Avnet Introduces Professional and Managed Services

Technology distributor Avnet is pulling together its expertise in a number
of solution areas—including security, networking, storage and virtualization—and
creating SolutionsPath Services, a portfolio of professional and managed
services that VARs can resell.

The services practice is designed to help channel partners get in on the more
profitable services business.

“If you look at market and opportunity, the services market is $392 billion,”
Tony Vottima, vice president of Solutions Marketing and Development for Avnet
Technology Solutions, Americas,
told Channel Insider. “With hardware margins continuing to come down, our
ability to help partners and Avnet change its mix is crucial. We want to get
partners involved in more complex and higher margin opportunities to help
reinforce the strength of the channel."

The new services arm leverages Avnet’s SolutionsPath methodology launched three
years ago. Today Avnet’s SolutionsPath includes the following practices:
NetworkPath, SecurePath, StoragePath, VirtualPath, GovPath and HealthPath.

“We introduced these to help partners meet opportunities in each of those
areas,” said  Vottima. “We help them do implementation and then
manage it for them.”

Partners can either white label the service or leverage the Avnet name to gain
a foothold at customer organizations. Avnet’s professional services are
provided by a combination of Avnet employees and large strategic partners that
don’t compete with the reseller base, according to Vottima.

Services offered include the following:

• Assessment services
• Design services—including ROI
  and TCO analysis
• Implementation services
• Managed services

“Many resellers are looking to get into new high growth areas but don’t have
the investments yet,” Vottima said. “This will get the reseller involved in
front of the opportunity by positioning services early in opportunity and help
drive the higher growth and profits.”