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SAN JOSE, Calif. – April XX, 2011 — NETGEAR^®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a global networking company that delivers innovative products to consumers, businesses and service providers, today announced the company's PowerShiftTM Partner Program for value-added resellers has been awarded a coveted 5-Star Partner rating by CRN magazine and Everything Channel for the second year in a row.

The 5-Star Partner awards are featured in the 2011 Partner Programs Guide in the March 28 issue of CRN magazine, the leading authority on IT channel marketing programs, and are also online at CRN.com. CRN is part of United Business Media's Everything Channel, the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services.

"The companies listed in the 2011 Partner Programs Guide represent the best channel programs in the market today. Of those, NETGEAR is one of the few to get our 5-star award, based on the PowerShift Partner Program's commitment to the channel, breadth of program offerings and services offered to partners," said Kelley Damore, Vice President and Editorial Director for Everything Channel's CRN. "NETGEAR understands that technology alone does not make for a successful channel program. By focusing on delivering a comprehensive partner program, vendors such as NETGEAR and solution providers can work together to drive business opportunities and revenue."

"The economic recovery is forcing partners to evaluate costs just as heavily as the end users they serve," commented Tiffani Bova, Research VP for IT Sales and Channel Strategies at Gartner, Inc. "Highly rated partner programs often correlate to channel partner success, strengthening margins, protecting deals and simplifying business processes to lower the costs of doing business."

"NETGEAR is dedicated to smart IT: Networking, security and storage solutions for small and mid-sized enterprises that are reliable, affordable and simple. That's also the goal for our PowerShift Partner program – we aim to make it easy for VARs to work with us and profitably grow their own businesses," said Lee Finck, VP of Americas Sales for Commercial Products at NETGEAR. "We are honored to be recognized by CRN for the second year in a row as a 5-star leader in delivering value to channel partners."

NETGEAR's PowerShift Partner Program provides access to an extensive variety of sales, marketing, training, and support resources, making it easier for partners to profit from selling the broad range of NETGEAR business-class products. The program is comprised of three tiers —Basic, Platinum, and Platinum Plus — delivering a rich array of benefits at each level based on the partner's increased investment and commitment to NETGEAR products.

All NETGEAR value-added resellers are eligible for Basic, the entry point into the PowerShift program for most partners. The Basic tier provides a wide range of reseller benefits such as US-based technical support, end user and partner promotions, sales and marketing assistance, 30-day risk-free product evaluations, online training/education and deal registration, as well as pre- and post-sales support.

Based on quarterly sales revenue, partners can become eligible for the PowerShift Platinum and Platinum Plus tiers. The PowerShift Partner Program gives Platinum and Platinum Plus partners additional benefits including upfront product discounts at distribution, dedicated account managers, access to Field Sales and demand creation resources, incentive discounts, advanced network configuration technical support, and market development funds.