http://ats.avnetadvantage.com en-us Fri, 10 Sep 2010 11:54:00 -0700 http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/3367/ Sun, 15 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Social Media and the Enterprise • Three Questions – Virtualization Trends with VMware • Standardization & Simplification = Increased ROI and Profitability (Avnet + Oracle) • Channel Insights: Getting CloudReady™ Want more? Within Avnet OnDemand, you are able to search for the topics that interest you most, including by components, computing solutions, Avnet offerings or training. Avnet is committed to offering you the videos and content that is specific to expanding and growing your business. If you want to become the next feature, call 1-800-518-9229 for more information.]]> Julia Wiltshire http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/3153/ Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Avnet Ink Online, we wanted to make sure you’ve read the latest news coverage. Before we take you there, you may be asking, “How does this grow my business?” By knowing all the “happenings” in the channel, as well as within Avnet, you are one step ahead of your competitors by being more knowledgeable of the available technology solutions that will address your end users’ challenges. Additionally, with your increased understanding, you become the “go to” channel and solutions expert. Presented in a quick-to-read, bi-weekly e-newsletter, and sourced from a variety of Web publications, Avnet Ink Online is THE source for all your global Avnet news. Check out what’s been happening. Press release: Avnet, Inc. Closes Tender Offer for Unidux, Inc. Press release: Avnet, Inc. Announces Change in Control Notification for Bell Microproducts, Inc. Press release: Avnet, Inc. Schedules Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2010 Earnings Announcement Press release: Technology Videos on Avnet OnDemand Feature Industry Analysts and Market Trends Press release: Avnet Technology Solutions Promotes Hurst to Global Supplier Management Press release: Avnet Technology Solutions Expands Its Vertical Market Strategy Press release: Avnet Technology Solutions Partner Summit 2010 Helps Resellers Strengthen Their Solutions Selling Capabilities News coverage: Avnet acquisitions build Latin American business As seen in CRN Canada--With the simultaneous acquisitions of Bell Microproducts and Tallard Technologies, Avnet has overnight found itself in a position of strength in the growing Latin American market. News coverage: Avnet Promotes Solutions Selling to Channel Partners As seen in ITChannelPlanet--Avnet Technology Solutions, the distribution arm of Avnet Inc., has published a white paper investigating market conditions driving channel partners toward solutions selling, suggesting that resellers re-frame their businesses to operate more as trusted advisors to their customers. News coverage: Avnet Technology Solutions Promotes Mike Hurst To VP, Global Supplier Business Executive - Quick Facts As seen in RTTNews--Avnet Technology Solutions has promoted Mike Hurst to vice president, global supplier business executive, focused on Avnet'sOracle relationship worldwide. News coverage: Avnet Adds VP As seen in Techrockies.com--Tempe, Arizona-based Avnet Technology Solutions has named Michael Houghton as Vice President of Vertical Market Solutions. News coverage: Avnet Expands Vertical Market Strategy As seen in The VAR Guy--On the eve of its partner conference in Colorado, Avnet Technology Solutions is digging deeper into vertical markets - promoting data center expertise in banking, energy, utilities and retail industries. News coverage: Avnet Technology to Host Solutions Partner Summit 2010 As seen in Trademarkets.com--Avnet Technology Solution will host approximately 450 technology channel industry leaders at its Avnet Technology Solutions Partner Summit 2010 sponsored by Oracle, Cisco, Hitachi Data Systems and Symantec. News coverage: Client Solutions rebrands as Avnet to reflect new ownership As seen in Silicon Republic Ireland--Client Solutions, an IT services company, has been rebranded Avnet Client Solutions to reflect its new ownership. Its parent company, Horizon Technology Group, was bought by Avnet TS in 2008. Be the go-to expert on the hottest technology industry news! Click and read the latest Avnet Ink Online edition. For full Avnet press coverage, point your browser to http://www.avnet.com/news/.]]> Julia Wiltshire http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/3151/ Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:00:00 -0700 SolutionsPath® methodology from our highly successful HealthPath® and GovPath® vertical market offerings and expanding it into the high growth markets of banking, energy/utilities and retail,” said Tony Vottima. “We believe our strategy of enabling value-added reseller specialization will yield continued high-growth results for our partners as it has for the past four years. Our goal is to continue to improve the capabilities of our partners and help them leverage those skills to solve the IT problems facing their customers. We want to enable them to become trusted advisors so they can address all their customers’ IT needs by having the vertical market expertise that sets them above their competition.” Avnet is making strategic investments in support of these three new vertical markets, and the practices will be formally launched by the end of this year. Avnet hired Mike to oversee the development of these new specialized SolutionsPath practices. He joins Avnet from Direct Alliance Corp., a business process outsourcing provider that serves Fortune 500 clients across a variety of industries. Read the entire press release here. ]]> Maureen O'Leary http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/2851/ Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 SMARTracker™, Avnet’s lead tracking system, provides you with a competitive edge when it comes to managing hot leads. To improve your SMARTracker experience, while helping you target and close profitable leads more effectively, the Demand Creation team recently made some significant enhancements to SMARTracker. Strengthen your edge with SMARTracker • Clarify and navigate lead status quickly – Accept or Decline: New lead acceptance status options quickly identify accepted or declined leads. If a lead is declined, a reason is required that then helps the Demand Creation team determine lead quality, which helps you to recognized your return on marketing investment (ROI). • Drive conversation: System-generated e-mails alert you,your solutions sales representative (SSR), and your field sales representative to each new leads based on the acceptance or decline of a lead. This e-mail notification, as well as the 7-day reminder, enables sales teams to follow-up with partners quickly. • Improve navigation: A new online help feature has been added so you can find out about the meaning and characteristics of a field by clicking on the designated “information” (i) icon. By leveraging these enhancements, you are able to focus your time on higher-quality leads, which increases productivity and the likelihood of lead conversion. If you need campaign history or additional support, log in to AvnetPartnerSphere.com, which also including valuable marketing and business insight. The Demand Creation team is committed to helping you boost closure rates. If you need more information on SMARTracker, review the SMARTracker Enhancements Overview and see how these simple improvements can help you target the most profitable leads. If you need a SMARTracker refresher, take a moment to watch the interactive Channel Connection SMARTracker Overview—the key to learning more about how you can track and close leads faster to accelerate your business’s growth • Click here to view the SMARTracker enhancements overview Contact your account development manager, field marketing manager or me, Johanna Hauck, manager, Demand Creation, with any further questions.]]> Johanna Hauck http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/2797/ Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Source: Worldwide Ethernet Switch 2010-2014 Forecast, Lucinda Bororvick, Petr Jirovsky, Abner Germanow January 2010 Many of the applications, initiatives, and business continuity and service level requirements are driving 10GbE growth. These applications and initiatives put incredible demands on the network and can cause congestion throughout the network, especially in the data center. 10GbE functionality can provide immediate performance benefits and safeguard a company’s investment making it a justifiable choice for IT professionals as they evaluate network architectures. Because Ethernet is so prevalent within the enterprise, 10GbE works well in data centers as it easily maps into existing networks and is able to reduce bottlenecks and latency issues. As companies consolidate servers and introduce virtualization, IT professionals can easily migrate to 10GbE which has the capacity to support the ever-increasing amounts of data traveling over the network. In the role as trusted advisor, resellers can make sure that their customers have a solid understanding of their own network environment and help determine the different technology options available to them. By providing a comprehensive assessment of their customers’ current and future network infrastructure needs, resellers can add immense value by helping end users develop a sound network infrastructure strategy, enabling them to reap the benefits of 10GbE for years to come. NetworkPath™ If you would like to learn more about how 10GbE fits into the data center, take a look at the Data Center Switching Segment in our NetworkPath™ Playbook. Avnet also offers Network Assessment Services which partners can utilize to augment their professional services organization; or provide services on their behalf while they ramp their services capabilities. Extended information regarding Avnet Services is available to Avnet partners only; an Avnet ID (Channel Connection™ login) is required. Not an Avnet partner? Click here. Click here if you are interested in learning more about Avnet’s SolutionsPath® services offerings. Call Domenic at 1-303-545-1251 E-mail Domenic Learn more about SolutionsPath: http://www.ats.avnet.com/solutions/ ]]> Dom Gianfrancesco http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/2665/ Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 View Transcript | View Overview | Return to Channel Insights Watch Michael Mattal, VirtualPath™ practice leader as he shares how SolutionsPath Advisor™ helped eSafe Technologies build new business and a successful new supplier relationship in less than two months. RUN TIME: 3:37 View Transcript | View Overview |Return to Channel Insights ]]> Janae Limongelli http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/2470/ Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700 solutions that provide your clients with true competitive advantage. What constitutes a “solution?” Avnet defines a solution as a combination of software, services, hardware and intellectual property (IP)—particularly our partners’ IP—that solves a business problem. I don’t believe anyone in the storage business wakes up one morning with a burning desire to buy a shiny new, denser and cheaper disk drive. More likely, they’ve been awake half the night worrying about whether or not the “recovery” in their backup recovery system will work when needed, not to mention also meeting service level agreements, complying with governance policies, staying within budgets, and of course security… oh, and what about this Cloud stuff? Those are the types of business issues that keep customers up at night and that our partners need to solve for them. The fact is, software is often at the center of the solution, and services are the key to uncovering and implementing that solution. Thus we all need to focus on the big picture: selling the right SOLUTION for each customer’s business needs! I believe we can expect some modest growth during the next several years in hardware, software and services. According to both Gartner and IDC, the storage hardware market is approximately $11.5B in North America. Would it surprise you to learn that the software and professional services markets represent another 19.1B¹? That’s correct! The hardware portion represents only 38 percent of the available market. In spite of this evidence, the data suggests that many VARs still focus only on selling the next monster system. Let’s ponder a scenario for a moment. Even though we don’t know the margin, here's a common product mix. An average $20M reseller would sell about 40% hardware, 25% software and 35% in professional services. (I know resellers must hit hardware targets for rebates, but bear with me for a moment.) Now imagine some modest growth in hardware, but greater growth in software and professional services. Perhaps our $20M reseller now sells about 20% hardware, 35% software and 45% professional services. Even with modest margins, say 10%, 15% and 30% respectively, the math is compelling, especially if you’re the kind of person whose head would turn for “500 Large!” Intrigued? Here are a couple of ideas. Efficiency is going to be paramount for the next couple of years. Just like you, your customers are not buying more storage unless “their garage” is cleaned out. Professional services opportunities abound in storage, virtualization, consolidation, de-duplication, etc. which, according to IDC, will be a key focus for the next several years. These are all prerequisites to landing the next big storage project. Speaking of virtualization, have you been implementing server virtualization for the past couple of years? Now is the time to go back to optimize your client’s storage infrastructure for their environment. You’ll find a plethora of professional services opportunities from assessments to implementation. According to Camberley Bates, managing director of Evaluator Group, “Server virtualization changes the full gamut of storage processes, from deployment to data protection to migration. If you are not assessing the change to your customer’s environment when you virtualize servers you are missing a key area for data center optimization and cost savings.” At Avnet, we find storage optimization can mean getting more efficient with tiers, implementing SSD to enable database deployments with virtual servers, or getting rid of duplicate data. These are just some of the strategies that can be justified when you take a solutions approach to assessing a customers’ environment. Also, don't forget archiving—and not just e-mail archiving. Think in terms of file-based storage and unstructured data. A solution for healthcare, such as vendor neutral archiving, is but one example. If you haven’t already, ask your team for your latest product mix data. To win the storage solutions game you are going to have to attack your growth and profitability goals on several fronts - selling solutions will drive greater revenue, opportunity, margin and entanglement. There are many ways to accelerate your plays, but let me suggest the quickest and most cost effective: take advantage of Avnet’s SolutionsPath™ methodology. Call your Avnet account representative today and ask to take a look at our SolutionsPath Advisor™ and SolutionsPath Services offerings. We’ll help you determine where the hot opportunities are for your market and how to capture them faster. Perhaps that next “half mill sale” will be yours for the taking. Good selling! Kim Hofmann Director, Storage Solutions Practice Avnet Technology Solutions P.S. OK, I admit it. It’s not all about storage. It’s really about the data center. Check out our other technology practices—VirtualPath™, SecurePath™, and NetworkPath™. Also check out our hot vertical practices—GovPath™ and HealthPath™. Kim Hofmann can be reached at kim.hofmann@avnet.com. Evaluator Group is an IT storage analysis organization specializing in data storage technologies. Camberley can be reached at camberley@evaluatorgroup.com. 1. Source: Blend of IDC & Gartner Forecast: July 2009; IDC Worldwide Services 2009-2013 Forecast/Making the Most of the Economic Crisis; April 2009. ]]> Kim Hofmann http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/2031/ Mon, 10 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700 CloudReady Executive Education Avnet offers a three-part virtual training series to help partner executives become business-ready for the Cloud. It will provide you with knowledge of the cloud computing market and the critical skills needed to successfully enter the market, sell and deliver cloud services. More information on times and dates will follow soon. Cloud Financing Solutions Typically, partner business models are based on large upfront revenue from on-premise deployments. Shifting to the annuity revenue model that cloud services are based on initially may present financial challenges. Avnet offers you flexible financing solutions tailored to your unique business needs, providing you with the support needed to adjust your business model and align with cloud-based revenue streams. SolutionsPath Professional Services To assist partners in pursuing the cloud computing market, Avnet has developed new professional SolutionsPath™ Services that enable you to support the sale of cloud solutions. These services allow you to assess your customers’ environments through cloud readiness and computing workload assessments; design (or evaluate) cloud solutions with assistance from Avnet’s solutions architects; implement integrated cloud solutions; and manage customers’ IT environments that move to the cloud. You can sell these services to your customers immediately, while establishing your long-term investment strategy in building your cloud capabilities and technical bench strength. Cloud Computing Solutions Partners can target high-growth market opportunities that center on Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud solutions through a combination of public, private and hybrid delivery options. Tied to the SolutionsPath technology and vertical market practices, these cloud services are channel-ready and delivered in collaboration with Avnet’s partners. CloudReady can help you understand the market opportunities and challenges associated with cloud computing, as well as realize the benefits of a recurring revenue model by enhancing your cloud computing capabilities. Learn more at Ready Resources. Navigate the rapidly changing cloud market today by contacting your Avnet sales representative or solutionspathservices@avnet.com.]]> Dan Allaby http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1987/ Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700 press release. To learn more about how you can start or improve your healthcare business visit Avnet HealthPath. ]]> Sophie Lheritier http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1927/ Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700 AvnetOnDemand and watch Avnet CFO Ray Sadowski as he talks about Avnet’s corporate commitment to the environment, including steps already taken to reduce energy consumption and support recycling. ]]> Julia Wiltshire http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1838/ Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Chris Swahn http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1833/ Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Jolea Kidd http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1742/ Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700 SolutionsPath Advisor™—helped virtualization solutions provider, E-Safe Technologies, accelerate success by identifying and enabling expansion into a new solution domain through targeted alignments with key Avnet resources and a new supplier partner—Akorri. In less than two months, the resulting recommendations of this innovative offering yielded new market opportunities, a clear and cost-effective strategic road map to long-term, sustainable growth and a lucrative new business win for both E-Safe and Akorri. Click here to download the full success story. Want more? Avnet VirtualPath™ Practice Leader, Michael Mattal recently spoke about E-Safe’s road map to success. Watch the video to hear the details on this new business from Michael!]]> Kimberly Jaeger http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1787/ Mon, 05 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700 AvnetAdvantage on Twitter. AvnetAdvantage is the source for the fastest and most relevant industry information and trends. ]]> Julia Wiltshire http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1726/ Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700 SecurePath™ Partner Success with Martin Koren, Solutions Practice Director, Security Learn how a partner leveraged SecurePath’s professional services to augment its solution portfolio and partnered with Avnet to generate leads and enhance customer confidence. FORMAT: Flash Video, RUN TIME: 4:29 View Transcript]]> Janae Limongelli http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1725/ Fri, 26 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Getting CloudReady™ with Tony Vottima, Sr. VP, TS Solutions Marketing and Development Are you curious about the Cloud? Explore the “who, what, where, when and why” of this emerging technology, as well as “how” our CloudReady™ initiative can help you gain fast traction and sustainable success in this lucrative space. FORMAT: Flash Video, RUN TIME: 4:55 View Transcript]]> Janae Limongelli http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/2593/ Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Click here to view upcoming training sessions. To schedule a training session, send your request or other questions to channelconnection.champion@avnet.com.]]> Jose Florez http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1568/ Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Chris Swahn http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1402/ Tue, 02 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Dan Allaby http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1374/ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0700 Industry Glossaries]]> Chris Anding http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1329/ Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0700 NetworkPath Web Site NetworkPath Resource Library NetworkPath Brochure]]> Kimberly Jaeger http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1178/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Chris Anding http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1177/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Sophie Lheritier http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1174/ Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0700 The HealthPath™ Learning Center is a robust information collection available to our HealthPath partners. The purpose of this site is to provide our partners with a consolidated learning environment to keep you informed on the latest healthcare industry news, technology trends and customer needs. Equipped with this knowledge, you can be more successful selling to the healthcare segment. ]]> Sophie Lheritier http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1176/ Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Canadian Perspectives (PDF)]]> Sophie Lheritier http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1175/ Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Acronyms of the Month (Oct 2009) Master Acronym List]]> Sophie Lheritier http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1084/ Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0700 View Transcript | Return to Channel Insights ]]> Janae Limongelli http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1041/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700 View Transcript | Return to Channel Insights ]]> Janae Limongelli http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/1036/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Avnet's Channel Insights series provides a glimpse into the latest channel trends, along with tips to apply them to your business. Each release features insights from industry experts and real-life partner success stories to help you better understand the growth potential of today's hot markets.]]> Janae Limongelli http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/257/ Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Mobility Web Site Mobility Store]]> Chris Anding http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/475/ Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Avnet SolutionsPath® is our partner enablement strategy, designed to power your company with the means and the ability to expand your capacity, your capabilities and the markets you serve. Being educated about growth opportunities, the business drivers behind them and how to deliver the most business value to clients is key. But Avnet doesn’t stop there. We provide an array of tools, services and educational offerings that can bring your vision for growth to life. Learning is a lifelong endeavor. Converting knowledge to profit is what you get with Avnet SolutionsPath.]]> Nicole Freeman http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/592/ Thu, 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Embedded Solutions Web Site Embedded Solutions Line Card Embedded Solutions Services Embedded Computing Systems Embedded Matrix]]> Chris Anding http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/298/ Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 SolutionsPath® Playbooks lately? Designed for reseller partners in North America, these online Playbooks serve as comprehensive, time-saving reference guides on how to solve specific customer challenges. Since launching last year, the Playbooks have evolved and are now easier to use and packed with even more powerful solutions content. These in-depth sales toolkits group offerings from key suppliers into detailed solutions, backed by a library of supporting tools and resources. They are designed to help partners prepare for sales calls, determine what types of solutions are available from suppliers. Partners and analysts alike are praising the SolutionsPath Playbooks as a "very real and tangible focus on solutions selling." Read more about analyst reactions by clicking here.]]> Colin Blair http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/345/ Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 SolutionsPath Playbook Web Site SolutionsPath Playbooks TutorialSolutionsPath Playbooks Datasheet]]> Chris Anding http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/338/ Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 GovPath Web Site GovPath Resource Library GovPath Brochure GovPath University GovPath Videos GovPath Flash Presentation]]> Chris Anding http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/339/ Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 HealthPath Web Site HealthPath Resource Library HealthPath Brochure HealthPath University HealthPath Videos HealthPath Flash Presentation]]> Chris Anding http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/260/ Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Supplier Listings and Descriptions Americas Line Card (PDF) Avnet Advantage Portals: Cisco | HP | IBM | Sun | Avnet TIS]]> Dennis O'Connell http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/259/ Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 StoragePath Web Site StoragePath Resource Library StoragePath Brochure StoragePath University StoragePath Videos]]> Shannon Cronin http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/258/ Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 Unified Communications Web Site]]> Chris Anding http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/251/ Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 StoragePath Web Site StoragePath Resource Library StoragePath Brochure]]> Kathy Schauer http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/252/ Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 SecurePath Web Site SecurePath Resource Library SecurePath Brochure SecurePath University]]> Shannon Cronin http://ats.avnetadvantage.com/article/246/ Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700 VirtualPath Web Site VirtualPath Resource Center VirtualPath Brochure VirtualPath University VirtualPath Videos VirtualPath Flash]]> Shannon Cronin