www.searchsecurity.de/
Rainer Graefen
Vogel IT-Medien GmbH
Editor-in-Chief of SearchStorage.de
August-Wessels-Str. 27
86156 Augsburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)821 2177-114
Fax +49 (0)821 2177-35 114
Email: rainer.graefen@vogel-it.de
www.searchstorage.de/
If you have any corporate-related queries, please feel free to contact:
Werner Nieberle
Vogel IT-Medien GmbH
Managing Director
August-Wessels-Str. 27
86156 Augsburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)821 2177-104
Fax +49 (0)821 2177-156
Email: werner.nieberle@vogel-it.de
www.vogel-it.de
Michael Bernau
Vogel IT-Medien GmbH
TechTarget Deutschland
August-Wessels-Str. 27
86156 Augsburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)821 2177-117
Fax +49 (0)821 2177-35117
Email: michael.bernau@techtarget.de
www.techtarget.de
