Tech Data Helps VARs Track IT Spending Generated By Economic Stimulus Bill

CLEARWATER, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ:TECD) is ensuring IT resellers have access to the information and resources they need to capitalize on the unprecedented economic investment the federal government is making through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Today, Tech Data launched Economic Stimulus Watch, a comprehensive initiative that will help resellers track the billions of dollars in IT spending that is expected to result from ARRA starting as soon as this summer.

“Our public-sector team has the answers to these questions, tracking developments daily and making this information available to resellers free of charge through the Economic Stimulus Watch resource center”

“The federal government has never invested this much money in an economic stimulus program,” said Tech Data President, The Americas Ken Lamneck. “The total economic stimulus package is expected to top $780 billion, and undoubtedly that will create tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars in IT spending. While a tremendous opportunity for resellers, there remain many questions: How much money will each government agency receive? What are their spending priorities? Will the money be spent through normal purchasing vehicles? How will this impact IT spending state-by-state? How will the stimulus dollars impact key verticals like education, healthcare and energy?

“Our public-sector team has the answers to these questions, tracking developments daily and making this information available to resellers free of charge through the Economic Stimulus Watch resource center,” concluded Lamneck.

Tech Data Vice President, Government, Technical and Integration Services Barb Miller will head the Economic Stimulus Watch. Miller leads Tech Data’s team of public-sector sales, business-development and bid specialists that supports resellers focused on IT spending opportunities in the government, healthcare and education markets. Additionally, Tech Data’s Specialized Business Units, and Technical Services, Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, Client Systems, Networking, Peripherals and Software divisions will identify solutions and key technologies aligning with ARRA spending objectives.

For example, modernizing schools, expanding the nation’s broadband infrastructure and digitizing medical records have been identified as IT spending opportunities by the federal government. Through the Economic Stimulus Watch resource center, Tech Data will identify solutions resellers can deploy to enhance children’s learning environments, bring online public services to a broader group of constituents and implement secure, paperless record-keeping for small doctors’ offices.

The Economic Stimulus Watch Web resource center will do more than aggregate Tech Data’s extensive product knowledge, technical expertise and public-sector sales support. It will be an interactive forum in which resellers can post questions and comments, as well as communicate with Tech Data systems engineers, credit specialists and other members of the team for bid and pricing support. The resource center also will include the latest ARRA news and developments; links to federal and state government procurement Web sites; whitepapers for in-demand solutions; expert-led Webinars and pod casts; and advice for writing grant proposals, building bids and responding to RFPs.

The Economic Stimulus Watch also will host a series of summits, and live and virtual online events, featuring industry experts discussing the impact ARRA is having in the channel and how resellers can capitalize on this unprecedented spending opportunity. During these events, resellers will engage leading vendor partners in the government, healthcare and education markets to learn about the latest public-sector products, programs and promotions they can use to strengthen proposals and win contracts.

ARRA has already been a topic of in-depth discussion at Tech Data conferences this year, including the spring Technology Solutions Tour and TechEDG Government and Education conferences in Washington D.C.; the SMBAccess Healthcare Market Summit in Clearwater, Fla.; and this week’s TechSelect Partner Conference in San Diego.

To learn more about the Tech Data Economic Stimulus Watch, visit www.techdata.com/stimulus, send e-mail to stimulus@techdata.com or call Tech Data’s public-sector sales and services specialists at 800-436-5353, ext. 80014 or visit www.techdata.com.

About Tech Data

Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ GS: TECD) is one of the world's largest distributors of technology products from leading IT hardware and software producers. Tech Data serves more than 125,000 IT solution providers in over 100 countries. Every day, these value-added resellers depend on Tech Data to cost-effectively support the technology needs of end users, including small and medium businesses (SMB), large enterprises and government agencies. Ranked 102nd on the FORTUNE 500(R), Tech Data generated $24.1 billion in net sales for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2009. To learn more, visit www.techdata.com.