Avnet Technology Solutions

On Monday, May 28, 2012, Avnet's U.S. employees will observe Memorial Day. Please make a note that all Avnet offices, including Avnet Technology Solutions, will be closed. U.S. offices will resume regular business on Tuesday, May 29, 2012.

Should you have any time-sensitive requirements that may be impacted by this closure, please contact your Avnet sales representative by Friday, May 25.

Terri Thomas / Senior Marketing Project Leader / 480-794-2561

Avnet EnergyPath™ University
June 5-6, 2012 | Broomfield, CO

EnergyPath University offers an in-depth training curriculum designed to give you the necessary information to effectively sell into energy and utilities end users and get your share of the projected $23.4 billion IT spend.

Energy Market Topics Addressed:
•In-depth insight into the trends and directions, market pressures and issues driving today’s opportunities in the Energy and Utilities market
•Real case studies and activities to differentiate your company and your solution
•Best practices to deliver smarter Utility solutions to serve your customers better

For more information on the University from Avnet's Nicole Evans, Director of Energy Solutions, click here:
5-min Overview of EnergyPath University (On Demand Presentation)

REGISTER NOW!

See what your peers say about SolutionsPath Universities:

"It would have taken me months to gather all the knowledge that was laid out in just two and a half short days."

"It brought my vision for our business back into focus."

“Single best thing about the class? It brings a distinct, measurable, dependable process to identify and group more business."

“Did a great job relating real world experiences.”

Questions? Contact solutionspathtraining@avnet.com.

Jessica Truman / Marketing Project Leader / (210) 247-1313

Avnet’s acquisition of Ascendant Technology LLC, a leading international IT consulting firm that specializes in developing end-to-end IBM solutions, was completed on Monday, April 2, 2012. Sam Fatigato, former CEO of Ascendant Technology, is now vice president and general manager, Software Services, for Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. Ascendant generated revenue of approximately US$90 million in the 2011 calendar year and will be integrated into the operations of Avnet Technology Solutions.

“Avnet acquired Ascendant Technology for their advanced capabilities and expertise in delivering IBM software implementation services that are well positioned to help our partners profitably grow their businesses,” said Fred Cuen, senior vice president and general manager, IBM Solutions, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. “Our IBM partners can now immediately leverage this new alignment to expand their own end-to-end services, enhancing their customers’ satisfaction while maximizing new margin opportunities. Those opportunities include IBM’s Solution Accelerator Incentive, which pays a premium for selling IBM hardware and software together in a single transaction.”

As part of the integration, this week Avnet announced three new services offerings for the U.S. and Canada: Healthcare Provider Portal, Middleware Infrastructure Automation, and Social Business in the Cloud. These services, the first made available through the acquisition of Ascendant Technology, are designed to broaden partners’ capabilities, lower barriers to entry and accelerate complete data center solution sales for Avnet’s IBM channel partners.

Read the full Avnet press release: Avnet Technology Solutions Accelerates Solution Sales for IBM Partners with New Services Offerings in the U.S. and Canada.

For more information about any of these three new services offerings, email Avnet at IBMSWC@avnet.com or contact your Avnet account manager.

Maureen O'Leary / Director Communications / 480-794-6152

More than 300 retailers from all levels of industry operation, academicians and university students attended The University of Arizona, Terry J. Lundgren Global Retailing Conference held last week in Tucson, Ariz. This conference presented the best thinking from retail innovators whose strategies will determine tomorrow’s most successful industry trends.

This year’s event focused on customer engagement at every touch point in the retail process. The retail industry has adopted the term “OmniChannel” to describe the number of touch points in which retailers and brands reach consumers. In his keynote address, Terry Lundgren, CEO of Macy’s, addressed how Macy’s has invested millions of dollars in IT infrastructure to be able to implement their OmniChannel strategy. The goal is to provide a seamless retail image to customers across Web, store, social media and traditional marketing channels for the purpose of engaging customers and converting their interest to sales. Each channel influences the others. For example, Terry related that Macy’s Internet presence influences $5B annually in sales directly to stores.

Steve Church, Avnet, Inc. senior vice president and president of Avnet Integrated Resources, addressed participants as one of the keynote speakers and shared how Avnet’s focus on employee engagement and satisfaction has created a winning culture. Steve demonstrated graphically how this important culture mindset contributes to a company’s bottom line. During the two-day meetings, attendees were also able to see and interact with Avnet’s Brilliant Digital Signage display sponsored by Planar, a leader in digital display technology.

Erika Koepsel, Demand Generation Consultant, IBM for BlueSky Technology Partners, an Avnet partner, commented, “The Global Retailing Conference was an exceptional opportunity to learn about exciting trends in retail straight from the mouths of some of the most well-known industry veterans in the country. The intimate setting also provided the perfect opportunity to network with other attendees and speakers alike."

Interested in learning more about how you can take advantage of the growing IT opportunities in the retail market? Contact Joe Delgado, director of RetailPath™, to talk about the possibilities.

Joe Delgado / Director, RetailPath / (480) 818-5633

Rorke Data, an Avnet company and data storage solutions provider, has enabled the National Geographic Channel to optimize its post production video editing workflow by providing a cost-effective project management solution. Rorke Data worked with reseller partner, Human Circuit, to evaluate the complex workflow requirements of the National Geographic Channel. Together, they developed a streamlined solution which included Flavoursys’ Strawberry software for collaborative editing workflow and consulting services from Rorke Data to improve the efficiency and productivity of the National Geographic Channel’s video editing teams.

This is what Brad Hughes, systems engineer at the National Geographic Channel had to say about the outcome, “The solution developed and implemented by Rorke Data and Human Circuit is exceeding our expectations at every level. We first learned about Flavoursys’ Strawberry software at the NAB Show last year because Rorke Data was demonstrating the solution. We already have it up and running today because Rorke Data’s consulting services and support, including solution design, demonstration and testing capabilities in their lab, streamlined the implementation process. We received excellent support from Human Circuit’s technical staff and Flavoursys’ developers as well. We expect to see a significant long-term return on investment from this solution.”

To view a video of Brad Hughes from the National Geographic Channel discussing this Rorke Data solution, please visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfLxbiVoHkI.

Click on the link to read the full press release: Rorke Data Optimizes the National Geographic Channel’s Post Production Video Workflow.

To learn more about Rorke Data storage solutions, contact your Avnet or Rorke Data account manager or visit www.rorke.com.

Maureen O'Leary / Director Communications / 480-794-6152

Recently Avnet's Dave Hutchison, vice president, vertical market solutions for Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, was invited to participate on a panel at the ChannelPro-SMB Forum held in Orlando, FL to discuss opportunities Avnet sees for resellers focused on the small- to medium-sized business market to grow via vertical market specialization.

Dave is responsible for the strategic direction and growth of Avnet's vertical market segments and leads a team of experts who have a deep understanding of these vertical markets, plus thorough knowledge of how technology is deployed in each market. Dave and his team help solution providers accelerate their business through vertical market industry specialization.

During the panel discussion, Dave focused on three key vertical markets: energy, retail and finance. He concluded with eight tips on specialization for resellers.

ChannelPro-SMB posted a white paper based on the forum discussion. Click on the title to read the article: Where the Money Is in Vertical Industry Solutions.

Avnet provides solutions for partners across five high-growth vertical markets: healthcare, government/education, energy, retail and finance. For more information on ways Avnet can help accelerate your business in any of these vertical markets, talk to your Avnet account manager or contact Dave Hutchinson.

Maureen O'Leary / Director Communications / 480-794-6152

Rorke Data has expanded support for its reseller partners in the U.S. and Canada through its Select Partner Program. Rorke Data’s Select Partner Program is ideal for partners looking to expand into high-growth market opportunities. Designed to assist business partners in building new relationships and expanding their revenue streams, the Select Partner Program offers training, demand generation activities, demonstration equipment and co-branded marketing activities.

Resellers also benefit from access to Rorke Data’s professional services, ranging from data migration, installation, remote monitoring, data recovery and help desk services.

Rorke Data is at the forefront of data image management and continues to provide partners new and creative solutions for media and entertainment, healthcare, surveillance, print media and IT storage markets.

For more information, read the full press release about Rorke Data’s Select Partner Program or to receive an application, please visit http://rorke.com/partners/select-partner-program/ or contact your local Rorke Data or Avnet account manager.

Maureen O'Leary / Director Communications / 480-794-6152

Avnet announced this week that it has agreed to acquire Ascendant Technology LLC, a leading international IT consulting firm with operating units in North America, Europe, Brazil and India.

Ascendant Technology specializes in developing end-to-end IBM solutions that help organizations optimize their information technology investment and achieve business results.

"Avnet's acquisition of Ascendant Technology is expected to accelerate our global solutions distribution model," said Phil Gallagher, global president, Avnet Technology Solutions. "It supports our strategic focus on enhancing our services and software capabilities to drive growth for our suppliers and value-added resellers. Because of Ascendant's international footprint, Avnet's ability to identify new services and solution business opportunities for our partners will greatly expand."

Founded in 2003, Ascendant Technology has more than 500 business and technical professionals that help partners and clients design and deliver IT solutions that achieve business results in less time, with reduced risk and expense. The company generated revenue of approximately US $90 million in the 2011 calendar year.

To learn more, read the full Avnet press release: Avnet, Inc. Announces Agreement to Acquire Ascendant Technology or contact your local Avnet account manager.

Maureen O'Leary / Director Communications / 480-794-6152

Avnet provides our valued VMware resellers with a range of high-margin installation, implementation, and configuration services. Trained and certified by VMware, our engineers can add depth, versatility and experience to complement your professional services bench and to further enable you to provide holistic solutions to your customers.

Avnet VMware Jumpstart Services help your customers accelerate time to market, reduce deployment risk and maximize ROI as they adopt virtualization. Jumpstarts are available for most of the VMware product families and can be combined with other services from Avnet such as assessments, design services, pilots and training.

Featuring full VMware certification, Avnet’s Data Center Lifecycle Services team can deliver a comprehensive portfolio of Jumpstart Services for the VMware product line including―vSphere, View, ThinApp, vCenter Operation Management, vCloud and vCenter Site Recovery Manager. VMware Certified Professional Consultants conduct workshops, setup and configuration of components/technologies and provide knowledge transfer.

Contact us to learn how Avnet can help you provide value-added professional services to meet your customers’ virtualization infrastructure needs.

Kathy Schauer / Director, Solutions Marketing / (480) 794-6470

Your customers have made significant investments in virtualization technology. Leading with a value-added Health Check service, may be a strategy to re-engage with your virtualization installed-base to provide additional software and hardware.

This service is designed for those customers looking to:
• Improve their virtual machine performance
• Reduce application virtualization deployment time and costs
• Measure their business’ continuity risks
• Put proper sequencing in place for recovery
• Create a virtualization strategy

The Health Check identifies design and operational inefficiencies that impact the customer’s virtualized environment.

Customer benefits from this service include:
• Evaluation of the existing environment to ensure maximum impact
• Optimize virtualized infrastructure performance
• Maximize resources through efficiencies and roadmap for future improvements

Avnet Data Center Lifecycle Services provides a range of services for server, storage and desktop virtualization initiatives including assessments, design and implementation services, pilot programs, and certification training.

For more information, email us or visit the website and request more information.

Kathy Schauer / Director, Solutions Marketing / (480) 794-6470

Avnet, Inc. was named #1 for the fourth consecutive year in the Wholesaler: Office Equipment and Electronics category in Fortune magazine's annual "World's Most Admired Companies" list for 2012.

Avnet retained the top position overall in its category and ranked first in six reputation attributes including: people management, use of corporate assets, social responsibility, quality of management, financial soundness and global competitiveness.

"Avnet's solid performance in 2011 demonstrates the company's ability to help our customers and suppliers take advantage of growth opportunities around the globe," said Rick Hamada, chief executive officer of Avnet, Inc. "I am extremely proud of our team for receiving this recognition once again. Avnet's continued presence at the top of Fortune's list of Most Admired Companies is a testament to our employees' ability to deliver highly-valued and differentiated services that accelerate the success of the partners we serve."

Fortune's rankings, described as the "definitive report card on corporate reputations," are based on a survey of executives, directors and analysts who are asked to rate companies in their own industry on specific criteria from investment value to social responsibility. Only the best are listed -- a company's score must rank in the top half of its industry survey to be on the "most admired" list.

For more information, read the full Avnet press release here: Avnet Named "World's Most Admired Company" in Its Industry by Fortune for Fourth Consecutive Year; or to learn more about the Fortune list of "Most Admired Companies," visit http://www.fortune.com.

Maureen O'Leary / Director Communications / 480-794-6152

Avnet Technology Solutions is certified as a VMware Authorized Training Center (VATC) that prepares students to become VMware Certified Professionals (VCP) or enables them to continue their VMware technical education. Avnet provides certified instructors (VCIs) and the authorized curriculum from VMware. Classes are based on standards set by VMware and are available in partner-hosted private classes and public classes. Training services provide a great value proposition for your customers and a great margin opportunity for you.

Visit VMware Training to learn more.

Kathy Schauer / Director, Solutions Marketing / (480) 794-6470

Whether you need additional consultants on your staff, or your customers need an infusion of talent to their teams, Avnet Staff Augmentation Services can help by providing skilled personnel to work under the direction of you or your customer.

Avnet has the ability to provide personnel to help with technical implementation, software development, database management, software quality assurance and infrastructure and networking support. Our skilled technical professionals can help you and/or your end customers manage fluctuating skill needs, skill gaps and changing staffing requirements to meet aggressive project timelines. Avnet resources work with you onsite or remotely, and are certified in key technologies.

To learn more about Avnet Staff Augmentation Services click here, or email us at DataCenterLifecycleServices@avnet.com.

Kathy Schauer / Director, Solutions Marketing / (480) 794-6470

Cover each product sale with attached services to increase margins!

According to IDC*, “Short implementation time + Faster ROI will continue to drive demand for end-customer consulting services.” Avnet’s implementation services can help you get your customers up and running correctly and speed time to deployment—while increasing your margins.

For example, Avnet Implementation Services for NetApp offers you a 20 percent services margin when you attach services to each product sale. With this service, Avnet provides our partners:

• A comprehensive portfolio of NetApp installation, implementation and configuration services
• Fully certified NetApp engineers and consultants
• Expertise across the entire NetApp hardware line
• Easy services ordering using packaged offerings and SKU numbers
• Project managers to ensure fast, efficient and effective delivery of high-quality services

Avnet Data Center Lifecycle Services are designed to help you expand revenue-generating opportunities beyond the product sale. With our ever-broadening services portfolio, Avnet services span the full data center lifecycle — from planning, acquisition, and integration — to deployment, management, and asset disposition.

Let us help you fill technical, business or geographic gaps and broaden your services portfolio. For more information about Avnet implementation services and other Avnet services, please visit our website.

*IDC Predictions 2011: More Signs of Life in the Global Services Market Worldwide.

Kathy Schauer / Director, Solutions Marketing / (480) 794-6470