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According to the findings of a survey from Citrix Systems, "state and local government Information Technology (IT) executives . . . . identified price, service, and response time as their most important IT purchasing decision criteria."

VARs/resellers were the main source of IT technologies for less than half of respondents.

The online survey had a reasonable number of respondents (124), but the results were not as unquestionable as they might have been - Citrix admitted to a "margin of error of 6.75 percent with a 90 percent confidence rate."

Still, the company's conclusions seem clear.

In Citrix's evaluation of the study, Bert Wakeley, director of State and Local Government, said, "State and local IT buyers are one-hundred percent focused on program performance. Their emphasis is on maximizing the value of the taxpayer's dollar and deploying IT solutions that improve citizen services. The survey results point to an opportunity for IT providers to improve their relationships with state and local executives through deeper partnerships and continued high service levels."

The last lines of Wakeley's comment reflect on the finding that survey respondents "ranked personal relationships with a sales representative' as only moderately important."

And only 38 percent of respondents "characterize their IT providers as trusted partners, rather than mere product providers."

"The survey results underline the market's requirement for best-value, performance-tested solutions," Wakeley said. "Buyers will not tolerate distractions. They are looking for reliable, easy-to-procure tools, enabling them to stay focused on their mission of supporting the business of state and local government." VARs would do well to take heed of the survey's results.

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Doug is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest eBusiness news.