Avnet Managed Technologies to Offer IT Services for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
PHOENIX -- New Business Leverages Avnet's Award-Winning IT Infrastructure to Provide Data Center, Help Desk and Exchange Hosting Services
Avnet Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a leading global distributor of electronic components and computer products, today announced the launch of a new IT service business, Avnet Managed Technologies, aimed at assisting small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) by offering IT services such as data center management, help desk support and Microsoft Exchange mailbox hosting. These services will be available for purchase both direct from Avnet and through its supplier and solution provider partners. This new Avnet business will be headed by Bob Prezkop, senior vice president of Avnet Global Infrastructure.
'Most IT organizations spend 40 percent to 50 percent of their IT resources maintaining and updating their current infrastructure environment,' said Prezkop. 'Now, small and medium-sized businesses can take advantage of the award-winning talent and infrastructure of a Fortune 500 company. They can purchase just the IT services they need and then use Avnet's resources as extensions of their own companies. Avnet becomes their technology partner, to which SMBs entrust their necessary, but non-core, IT tasks to industry experts at a competitive price.'
'Avnet's mission is to enable the success of all of our business partners by providing vital, cost-effective services and solutions,' said Ed Kamins, chief information officer at Avnet. 'Avnet Managed Technologies illustrates Avnet's strategy of leveraging our scope and scale for the benefit of our customers, and delivering these resources with best-in-class customer service.'
Avnet Managed Technologies provides specific IT services that leverage its multi-award winning internal infrastructure and vast relationships with technology solution providers. Avnet Managed Technologies will be offering these services direct to SMBs and in collaboration with suppliers and Avnet Partner Solutions, a value-added distributor and provider of enterprise servers, storage, software and services for solution providers and independent software vendors. Avnet Partner Solutions' partners can leverage Avnet Managed Technologies services to expand their SMB solutions. Initial Avnet Managed Technologies offerings include:
Data Center Managed Services -- a complete end-to-end infrastructure solution for a fixed monthly fee. Data Center Managed Services include a hardened state-of-the-art data center, robust connectivity solutions, security, monitoring, and best-in-class infrastructure management services through the operating system layer. These services are ideal for delivery in collaboration with a solution provider or independent software vendor providing application development and management.
Help Desk Support -- quality hardware and software help desk services from basic problem resolution to multi-tiered help desk with integrated dispatch and logistical support. Avnet Managed Technologies' staff is composed of certified, diversely skilled help desk professionals. Their primary function is to work with customers' staffs to resolve technical problems. Avnet Managed Technologies will act as the first line of defense for desktop computer and laptop computer users, and, when necessary, escalate to the most appropriate support level for problem resolution.
Exchange Mailbox Hosting -- based on Microsoft Exchange Server 2003, Avnet Managed Technologies enables businesses of all sizes to take advantage of all the features of Microsoft Exchange Server, including Shared Calendars, Contacts, Public Folders and more, within the environment of a Fortune 500-class IT infrastructure. Thus, SMBs get the same collaborative technology used in the world's largest enterprises -- including the benefits of increased performance and user productivity of Microsoft's latest messaging platform.
In 2004, Avnet was ranked third on InformationWeek's list of the nation's best users of information technology, and fourth on InfoWorld's list of the 100 best information technology projects of the year.
To learn more about Avnet Managed Technologies, please visit http://www.avnet.com/amt, call 866-426-8123 or e-mail amt-sales@avnet.com. There is a 360-degree tour of the Avnet Technology Center here: http://www.visualtour.com/shownp.asp?T=292383.
About Avnet
Avnet enables success from the center of the technology industry, providing cost-effective services and solutions vital to a broad base of more than 100,000 customers and 250 suppliers. The company markets, distributes and adds value to a wide variety of electronic components, enterprise computer products and embedded subsystems. Through its premier market position, Avnet brings a breadth and depth of capabilities that help its trading partners accelerate growth and realize cost efficiencies. Avnet generated more than $10 billion in revenue in fiscal 2004 (year ended July 3, 2004) through sales in 68 countries. Visit www.avnet.com/.
Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
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Brodeur Worldwide for Avnet Inc.
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