WEST KINGSTON, R.I., July 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- American Power Conversion (Nasdaq: APCC) (APC), a leading global provider of end-to-end infrastructure availability solutions, received more than 20 awards during the second quarter 2005 from global business, trade, and research publications and groups.

"As an organization committed to delivering innovative solutions and creating delighted customers, this recognition for our products and business performance is a strong validation of our efforts," said Aaron L. Davis, APC's vice president of marketing and communications. "It is truly a challenge to set ourselves apart from the competition in so many diverse markets and geographies, but the APC global team continues to do just that while setting a standard that is difficult to beat in the industry."

As announced during the second quarter, APC received the "2005 Data Center Solutions Company of the Year Award" from growth consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. This honor is based on a number of criteria, including market share growth, new market penetration, evidence of success derived from innovative strategies and technological innovation and leadership.

"For many years, APC's core competency has been in the low power range market," said Farah Saeed, analyst with Frost & Sullivan. "But they were the first to recognize that the growth of network-critical physical infrastructure (NCPI) in data centers was creating an unmet need. APC responded with InfraStruXure(TM), an innovative solution that fulfills the NCPI requirements of data centers while providing the flexibility needed to respond to business changes. InfraStruXure's standardized, modular component approach helps speed deployment, improve adaptability, and increase system availability, while reducing total cost of ownership."

Within the data center market, APC's innovative InfraStruXure architecture continues to win awards. This past quarter it was the recipient of several such designations in Africa. The Financial Standard Newspaper in Nigeria presented APC with its "2005 Most Outstanding Performance in Power Protection" designation for the InfraStruXure solution. The publication stressed several of InfraStruXure's differentiating features that drive a lower total cost of ownership in its review, including its on-demand design, standardized modules and built-in redundancy. Also in Africa, the Nigerian Tribune presented APC with its "Editor's Choice" for the Most Innovative Technology in 2005 for the InfraStruXure architecture.

In addition to its recognition in the data center market, APC gained recognition as a leader in the network market. APC is one of the top fifty largest public network companies in North America according to the "Network World 200" list, published in the April 25, 2005 issue of Network World magazine. The "Network World 200," now in its 11th year, provides information on the fastest-growing and most cash-rich network companies. The list has included APC for the past seven years. In this year's ranking, APC was 48th overall on the list and 37th in terms of profitability.

In further recognition of APC's business performance, APC continued to climb in the Fortune 1000, this year ranking 854th, up 13 spots from last year, in this prestigious list of the largest U.S. companies. And for the second year, APC was included in the Forbes "Global 2000," which ranks the top 2000 global companies based on sales, profits, assets and market value.

Additionally, APC continued to be among the "Top 100 Companies" owned by investment clubs, as determined by Better Investing magazine and the NAIC (National Association of Investors Corporation). This list includes the 100 most popular and widely held stocks among investment clubs and their members nationwide as of early 2005.

For APC's network and PC customers the good news continues as the company's products and efforts compiled a lengthy list of awards during the second quarter.

APC's desktop UPS family, the Back-UPS(R), garnered several accolades in the second quarter. APC's Back-UPS RS 800 made its way onto PCWorld's list of the "Top 100 Best Products for 2005" in the PCs and Peripherals category. In describing the awards, PCWorld states, "When you're buying hardware, software, and services, you want the top combination of power, features, reliability, and value. That's what you'll find in these World Class Award winners..."

In Europe, Personal Computer World UK reviewed APC's Back-UPS RS product for home users, giving it a "Recommended" rating. In Italy, PC World gave the Back-UPS CS 650 a perfect 5 out of 5 star review. Prohardver Online PC Magazine in Hungary identified three of APC's Back-UPS models, the ES 500, CS 650 and RS 800, as "Recommended" for small office or home workstation environments. And in Russia, PC Magazine tested the best international IT products introduced to the Russian Market in 2004. In the category of personal uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with power ratings up to 1000VA, APC's newly introduced Back-UPS 525 was the "best of the best" and given an "Editor's Choice."

In the Ukraine, Chip magazine also gave an "Editor's Choice" designation to APC, this time for its new Smart-UPS(R) SC. As a new addition to the Smart-UPS family of performance server solutions, the magazine touted the Smart-UPS SC for both home and small to medium business users to protect PC and entry-level server systems.

Additional recognition came from France, where Tele Magazine rated APC's SurgeArrest(R) Performance surge protectors with a perfect 3 out of 3 stars. Also in France, the Biometric Password Manager received high praise during the quarter. PC Achat found the product to be an "Editor's Choice," giving it 5 stars in its review and PC Expert also ranked the product 5 out 5 stars including 5 out 5 for functionality, ergonomics and services.

For the mobile user, APC's new Ultra Light Power Ready Notebook Case received Laptop magazine's "Editors' Choice." Receiving a 4.5 out of 5 star rating, the editor commented, "When it comes to notebook cases, there is APC and then there is everybody else."

In Italy, a review of notebook backpacks by Chip magazine resulted in APC as the "Test Winner" for its TravelPower Backpack. The product stood out due to its durable material and design along with APC's Travel Power Adapter kit, enabling the user to power multiple mobile devices from one adapter.

In India, APC received several notable awards. IT Nation's 360 Magazine presented APC with its "Golden Rhino" award for the best UPS, while Soft Disk and Electronics For You also recognized APC for having the "Best UPS" product. Additionally, the Electronics and Computer Software Export Promotion Council ranked APC second in India for electronics hardware export in the Non-SSI (Non-Small Scale Industry) category in 2002-2003.

For the second year in a row, APC was the recipient of several prestigious awards in Brazil. The readers of Info Exame in Brazil named APC their "Reader's Choice" again this year and the readers of CRN (Computer Reseller News) once again named APC their "Channel Champion" in the Power Protection Systems category. Finally, in Peru, the telecommunications publication America Sistemas named APC its "Editor's Choice."