January 23, 2010
By

D.H. Kass

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Avnet Technology Solutions, the distribution arm of Avnet Inc., said it is adding a new networking practice to its SolutionPath training and resources program to help its channel partners cultivate data center sales opportunities.

The distributor, which pegs the worldwide market for networking gear and services at more than $75 billion, said that the NetworkPath offering, which consists of tools, training and services, is designed to help channel partners address customer’s requirements in application delivery, security, wired and wireless LAN switching, routing and network management.

Avnet’s SolutionPath program consists of training and resources to help partners target specialized, high-growth markets. NetworkPath becomes the sixth practice in the SolutionPath portfolio, including curricula in government, healthcare, security, storage and virtualization.

“We developed the practice to help our partners broaden their expertise, while providing them with additional skills and tools needed to address their customers’ evolving requirements for solutions spanning the entire data center,” said Domenic Gianfrancesco, Avnet director of network solutions.

Gianfrancesco said that the data center presents significant opportunities for channel partners with knowledge of networking, storage, security and virtualization, capable of constructing integrated solutions from technology supplied by multiple vendors.

NetworkPath designed to help partners identify opportunities

Similar to the distributor’s other SolutionPaths, the NetworkPath includes training through NetworkPath University, networking analysis through NetworkPath Assessment Services and online sales toolkits through NetworkPath Playbooks.

Avnet said that channel partners selling into the data center can incorporate the distributor’s entire folder of technology and vertical market practices to sharpen their skills and expand their expertise.

One Avnet channel partner said that the NetworkPath program will help it to better identify the technology and services needs of its customer base.

“Avnet’s NetworkPath provides us with a way to quickly segment the networking solution needs of our target customer base, and zero in on those that are a good fit for our capabilities,” said Bill Calderwood, president of the Root Group, a 20-year old IT solution provider based in Boulder, CO.

Root sells products and services from Oracle, Sun Microsystems, Check Point Software, Cisco, VMware and others.

“We know that the practice will help us with the industry knowledge that allows us to develop and deliver cross-supplier networking solutions to our customers,” Calderwood said. “The end result is that we can improve efficiencies, mitigate risks and support business agility.”

TAGS: virtualization, Storage, networking, Avnet, channel partners

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