Over the course of the year, I tested and reviewed more than 200 products ranging from portable peripherals to 2U data center appliances, from office productivity software to processors, from next-generation netbooks to cloud-based services. I’ve seen the good, the bad and the ugly. They’ve all had one thing in common, though: they’re all sold through the channel.

To end the year on a positive note, I’ve reviewed all of my reviews to pick the cream of the crop, the best of the best channel products of the year. I’ve re-examined the results and put a new evaluation filter on them, screening the previous reviews for their innovation, up-sell opportunities, value-added service opportunities and market potential. I’ve also took vendor’s channel support program into consider. The result is my picks for the best channel products of the year in these 10 categories: