Ingram Micro Offers Custom Computing to Partners

Ingram Micro now offers its Artizen portfolio of customizable high-performance computing (HPC) solutions and services to all of its U.S. channel partners to help them address increased demand for greater computing power and customization.

The portfolio was initially introduced in limited release in mid-2012, but channel partners now have access to the entire portfolio, including fully configured clusters, HPC and data center servers, purpose-built workstations, hardware integration and software installation services.

The soft launch in 2012 helped the distributor better understand the requirements of its resellers in order to deliver a solution that exceeded their expectations, according to the company.

The Artizen portfolio was designed to meet the needs of mainstream and niche businesses, as well as highly specialized and data-driven vertical markets—such as automotive, health care and public sector—that demand more robust computing, said the distributor. As an example, Accelerate Diagnostics, an in-vitro diagnostics company, stated that the Artizen technology was “highly customizable to meet even the most stringent working environments and extreme uses, such as digitally analyzing bacteria for the detection of antibiotic-resistant infectious diseases.”

In addition to scale and technical flexibility, the Artizen computing solutions deliver savings with a 93 percent energy-efficient and tool-free maintenance open architecture.

“Ingram Micro wanted to create an offering that enabled our resellers to deliver a customizable high-performance solution spanning workstations to full racks,” said Ryan Grant, senior business unit director, Components & Document Imaging, Ingram Micro. This offering allows resellers to differentiate themselves from the many off-the-shelf boxes that exist today, he added.

The portfolio is supported by a dedicated team of cross-trained and advanced technical support personnel, as well as field-deployable technical sales engineers who can help resellers with sales opportunities. “Our team will work to understand the desired solution and outcome, and then design a configuration that will deliver superior performance,” said Grant.

One of the key features of the program is that all systems undergo a rigorous testing and certification process before shipment, providing value-added resellers (VARs) and managed service providers (MSPs) with “ready to run” systems. This nearly eliminates failure rates in the field on delivery, said Grant.

No authorizations are required to resell the Artizen portfolio, and there are no barriers to entry, according to Grant. “A reseller can leverage Ingram Micro’s expertise and offer this unique solution to their customers immediately,” he added.

Gina Roos, a Channel Insider contributing writer, specializes in technology and the channel.