K2 blackpearl(R) Wins Best of Tech Ed 2011 Award in SharePoint Category

ATLANTA, May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- K2 blackpearl(R) was named best "SharePoint Development" product in the 2011 Best of Tech-Ed North America Awards, May 18.

K2 blackpearl is workflow and BPM software for automating enterprise business processes, building SharePoint applications and integrating Microsoft solutions into SAP.

Sponsored by Penton Media's Windows IT Pro, SQL Server Magazine, SharePointPro and DevProConnections, the Best of Tech-Ed awards coincide with the Microsoft Tech-Ed North America conference. The awards recognize companies that offer innovative products for the industry. Judges reviewed 334 products and services for the Best of Tech-Ed awards and chose 47 finalists for 15 categories.

"We are honored by this award and proud of our innovative work around process automation in SharePoint," said Adriaan Van Wyk, K2 CEO. "A few months ago, we were named ISV (independent software vendor) of the year at a regional Microsoft Partner event. This latest recognition of K2 as a world leader in software for SharePoint solutions just increases our momentum and enthusiasm for what's ahead.

"All the credit goes to the K2 staff and community, our customers, and our partners. This would not have been possible without them."

Built on .NET and deeply integrated with SharePoint and other technologies, K2 blackpearl replaces the complexity of traditional software development with easy-to-use, visual tools - enabling business people and technical people to collaborate and assemble process-driven applications that precisely fit the needs of the organization and grow with it over time.

A highlight of the K2 blackpearl platform is the K2 Designer for SharePoint, a web-based, drag-and-drop designer that makes it easy to build workflows and applications that streamline operations, reduce costs and increase visibility.

"We received a record number of nominations this year - more than 300 - and determining an array of finalists from that large, diverse field was difficult," said Jason Bovberg, senior editor at Windows IT Pro(R), when the nominees were announced in April.

"For all categories, as always, our judging process involves three criteria: strategic importance to the market, competitive advantage, and value to customers. Our winners will be particularly strong in those areas."

Best of Tech-Ed 2011 awards were handed out at an invite-only, evening reception at the Georgia Aquarium.