Avnet Technology Solutions (NYSE: AVT) has announced a schedule of data center road shows for Cisco reseller partners. The distributor says its The Way Forward Tour is designed to help Cisco value-added resellers (VARs) gain a deeper understanding of the current data center landscape and resulting opportunities, as well as the Cisco Unified Computing System vision and data center architecture. Additionally, partners will learn how to capture incremental revenue by expanding into high-growth markets, and reduce costs and investment risks for their customers.
“Now is one of the most exciting and profitable times to target the data center market,” said Darren Adams, vice president and general manager, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, Cisco Solutions Group. “The Way Forward Tour is the newest way Avnet is providing our Cisco partners with the in-depth data center and solutions knowledge needed to succeed in this market. Avnet has decades of data center channel experience, and we’re looking forward to sharing some of our unique insights with partners to accelerate their success even faster.”
The tour, kicking off this week in Irvine, Calif., will be held throughout the summer in 13 U.S. cities, with additional events to be announced for the Canadian market. Each event will feature one of two recognized industry experts — Barb Goldworm, founder, president and chief analyst with Focus, LLC; or Thornton May, futurist, executive director and dean of the IT Leadership Academy. Additionally, Avnet will provide in-depth information on Cisco’s UCS architecture and data center vision.
The initial dates and locations for the tour include:
-- May 24, 2011: Irvine, Calif.
-- May 26, 2011: San Francisco, Calif.
-- June 2, 2011: Phoenix, Ariz.
-- June 7, 2011: Denver, Colo.
-- June 9, 2011: Omaha, Neb.
-- June 14, 2011: Dallas, Texas
-- June 16, 2011: St. Louis, Mo.
-- June 21, 2011: Chicago, Ill.
-- June 23, 2011: Cincinnati, Ohio
-- June 28, 2011: Atlanta, Ga.
-- June 30, 2011: Charlotte, S.C.
-- July 7, 2011: Raleigh, N.C.
-- July 12, 2011: New York, N.Y.
“I've always been impressed with Avnet's knowledge of market opportunities and technology,” said Bret MacInnes, practice manager for UCS/FlexPod for Trace3, a leading IT systems integrator and Avnet partner. “That's why I'm planning to send several members of my sales team to The Way Forward Tour. I know they'll come away from the session with a much deeper understanding of data center opportunities we can pursue using Cisco Unified Computing System solutions and be motivated to target new customers. I'm also sending several members of our technical team to further their education on the Cisco-based solutions that can be developed to meet the business challenges of our customers.”
In addition to being a Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) distributor, Avnet is certified as a Cisco UCS B-Series Authorized Configurator (UBAC) and Cisco UCS C-Series Authorized Configurator (UCAC) for the U.S. and Canada.
For more information on the road shows or to register for an event, visit http://www.thewayforwardtour.com/index.html