Welcome to this week’s edition of Distribution Watch. We’ve got news from Arrow Electronics (ARW), SYNNEX Corp. (SNX) and Avnet (AVT) for you today.

Arrow: Arrow has partnered with Equinix to help resellers and managed service providers more easily and rapidly deploy hybrid cloud solutions. The pre-configured solutions are initially based on HPE hyper-converged systems, but Arrow says they are just the first in a series of solutions that will leverage Equinix Cloud Exchange this year. Arrow channel partners can quote, order and provision the new solutions through ArrowSphere, the distributor’s online marketplace.

“Managed hybrid cloud will be the key to channel partners’ success for the future,” said Steve Robinson, vice president of Arrow’s global cloud business. “The Equinix-Arrow hybrid cloud solution coupled with a direct connection to Microsoft Azure via Equinix Cloud Exchange gives our channel partners a robust, easy-to-consume solution that delivers a secure, high-performance hybrid cloud located in multiple markets around the globe.”

SYNNEX: SYNNEX announced that it will buy Bengaluru-based BPO firm Minacs for $420 million to integrate with Concentrix, its business services division. Concentrix focuses on customer experience, analytics, automation and process optimization, and Minacs will add $400 million to its revenue of $1.4 billion. One of the biggest benefits of the acquisition, said Concentrix president Chris Caldwell, is Minacs’ investments in Internet of Things (IoT) and marketing optimization technologies.

“We believe this acquisition will enhance Concentrix’ position as global leader in business services,” stated Kevin Murai, CEO and President of SYNNEX Corp. “This strategic investment is expected to create even greater scale and a more compelling value proposition for our clients and shareholders. This transaction is also in line with our stated goals of margin expansion and diversification of our revenue.”

Avnet: AT&T, Cisco and Avnet have formed a partnership to help developers create their own Internet of Things (IOT) projects. The IoT Starter Kit provides includes 4G connectivity, LTE hardware, application services, cloud storage and more. Developers will also have access to the IoT service platform from Cisco, including versions of the kit specifically designed for IBM Watson IoT and the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite, which also integrate with the platform.

“Developers are the ones driving innovation in the IoT industry,” said Chris Penrose, senior vice president, AT&T IoT Solutions. “Our new IoT Starter Kit creates a faster and easier way for them to create IoT solutions. We’re now offering a one-stop shop to help transform their ideas into impactful IoT services.”