IBM Honors Avnet Partner Solutions for Outstanding Success; Wins IBM PartnerWorld Beacon Award for Most Innovative Distributor Finance Program and 2005 Services Sales Leadership Award

Business Wire, May 3, 2006

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas, a value-added distributor of enterprise servers, storage, software and services, received two awards recently for its achievements as an IBM value-added distributor. Avnet earned an IBM PartnerWorld Beacon Award for Most Innovative Distributor Finance Program for its unique approach to driving IBM Global Financing among its partners. IBM also recognized Avnet with the 2005 Services Sales Leadership Award for excellence in services revenue growth.

Avnet Partner Solutions' successful integration of financial services into its business operations and sales cycles generated 28 percent year-over-year growth in leasing volumes. As part of its innovative finance program, Avnet not only provides partners with training, finance representatives in the field and sales plan incentives, but also leverages IBM's Rapid Financing tools to reduce the sales cycle time.

"Avnet's financial services program has had a very specific and positive impact on our ability to quickly and efficiently structure and close deals," said Pat Sheehan, president, DMC Consulting. "Not only did Avnet provide knowledgeable financial experts in the field to help us generate more than $1.5 million in financing revenue over the course of a year, but they also introduced us to new financing programs that we hadn't considered in the past, expanding the financial support we can provide to our customers. As a result, we have been able to deliver IT solutions that impress not just our customers' CIOs, but their CFOs too."

Additionally, Avnet Partner Solutions grew its total services revenue by 27 percent year-over-year, earning it the 2005 Services Sales Leadership Award from IBM in the Systems Distributors category. The award recognizes outstanding contributions to IBM Global Services.

"Avnet Partner Solutions is a critical extension of our channel business," said Sam Maatallah, director, Channel Services, IGS Americas. "The company delivers innovative programs and outstanding services to IBM solution providers. Avnet's dedication to helping its partners build their businesses generated considerable growth for both Avnet and its partners in the past year."

About Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas

Avnet Partner Solutions, Americas is part of the Avnet Technology Solutions operating group of Avnet Inc. (NYSE:AVT). 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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