Avnet: Opportunities Abound in the Government Space
Solution providers working in the government vertical know it can be feast or famine depending on the budget whims of those in charge. And navigating the sea of red tape and committees often found within the halls of government entities – from local town halls to federal buildings and even educational institutions – sometimes requires a trusty and skilled navigator.
Avnet Technology Solutions is hoping to help solution providers make sense of – and find success in – the government vertical. The distributor’s GovPath division provides a unique set of technology solutions and expertise within federal, state and local governments and the education market, providing its channel partner customers with the necessary tools and resources to identify and capitalize on market opportunities.
The term ‘government’ encompasses a number of different markets, each with its own unique characteristics, said Mike AtLee, national director of government & education at Avnet Technology Solutions. Understanding that and providing the correct resources for each of those markets is GovPath’s goal.
FastChat Video
AtLee explained the strategy in this FastChat Video:
“We’ve associated ourselves with a number of industry leaders in research and data – business analysts, if you will, in those particular markets – to identify opportunities and work with our partners,” AtLee said.
In the federal space, GovPath works with FedSources, a Washington, D.C.-based company that identifies federal opportunities for partners. For education-focused opportunities, GovPath has contracted with the Center for Digital Education. The Center for Digital Government, meanwhile, identifies state and local opportunities. “So we match talent to task and provide [them with that information], and we wrap that with a company called Carroll Publishing, which defines … exactly who you need to contact and how to get in touch with them.”
But identifying the opportunity is only part of GovPath’s commitment to its channel partner customers, AtLee said. “We start with planning – we sit down with partners and really plan an extensive model together based on where they are, what they do, what their core competencies are, their capabilities and what markets they are interested in. Then we run that through something we call SolutionsPath, which is really the ability to track something from the beginning to the end to make sure [partners] are closing and getting the business opportunity they need.”
SolutionsPath encompasses a number of tools, including SolutionsPath Playbooks, which highlight key supplier-neutral market opportunities as well as align leading suppliers' products and services to address key customer challenges and priorities; SolutionsPath Demo Center, which provides live remote demonstrations of key technology solutions featured in the Playbooks; SolutionsPath Demand Center, a plug-and-play tool that creates and deploys original demand-generation campaigns specifically geared toward end users in targeted markets; and SolutionsPath Services, professional and managed services including targeted assessment services and the sales and technical professionals to augment partners’ existing service offerings.
“It’s all about providing them with the expertise that’s required to win business in a complex market like the government,” AtLee said.
