Avnet Expands Cloud Service Portfolio with SoftLayer
Avnet Technology Solutions has expanded its longstanding distribution relationship with IBM to include services from cloud infrastructure provider SoftLayer. Avnet (AVT) says the new distribution agreement for North American channel partners will allow it to help resellers develop their cloud portfolios with a new range of IBM middleware and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions.
Avnet Technology Solutions has expanded its long-standing distribution relationship with IBM to include services from cloud infrastructure provider SoftLayer. Avnet (AVT) says the new distribution agreement for North American channel partners will allow it to help resellers develop their cloud portfolios with a new range of IBM middleware and software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions.
“Avnet and IBM share a common passion for investing in market opportunities, such as the cloud, that will help business partners and their customers evolve to better meet the needs of an ever-changing world,” said Fred Cuen, senior vice president, general manager, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, IBM Solutions group, in a prepared statement. “Avnet is uniquely positioned to help business partners create, identify and capture SoftLayer opportunities based on our development of channel-friendly cloud offerings, and deep expertise in IBM software and technologies.”
With its access to the SoftLayer product suite, Avnet said it will be able to enhance its own portfolio and gain access to the SoftLayer network architecture, which will allow partners to optimize global performance for their customers using a private network.
IBM acquired SoftLayer last year, and has since utilized the company’s services to grow its own cloud-based portfolio. The expanded distribution agreement with Avnet is the latest development in IBM’s nearly 30-year relationship with the company.
“Avnet has a proven track record in developing integrated, packaged cloud offerings that are designed around the specific needs of the channel, which will accelerate IBM business partners’ ability to bring our solutions to customers,” said Lance Crosby, chief executive officer at SoftLayer. “Also, Avnet’s market education efforts related to the cloud have created a highly skilled business partner community that understands the nuances of cloud initiatives and implementations, and will be able to expertly guide our customers through deployments of our cloud infrastructure solutions.”
IBM has been investing heavily in its cloud-based ventures, pledging $1.2 billion earlier this year to build 15 new data centers worldwide to expand its SoftLayer cloud services into additional markets. The company also launched a new option for building hybrid clouds with SoftLayer with the release of its IBM Platform Computing Cloud Service in February. The revised distribution deal with Avnet is one more move to capitalize on the many opportunities available in the world of cloud computing.
