Avnet Unveils Next-Generation Cloud Marketplace

Provides a comprehensive platform that spans the entire cloud ecosystem, providing a way to easily buy, bill, manage and optimize cloud services in the U.S. and Canada

PHOENIX--()--Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a leading global technology distributor, today launched Avnet Cloud Marketplace. This one-stop shop offers comprehensive solutions from leading cloud service providers, flexible payment models and a powerful cloud management toolset. Unique within the IT distribution industry, the Avnet Cloud Marketplace provides the ability for partners in the U.S. and Canada to offer cloud-based services to their customers through both consumption- and subscription-based models and create branded storefronts to offer complete solutions to their customers.

“IDC believes that the majority of CIOs are moving to a cloud-first strategy when investing in new technology, which means that all the value-added resellers (VARs), independent software vendors (ISVs), managed service providers (MSPs) and other solution providers out there have to adopt a cloud-first strategy also,” said Darren Bibby, vice president, Channels and Alliances Research, IDC. “Avnet’s Cloud Marketplace offers partners options when it comes to the deployment of cloud solutions with both consumption- and subscription-based models, letting partners select what may be right for their customers.”

The Avnet Cloud Marketplace is the latest evolution in Avnet’s deep in-house cloud capabilities. It was designed based on Avnet’s expert insights gained through its role in deploying more than 900,000 workloads in the cloud in the past two years alone across a range of public, private and hybrid cloud environments.

As a result, the Avnet Cloud Marketplace features functionality for all levels of the cloud ecosystem, including VARs, ISVs, MSPs, systems integrators (SI), technology manufacturers and end users. It provides the ability to architect and manage cloud solutions, while still enabling rapid deployment by maintaining a connection to cloud providers for real-time provisioning and billing. VARs, ISVs and MSPs will additionally benefit from the opportunity to create branded storefronts though the Avnet Cloud Marketplace. This will allow them to quickly and cost-effectively expand their offerings, transforming them into the single-source cloud provider and the trusted advisor customers are asking for.

“Services-based delivery is rapidly impacting the way businesses consume technology, and channel partners must be able to develop and implement cloud strategies with ease to ensure their long-term viability,” said Sergio Farache, senior vice president of Avnet’s Solutions and Strategy business unit in the Americas. “The Avnet Cloud Marketplace is the latest example of how Avnet is helping our partners capitalize on next-generation technologies as they evolve to ensure their own long-term success in the rapidly changing technology market.”

Tim FitzGerald, vice president of Avnet’s Cloud Solutions business in the Americas, continued, “We developed the Avnet Cloud Marketplace to take our channel partners to new heights in the cloud computing market. They now have access to a single resource to easily offer their customers a selection of industry-leading services and providers, the ability to incorporate them into existing infrastructure, and seamless management and optimization of multiple cloud services for maximum efficiency. These capabilities, coupled with the ability to create branded storefronts, perfectly positions our partners to meet their customers’ needs.”

The Avnet Cloud Marketplace is based on Avnet’s digital distribution strategy, which focuses on providing a combination of digital tools, processes and services that simplify the cloud and services provisioning, and operational and financial requirements, while reducing costs and providing scale throughout the entire cloud ecosystem.

“Our customers are turning to the cloud because of its potential to help them overcome rising IT costs and address growing data center demands; however, to achieve this promise, our customers need to be able to purchase and implement cloud solutions quickly and easily,” said Todd Gallina, vice president of marketing for Trace3, a technology solutions provider and an Avnet partner. “With the introduction of its new cloud marketplace and its branded storefront capabilities, Avnet is empowering us to become a single-source cloud provider. Our customers will be able to turn to us for complete cloud solutions that they can purchase when and how they want while streamlining cloud management.”

The Avnet Cloud Marketplace expands beyond allowing partners and their customers to buy, bill and order cloud services. For example, it also has a full set of tools powered by the Avnet Cloud Toolset to help partners and their customers manage and optimize the cloud services purchased. As a part of this, the Avnet Cloud Marketplace offers dashboards that give partners and their customers access to real-time, full-detail cloud usage with drill-down capabilities to better understand what services are being consumed by whom, as well as where they are being consumed. It also has analytics capabilities to assess cloud spending and provide recommendations on changes the customer can make to save money, as well as analysis on security risks and recommendations on best practice changes to remove potential vulnerabilities in customers’ environments.

Additionally, the Avnet Cloud Marketplace features self-guided purchasing and provisioning. With this capability, customers will be able to get up and running quickly to access the cloud services needed for their businesses. The ease of use of the Avnet Cloud Marketplace will be enhanced with flexible payment models. By offering more software-based products and both consumption- and subscription-based models, the Avnet Cloud Marketplace provides a one-stop shop for all budgets to maximize cloud spending. This is further enhanced by capability for VARs, ISVs and MSPs to provide white-label marketplaces to their customers where they can bundle cloud offerings with their own IP and services, and tailor solutions to their customers’ unique needs and business environments.

The Avnet Cloud Marketplace represents a full range of industry-leading cloud and technology provider solutions that can be combined and managed together for greater efficiency. The Avnet Cloud Marketplace will feature infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), and software-as-a-service (SaaS) offerings. In addition, partners will be able to access bundled cloud products to meet their customers’ needs and increase cost efficiency.

Avnet has also developed integrated cloud packages that combine technologies that are designed, deployed and billed together with cloud infrastructure in a unified solution. These packages are designed around the workloads that are in the highest demand among customers. Avnet’s integrated cloud packages help channel partners expand their cloud solutions portfolio, accelerating their time to market and simplifying implementation.

Partners and their customers will also benefit from Avnet’s ecosystem-focused approach to the cloud. Avnet creates a seamless link between suppliers, cloud service providers, partners, ISVs and end customers. To provide scale in this ecosystem, Avnet’s model solves the operational challenges of the complete cloud value chain and aggregates value at each step. Avnet helps its partners be more efficient and concentrate their efforts on providing solutions and value. Avnet also simplifies access to complementary technologies, the financial model transition, the operational model and a go-to-market strategy.

The Avnet Cloud Marketplace is part of Avnet Cloud Solutions, which helps partners and customers transform IT with data center automation and cloud solutions that embrace new consumption models and enable services delivery. With Avnet’s continuing commitment to innovation, the team plans to expand and introduce new elements to the Avnet Cloud Marketplace that will capitalize and enhance on the company’s solutions-based approach and accelerate the business results of the entire cloud ecosystem. Stay up to date on the latest developments to the Avnet Cloud Marketplace here.

Learn more about Avnet’s cloud solutions through the Avnet Cloud Solutions Blog.

Watch Avnet’s videos on the cloud: https://www.youtube.com/user/AvnetTSAmericas.

Follow Avnet Technology Solutions, North America, on Twitter: @AvnetAdvantage and @AvnetTSChannels.

Click to tweet: Avnet unveils next-generation #Cloud Marketplace http://avnet.me/04203.

All brands and trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks, and are the properties of their respective owners. Avnet disclaims any proprietary interest in marks other than its own.

About Avnet, Inc.

From components to cloud and design to disposal, Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT) accelerates the success of customers who build, sell and use technology globally by providing them with a comprehensive portfolio of innovative products, services and solutions. Avnet is a Fortune 500 company with revenues of $27.9 billion for the fiscal year 2015. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

Contacts

Brodeur Partners, for Avnet, Inc.
Marcia Chapman, 1-480-308-0284
mchapman@brodeur.com

Release Summary

Avnet launches Avnet Cloud Marketplace, a new one-stop shop offering comprehensive solutions from leading cloud service providers, flexible payment models, and a powerful cloud management toolset.

#Hashtags

Contacts

Brodeur Partners, for Avnet, Inc.
Marcia Chapman, 1-480-308-0284
mchapman@brodeur.com