Distribution Watch: Arrow Electronics, Ingram Micro

Happy Thursday, Distribution Watchers! This week we’re showcasing the latest news from Arrow Electronics (ARW) and Ingram Micro (IM).

Arrow: Arrow Electronics will distribute a new line of hyper-converged solutions created by Lenovo and StorMagic that are designed for remote office/branch office markets.

The solutions will utilize Lenovo’s enterprise servers coupled with StorMagic’s SvSAN software-defined storage platform, and will be marketed as cost-effective and highly available environments for retail, banking, education and hospitality customers with multi-site offices, according to the announcement.

The joint solution, which includes a two-server configuration, is available now for partners in North America starting at $5,000. 

Ingram Micro: Ingram Micro has expanded the availability of its Microsoft Advisor to Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider conversion plan to 13 countries, including Italy, France, Spain and the United Kingdom, among others. The plan, which was previously only available in North America and Mexico, allows channel partners to convert their Office 365 Advisor subscriptions to the CSP program via the Ingram Micro Cloud Marketplace.

Ingram Micro said there is no penalty for channel partners who wish to switch from the Advisor program to the CSP program. The CSP program also allows resellers to maintain control of the pricing, billing and support for Office 365, so they retain ownership rights over the service, according to the announcement.

"Channel partners who have direct control of their client relationships, have higher retention and greater opportunity for attached services," said Phil Sorgen, corporate vice president of Worldwide Partner Group at Microsoft. "By migrating from Microsoft Advisor to CSP, channel partners can take full control of the advantages of Microsoft Cloud Solutions." 

That’s all for this week, but make sure to stop by next time for more great distribution-centric news. And, as always, keep on distributing.