Last Day: Vote for the Best of the Year

[Editor's Note: Voting ends at midnight (EST) on Jan. 10, 2006]

No product or service can transform an ill-fated business into an overnight success story. However, if you have a sound business model and a passion for what you do, the right hardware, software and services can help you operate more efficiently, more securely and even more profitably.

Click to go to the online ballot

Unfortunately, few small business owner or manager have the time or inclination to become technology gurus. That's where the advice of your colleagues comes in handy. In our quest to find the products that do a standout job in the real world, we asked the readers of SmallBusinessComputing.com, ECommerce-Guide.com and Webopedia.com to nominate the best of the year. Based on those nominations, along with input from JupiterWeb editors and writers, more than 90 products in 23 categories emerged as finalists for the 2006 Excellence in Technology Awards.

While many of the categories will look familiar, we have made some changes to reflect the times. For example, this year we recognized the priority small businesses place on security and broke that category into Wireless Security, System Security and Data Backup and Recovery. On the e-commerce front, you'll still find the staples such as Storefront, Web Hosting and Analytics, but we've added Search Engine Marketing and Affiliate Program categories — reflecting the power of targeted advertising and well-chosen partnerships.

Now comes the most important part. We need your vote. Please take a few minutes and cast your ballot for the best of the best. In the interest of fairness, we ask you to vote only in categories with which you are familiar. Voting will be open until midnight (EST) on Jan. 10, 2006, and the winners will be announced on Jan. 24, 2006.

Do you have a comment or question about this article or other small business topics in general? Speak out in the SmallBusinessComputing.com Forums. Join the discussion today!