Avnet Partner Solutions' Mentoring Program Accelerates Business Growth for HP OpenView Partners

Business Wire, July 11, 2006

TEMPE, Ariz. -- As part of its commitment to helping partners succeed in the increasingly complex and demanding arena of network and system management, Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas, a value-added distributor of enterprise servers, storage, software and services, and a division of Avnet Inc. (NYSE:AVT), has collaborated with HP to develop a mentoring program designed to accelerate business growth for partners selling HP OpenView-based solutions. Avnet is offering the Partner Assist mentoring services to qualified HP partners who have or who are developing a dedicated HP OpenView practice.

Partner Assist provides personalized training, hands-on pre-sales and implementation assistance, customized lead generation and pre-qualified selling opportunities. The program is designed to help partners raise their technical and sales proficiency in the HP OpenView software suite, enhancing their ability to create HP OpenView-based solutions for customers.

"As the HP OpenView software portfolio continues to expand, partners need assistance building their knowledge base and experience, especially around newer software solutions," said Rick Alvarez, vice president and general manager, Avnet Partner Solutions, HP Business Unit. "Avnet's dedicated mentors have proven track records of success, and work closely with our partners to build broader and deeper expertise, lowering the barriers of entry into the management software market."

Working side-by-side with partners, Avnet mentors will help provide partners with the experience needed to build a robust HP OpenView practice, and create a competitive advantage for them in local markets and incremental revenue opportunities.

"Avnet and HP work closely with us to make sure we have the support and services we need to grow our business," said Matthew Peeples, president, Advanced Marketplace Inc. "Partner Assist for HP OpenView is a solid way to accelerate our proficiency in the software suite. As a result, we're generating additional sales opportunities and are better equipped to meet the needs of our end customers."

Partner Assist services will be continually enhanced as new technologies are added to the HP OpenView management software portfolio. For example, Avnet is already helping partners pursue emerging opportunities through the development of HP OpenView-based solutions in areas such as Web applications and identity management.

"Businesses look to HP and its partners for complete solutions that help them better align new IT implementations with changing business requirements," said Greg Schumacher, director, Software Marketing - Americas, HP. "Avnet has taken the initiative to provide critical mentoring services that will enable partners to take full advantage of the existing HP OpenView offerings and rapidly engage in emerging technologies as we continue to expand the HP OpenView portfolio."

About Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas

Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas is part of the Avnet Technology Solutions operating group of Avnet Inc. An industry-leading, value-added distributor and provider of enterprise servers, storage, software and services, Avnet Partner Solutions serves value-added resellers, independent software vendors (ISVs) and systems integrators in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Avnet Partner Solutions provides enterprise solutions from industry-leading manufacturers, focusing on driving growth for partners and manufacturers. For more information, please visit www.aps.avnet.com.

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 300 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. For fiscal year ended, July 2, 2005, Avnet and the recently acquired Memec (closed July 5, 2005) generated combined revenue in excess of $13 billion in the past year through sales in approximately 70 countries. Please visit www.avnet.com for more information.

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