Ingram Micro Buys Cloud Harmonics, Adds Palo Alto's Security Platform

**Editor’s Note: Please click here for a recap of the biggest channel-impacting merger and acquisition news from September and October.**

Ingram Micro is acquiring Cloud Harmonics, a distributor in U.S. and Canada that provides education, engagement and enablement capabilities to increase the adoption of next-gen cybersecurity, software-defined data center and cloud technologies.

The deal boosts Ingram Micro’s ability to accelerate the security sales cycle and establish the distributor’s solution-provider partners as trusted security advisers, the company said. It also adds Palo Alto Networks’ next-generation security platform to the distributor’s line card in the U.S. and Canada.

Ingram Micro’s Paul Bay

“This acquisition complements our strategic business objective to provide our customers with new opportunities to expand their businesses in high-growth, high-margin markets, such as cybersecurity,” said Paul Bay, executive vice president and group president of the Americas, Ingram Micro. “The addition of Cloud Harmonics adds to our services capabilities, enabling us to provide our partners with hands-on experience and access to the technology, services and enablement needed to establish themselves as trusted security advisers. We are excited to welcome Cloud Harmonics to the Ingram Micro family.”

Cloud Harmonics will operate as a unit of Ingram Micro’s Advanced Solutions division. Tim Ament, senior vice president at Ingram Micro’ and Pradeep Aswani, Cloud Harmonics’ founder and former CEO, will work together. Aswani’s new role at Ingram Micro will be general manager of Advanced Solutions. He will oversee Cloud Harmonics’ team of sales and technical associates based in San Jose, California, and Austin, Texas.

Ingram Micro highlighted cybersecurity and a series of related goals at its 2017 Cloud Summit.

“While most view cybersecurity as something directly connected to business needs, we want to explore a new perspective: one that views cybersecurity as a goal in and of itself. As it stands now, it seems that too many organizations are missing the mark,” the company wrote in a blog.

The five basic lessons everyone should know when developing and implementing a cybersecurity plan: Start with the business (and its risks); develop a step-by-step security road map with clear goals; cover the basics before implementing more advanced security solutions; build the right partnerships — cooperation between IT security professionals is essential; and get everyone involved — it’s the only road to success.