Lifeboat Distribution
{{multiple issues|
{{notability|Companies|date=August 2012}}
{{primary sources|date=August 2012}}
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{{Infobox company
| name = Lifeboat Distribution
| logo =
| type = Public
| traded_as = {{NASDAQ|WSTG}}
| area_served = Worldwide
| key_people =
| industry = Software distribution
| products = Computer Software, Information Technology
| services =
| revenue = {{profit}} $449 million (2017)
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| assets =
| equity =
| owner =
| num_employees = 150
| parent =
| divisions =
| subsid =
| footnotes =
| intl =
| foundation =
| location_city = Eatontown, New Jersey
| location_country =
| location =
| locations = 4
| caption =
| homepage = [https://www.lifeboatdistribution.com/ lifeboatdistribution.com]
}}
Lifeboat Distribution is an international value-added distributor. Their customers are vendors who specialize in virtualization/cloud computing, security, application and network infrastructure, business continuity/disaster recovery, database infrastructure and management, application lifecycle management, science/engineering, and other technical products.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lifeboatdistribution.com/site/content/solutions|title = Climb Channel Solutions - Solutions}}
Lifeboat is headquartered in Eatontown, New Jersey, and also has offices in Arizona, Ontario, and Amsterdam.{{Cite web|url=https://www.lifeboatdistribution.com/site/content/contactus|title = Climb Channel Solutions - Contact Us}}
Lifeboat Distribution is a subsidiary of Wayside Technology Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WSTG), which has been a publicly traded company since 1995.{{Cite web |title=Wayside Technology Group, Inc. (WSTG) Interactive Chart |url=https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/wstg/interactive-chart |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20180926014205/https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/wstg/interactive-chart |archive-date=2018-09-26 |access-date=2025-05-27 |website=NASDAQ.com |language=en-us}}
History
=Early years=
{{see also|Lifeboat Associates}}
In June 1986, Lifeboat Associates was acquired by Voyager Software Corp. By 1988, Voyager was a three-division company; Lifeboat was the software distributor, Corsoft the corporate reseller, and Programmer's Paradise a mail-order operation.[http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/76/Programmer-s-Paradise-Inc.html (2006). "Programmer's Paradise Inc.". Reference for Business. Retrieved 2013-08-27]
=The 1990s and 2000s=
In May 1995, Voyager Software Corp changed its name to Programmer's Paradise, Inc. and at that time, changed Lifeboat Associates' name to Lifeboat Distribution. In July 1995, Programmer's Paradise completed an initial public offering of its common stock.[https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/945983/0001005150-97-000222.txt Programmers Paradise Inc., Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1996]
On January 9, 2001, Lifeboat's European operations were sold along with all other Programmer's Paradise European operations to PC-Ware (now known as the Comparex Group).{{Cite web |title=Programmer's Paradise Form 10-K, for fiscal year ended December 31, 2001 |url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/945983/000089457902000025/ppi10k-0321.txt |access-date=27 May 2025 |website=www.sec.gov}}
Through the 2000s, Lifeboat expanded its vendor line card with established and emerging vendors such as InstallShield(Press Release) [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Programmer's+Paradise+Announces+Distribution+Agreement+With...-a081014282 (2001-12-21). "Programmer's Paradise Announces Distribution Agreement With InstallShield". Business Wire. Retrieved 2013-08-27] (later to become Flexera Software), Intel Software,(Press Release) [http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20040223005329/en/Lifeboat-Distribution-Appointed-Intels-Software-Authorized-Distributor Willet, Bill. (2004-02-23). "Lifeboat Distribution is Appointed Intel's Software Authorized Distributor". Business Wire. Retrieved 2013-08-27] TechSmith,(Press Release) [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Programmer's+Paradise+Announces+Distribution+Agreement+With+TechSmith...-a096432205 (2003-01-14). "Programmer's Paradise Announces Distribution Agreement With TechSmith Corporation". Business Wire. Retrieved 2013-08-27] GFI,(Press Release) [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/GFI+Software+Christens+Lifeboat+as+Its+Channel+Distributor.-a0148919697 "GFI Software Christens Lifeboat as its Channel Distributor". The Free Library. Retrieved 2013-08-27] and VMware.
Lifeboat developed a reputation for helping companies enter the two-tier (vendor-distributor-reseller) distribution model. For example, Lifeboat was VMware's first U.S. software distributor helping introduce that company’s nascent virtualization software to the channel.[http://www.crn.com/blogs-op-ed/channel-programs/197007335/lifeboats-ship-about-to-sail.htm Clancy, Heather. (2007-02-20). "Lifeboat's Ship about to Sail?". CRN. Retrieved 2013-08-27]
In 2004, Lifeboat Distribution was appointed as Intel's Software Authorized Distributor in order to make that company's internally developed high-performance software development tools available to customers worldwide.
=Present Day=
Lifeboat specializes in technology domains that include not only virtualization/cloud computing, but also security, application and network infrastructure, database modeling, application lifecycle management, and business productivity.
Lifeboat recently added companies like Veeam Software,(Press Release) [http://vmblog.com/archive/2007/12/03/veeam-software-partners-with-lifeboat-distribution.aspx Marshall, David. (2007-12-03). "Veeam Software Partners With Lifeboat Distribution". VMblog. Retrieved 2013-08-27] SolarWinds,[http://www.channelinsider.com/c/a/News/SolarWinds-ReUps-its-Channel-Commitment/ O'Hanlon, Charlene. (2009-01-13). "SolarWinds Re-Ups Its Channel Commitment". Channel Insider. Retrieved 2013-08-27] and StorageCraft(Press Release) [https://www.lifeboatdistribution.com/content/images_lbus/2007_files/storagecraft_partners_with_lifeboat_distribution.pdf Shafer, Laura. (2007-02-20). "StorageCraft Partners with Lifeboat Distribution". Storagecraft Press Release. Retrieved 2019-02-28] to its line card. The company now represents an extensive set of software for the now mainstream virtualization space – products that are marketed to resellers through Lifeboat’s Virtualization World View portfolio.{{Cite web |url=https://www.lifeboatdistribution.com/content.aspx?name=virtualization-world-view-products |title="Virtualization World View Products". Lifeboat Distribution. Retrieved 2013-08-27 |access-date=2013-08-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130821100015/https://www.lifeboatdistribution.com/content.aspx?name=virtualization-world-view-products |archive-date=2013-08-21 |url-status=dead }}
In 2010, Lifeboat opened an office in Almere, Netherlands in order to better serve the company’s European resellers.[https://archive.today/20130826132611/http://www.iamsterdam.com/lifeboat (2012-03-07). "Amsterdam Area welcomes Lifeboat Distribution". I amsterdam. Retrieved 2013-08-27]
Lifeboat competes against much larger "broad line" distributors and must provide service differentiators to both its software vendors and its reseller customers. One way it has done this is through the deployment of innovative technologies, such as an electronic license key stocking system, EDI–based (Electronic Data Interchange) order processing, and data warehousing systems.{{Cite web |url=http://www.technology-digital.com/company-reports/lifeboat-distribution |title=Thakkar, Pooja. (2010). "Navigating Distribution Channels Within The Software Solutions Market". Technology Digital. Retrieved 2013-08-27 |access-date=2013-08-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504151030/http://www.technology-digital.com/company-reports/lifeboat-distribution |archive-date=2012-05-04 |url-status=dead }}
References
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