SYS-CON Media announced today that nominations are now open for its first annual Government IT Readers' Choice Awards. SYS-CON's Readers' Choice Awards, also known as the "Oscars of the Software Industry," has been one of the most prestigious industry award programs for more than a decade. This year's Government IT awards will be given in 11 categories and award-winning products and services.

"The i-Technology professionals who constitute the dedicated readers of SYS-CON.com's many sites relevant to Government IT are personally, professionally, and often passionately involved in the front-line of Internet technologies. Their recognition is hard to win," said Jeremy Geelan, Sr. Vice-President of SYS-CON Media. "That is why we are so excited to be launching these Readers' Choice awards, an open competition that gives everyone an equal chance, no matter what part of the GovIT ecosystem they inhabit, of giving recognition to the solutions and services they commend the most."

The nominations deadline is August 16, 2009, and voting will begin August 17, 2009, and end September 18, 2009. Winners will be announced by October 6, 2009.

There is a new wave of Internet-based technologies that are changing the way that Federal agencies leverage, procure and utilize IT.

According to the Washington Post, the U.S. Census Bureau is using Salesforce's cloud to manage the activities of about 100,000 partner organizations across the country. And the Defense Department's technology arm has already set up a cloud to let the military rent storage space or use remote software programs. Companies have shifted their focus to federal sales, on the basis that what works for Enterprise IT can also work for Government.

Nominated Products and Services by Category:

• Best Overall GovIT Product
• Best Security Solution
• Best Compliance Solution
• Best Virtualization Solution
• Best Government 2.0 Application
• Best Cloud Computing Solution
• Best Contribution to Data.gov
• Best Collaboration Tool in the Cloud
• Best SOA-Based Solution
• Best Green IT Solution
• Best Private Cloud Computing Solution