Avnet Partner Solutions, IBM Americas Exceeds Expectations During First Year of Enablement Services Partnership -ESP- Program.

SAN ANTONIO -- More than 25 ISVs find new routes to market with Avnet ESP 

Avnet Partner Solutions, IBM Americas, the leading value-added distributor of IBM enterprise computing products, storage, software and services, today announced that during its first year of operation, Avnet's Enablement Services Partnership (Avnet ESP) program is on the fast track to becoming a mainstream business. Since its inception, it has assisted 25 Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) in delivering their application solutions to the market.

Avnet's ESP program is a suite of services dedicated to helping ISVs and application developers design, integrate, market, finance, and sell custom IBM solutions. According to Scott Abbott, vice president of business development at Avnet Partner Solutions, IBM Americas, ESP helps generate IBM hardware sales for ISVs, producing incremental revenue streams that go beyond their primary application software business. Avnet ESP complements the ISV's applications, helping to enhance revenues, profitability, and overall success.

"We are exceeding our revenue and recruiting targets, and what makes that tremendous is we have only just scratched the surface," noted Abbott. "There are many ISVs with unique solutions who can benefit from Avnet's expertise in solution integration and deployment. Simply put, Avnet ESP enables our clients to focus on what they do best -- application development -- with less time and investment on their part to package and distribute the solution."

Abbott explains that ISVs find the ESP program compelling because many face challenges in mastering both the software and hardware sides of their business. This program allows ISVs to focus on their core competencies while Avnet completes the packaging of their solution to ensure that it is ready for delivery and installation, said Abbott.

Learning from the early success of the program, Avnet ESP has expanded its services to provide additional value to ISVs: Channel Management and Development. For those ISVs who have a limited go-to-market plan or are looking to develop a new channel, Avnet ESP can be put on retainer to develop a sales channel for their solution. According to Abbott, this unique offering has been embraced by ISVs and includes services such as market research, strategic consulting, education, awareness marketing, product branding and demand generation.

Maximum Availability Ltd. (www.maxava.com), an ISV headquartered in New Zealand, is one such firm that has leveraged Avnet ESP's channel development and marketing services to increase their revenues and expand their market share in the United States. Maximum Availability faced the challenge of reaching thousands of telecommunications, manufacturing, health and insurance companies across the United States with their *noMAX HA solution for the iSeries. With only a small worldwide sales force, Maximum Availability is able to reach more of these opportunities through partnerships facilitated by Avnet ESP.

"We can accomplish our goals more quickly and easily by leveraging Avnet's Channel Management program," said Simon O'Sullivan, senior vice president of sales at Maximum Availability. "We have utilized the program in a variety of ways, including partner recruiting, channel management, and demand generation.

"We deliver a superb international class product but are acutely aware of the tremendous benefits and importance of great local representation," he added. "Our relationship with Avnet and the partnerships we have developed with its IBM Solution Providers ensure that we are able to deliver the invaluable 'local connection' more effectively."

Other ISV partners look to Avnet ESP for assistance with integrating and distributing their solution, the more traditional aspects of logistics that are becoming increasingly complex. With Avnet ESP, Avnet works hand in hand with ISVs to build, test, integrate, install, and ship their solutions on IBM's eServer technology. Avnet's ISO-certified integration center plays a key role, and is specifically designed for the manufacturing and integration of customized computing solutions. In some cases, ISVs may also choose to utilize Avnet's Solution Design Services team or Avnet engineers to perform on-site implementation, testing and validation services.

"Thanks to Avnet ESP and their integration services, we have increased our margins, saved a significant amount in costs, and reduced our total cycle time from 32 days to just nine," said George Buchanan, director of purchasing, Misys Healthcare Systems.

Avnet ESP has assisted ISVs across all sectors, including life sciences, healthcare, digital media, banking, retail, manufacturing, and distribution.

About Avnet Partner Solutions

Headquartered in San Antonio, Avnet Partner Solutions, IBM Americas is the leading value-added distributor of IBM enterprise servers, storage, software and services, marketing exclusively to the reseller channel throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Avnet Partner Solutions, IBM Americas is part of the Avnet Technology Solutions operating group of Avnet Inc. Avnet (NYSE:AVT) enables success from the center of the technology industry, providing cost-effective services and solutions vital to a broad base of more than 100,000 customers and 250 suppliers. The company markets, distributes and adds value to a wide variety of electronic components, enterprise computer products and embedded subsystems. Through its premier market position, Avnet brings a breadth and depth of capabilities that help its trading partners accelerate growth and realize cost efficiencies. Avnet generated more than $10 billion in revenue in fiscal 2004 (year ended July 3, 2004) through sales in 68 countries. Visit www.avnet.com/.

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