Avnet Partner Solutions Expands North America Reach with EMC in Canada.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Avnet Partner Solutions, a division of Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT) and a value-added distributor of enterprise servers, storage, software and services, today announced the expansion of its distribution initiative with EMC Corp. to extend the reach of both companies in the Canadian marketplace.

Based in Mississauga, Ontario, Avnet Partner Solutions, Canada will now market a broad range of EMC's industry-leading information storage and management products. EMC's products help customers align their IT infrastructures with the changing value of their information over time, ultimately resulting in the ability to extract the most value from their information at the lowest cost. Avnet will leverage these products to the Canadian teams through its existing value-added services such as its marketing and technical expertise, customizable financial programs, streamlined order processing systems, storage environment assessments and via its Web-based demonstration tool, Demo Advantage.

"Avnet Partner Solutions has been selling in Canada for years and has a very experienced sales and support team," said Gavin Miller, vice president and general manager, Avnet Partner Solutions, Canada. "No doubt, our team will rapidly embrace EMC's offerings and strengthen the portfolio of products and services currently being offered to our customers. This expansion represents a strategic move on the part of both of our companies, and I look forward to growing EMC's presence in Canada through our current partner base and the addition of many new partners."

In support of this expanded partnership, Avnet will be offering at its headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., an EMC Accreditation Boot Camp. Scheduled on a quarterly basis, the Boot Camps are exclusive to Avnet partners and have been very successful at fast tracking resellers with the required EMC accreditations. This increased knowledge enables partners to not only provide better service, but also drive a higher level of satisfaction for their customers.

"The value that Avnet brings by connecting its resellers together through Boot Camps is immeasurable," said David Botterill, director, Business Development, Metafore Corp. "For a nominal investment of time, we are able to gain considerable insight and understanding of Avnet's product offerings and solutions, reducing our time to market and accelerating our overall sales cycle."

"We are very pleased with the success we have had with Avnet Partner Solutions in the United States, and we see an opportunity to capture additional market share by expanding our distribution initiative to the Canadian territories," said Gregg Ambulos, vice president, Global Channels, EMC Corp. "We are confident that Avnet's world-class logistical, technical and financial services will help us to quickly extend our reach into this market."

About Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas

Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas is an industry-leading, value-added distributor and provider of enterprise servers, storage, software and services, with operations in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Avnet Partner Solutions provides solutions from industry-leading manufacturers including Computer Associates, EMC, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Network Appliance, Oracle, StorageTek and VERITAS -- driving growth for partners and manufacturers. Avnet Partner Solutions is a division of the Avnet Technology Solutions operating group of Avnet Inc. For more information, visit: www.aps.avnet.com.

Avnet Inc. 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. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

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