The most effective IT systems are frequently the ones that nobody notices: the networks that never crash, the transaction processing systems that never run slow, and the applications that are so well designed that they become part of the fabric of our working lives almost overnight. Providing due recognition for such systems, and the people who have created them, is what Information Age’s Effective IT Awards are all about – it is a task that is as challenging as it is rewarding.

Certainly, the panel of judges who poured over a record 420 entries to this year’s awards were unanimous in their view that the overall quality of submissions was the highest yet. And the winning entries, headed by Standard Life (Most Effective IT Project) and eCourier (Most Innovative Use of IT), were truly compelling examples of how IT can transform not just the business, but entire sectors. To Standard Life, eCourier, and all the other entrants that made this year's awards such a success, we say, well done.

Applause should also go to this year’s award sponsors – Oki, Savvis, Vodafone and Borland. Without their support, not only would our awards programme not exist, it would not be in a position to provide such strong backing for Wooden Spoon, the charity dedicated to enriching the lives of disadvantaged children. To date, thanks to all of our sponsors and the generosity of those that attended our gala awards evening in London, the Effective IT Awards increased the total amount it has raised for Wooden Spoon over three years to £100,000.

In early 2007, a new Information Age Effective IT programme will kick-off in Cardiff, Wales with our annual Effective IT Conference, and later in the Spring, we will be welcoming entries for our 2007 awards. We confidently expect that choosing next year's winners will be tougher than ever – and, along with the other judges, we are relishing the prospect already.

Phil Jones
Research Director, Effective IT
Information Age