Avnet Hall-Mark SMB Initiative Creates Opportunities for IBM Solution Providers and Independent Software Vendors.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 18, 2003 Avnet Hall-Mark, the leading distributor of IBM (International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY, www.ibm.com) The world's largest computer company. IBM's product lines include the S/390 mainframes (zSeries), AS/400 midrange business systems (iSeries), RS/6000 workstations and servers (pSeries), Intel-based servers (xSeries) enterprise servers, storage, software and services, announced here today at IBM PartnerWorld 2003 a strategic initiative to align IBM Solution Providers with targeted Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), further extending IBM's go-to-market strategy into the small- and medium-sized business (SMB (1) (Small to Medium-sized Business) Also called "SME" (small to medium-sized enterprise), it refers to companies that are larger than the small office/home office (SOHO), but not huge. ) market. The initiative unites IBM's hardware and software offerings with strategic products from well-known ISVs and then maps the solution to the appropriate IBM Solution Providers. The initiative arms IBM Solution Providers with robust solutions that will allow them to extend their SMB reach and gain market share. The ISV (Independent Software Vendor) A person or company that develops software. It implies an organization that specializes in software only and is not part of a computer systems or hardware manufacturer. initiative incorporates several key elements, including: -- Definition and segmentation of resellers based on geography, IBM technology specialization, services capabilities and ISV focus -- One-to-one mapping of complementary resellers to ISVs in order to maximize opportunity, penetrate SMB white space and avoid overlap -- Custom initiatives leveraging technical expertise in complementary technologies such as Linux Avnet Hall-Mark's IBM Business Unit launched the initiative at the 2003 Linux Business Strategy Planning Session in January. The session was the first in a series and included more than 20 participants including leading ISVs and IBM Solution Providers. As a result of the session, several joint offerings are already underway. Ben Cherbonnier, president of value-added reseller A value-added reseller (VAR) is a company that adds some feature(s) to an existing product(s), then resells it (usually to end-users) as an integrated product or complete "turn-key" solution. CMA CMA - Concert Multithread Architecture from DEC. , said of Avnet Hall-Mark's ISV initiative, "Avnet Hall-Mark identified CRM (Customer Relationship Management) An integrated information system that is used to plan, schedule and control the presales and postsales activities in an organization. as a key market area for my company for the IBM iSeries products and brought us together with C2, which has greatly expanded my business opportunities. Avnet Hall-Mark provided all of the tools I needed to take advantage of the opportunity, including targeted lead generation programs and access to equipment that was used for demonstrations and benchmarking." ISVs optimize channel opportunities by taking advantage of Avnet Hall-Mark's marketing, financial and technical resources, plus its mastery of the IBM product line. Customized lead generation programs and marketplace research are also available to ISVs through the initiative to optimize market reach. "This initiative offers an exciting opportunity for eOne Group. Avnet Hall-Mark and its partners fit squarely in our strategy, increasing our coverage and bolstering our channel," said Dan Watson, president eOne Group, an ISV and developer of e-Business software solutions. Watson commented that the relationship is truly a win-win due to eOne Group's commitment to a channel program and Avnet's partners' desire for great software solutions. "We are very partner friendly, we offer a 'HOT Linux Solution' and don't compete with our partners. They deliver all of the hardware, operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. , middleware, databases and, if certified, the professional services (job) professional services - A department of a supplier providing consultancy and programming manpower for the supplier's products. ." "Our deep relationship with IBM, extensive channel experience and industry expertise make Avnet Hall-Mark uniquely qualified to bring ISV packages to Solution Providers in the SMB market See SMB. ," said Fred Cuen, senior vice president and general manager, IBM Business Unit, Avnet Hall-Mark. "We extend IBM's reach into the SMB market, while offering ISVs a simplified way to reach a significant portion of the mid-market channel." About Avnet Hall-Mark Headquartered in Tempe, Ariz., Avnet Hall-Mark is an industry-leading, value-added distributor of enterprise servers, storage, software and services, marketing exclusively to the reseller channel. Avnet Hall-Mark is a division of the $2.4 billion Avnet Computer Marketing operating group of Avnet Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AVT AVT avian arginine vasotocin. See vasotocin. ), the world's largest technology marketing, distribution and services company. Avnet's sales for fiscal 2002 (year ended June 28, 2002) were $8.9 billion. For more information about Avnet Hall-Mark, visit: www.hallmark.avnet.com. |
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