Arrow ECS expands converged data center program

Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions (Arrow ECS - NYSE: ARW) has expanded its Empower program, launched last year and billed as a multi-vendor enablement program for high-growth areas of the data center. The program's new offerings are designed to help data center facilities providers in North America to sell convergence platforms, such as EMC's VSPEX, HP's CloudSystem, IBM's Pure, NetApp's FlexPod, Oracle's Database Appliance and Exadata, VCE's Vblock Systems, and others.

According to Arrow ECS, the enhanced program enables its partners "to identify, cultivate and close opportunities leveraging converged data-center solutions in their geographies and vertical markets." The company says the enhanced program employs "an end-to-end approach" via resources including "comprehensive enablement training, solution scoping and architecting, live or virtual proof-of-concepts, configuration and post-sales implementation assistance."

See also:Cisco, Emulex demo converged data center

Specific enhancements to the program, according to Arrow ECS, include:

-- Enablement courses: Comprehensive training to educate solution providers on converged data-center solutions and the market conditions driving adoption, including a customized blueprint on how solution providers can develop a converged data-center practice.

-- Convergence-readiness assessments: As part of a demand-generation strategy, Arrow ECS provides in-depth assessments to analyze a data-center environment, identifying where infrastructure could impact performance and the bottom line, and recommending an alternative leveraging a converged solution.

-- Opportunity scoping and validation: Personalized technical resources to assist solution providers with scoping the proposed converged data-center solution based on the needs and specifications of the customer.

“The data-center convergence space has matured significantly in the last six months, with multiple suppliers bringing their respective offerings to market,” asserts Sean Kerins, president of North America for Arrow ECS. “The enhancements to Arrow’s Empower program are aligned with our commitment to enabling partners to capitalize on demand in high-growth markets, such as data-center convergence.”

Learn more about Arrow ECS's modular Empower program.

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