Avnet Introduces Four Cloud Computing Offerings in America

Avnet Technology Solutions unveiled four off-premise cloud computing solutions powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS).

These initial offerings provide MSP, VAR and ISV partners with integrated, packaged solutions that span the AWS portfolio.

The integrated, packaged solutions were developed by the Avnet Cloud Solutions team, which focuses on off-premise cloud computing. Leveraging Avnet’s technical expertise and intellectual property, the solutions incorporate AWS with technologies from suppliers in Avnet’s portfolio, such as Microsoft, Oracle, Riverbed Technology, and Symantec, to provide cloud-based offerings for high-demand workload areas, including backup and DR, and application hosting and management. These cloud computing solutions are available exclusively through Avnet’s partners in the U.S. and Canada.

"Amazon Web Services has quickly become a valuable addition to the growing Avnet Cloud Solutions portfolio because its cloud services are flexible and can be incorporated into enterprise-class IT solutions," said Tim FitzGerald, VP of Avnet Cloud Solutions, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. "Avnet’s new solutions built on AWS complement our partners’ portfolios. We specifically designed these solutions to align with how end customers want to purchase cloud computing offerings, which will ensure that our partners can quickly, easily and cost effectively take these solutions to market."

Avnet developed these integrated, packaged solutions using AWS to help its partners minimize costs, foster repeatability and speed their time to market.

The solutions include:

• Cloud Backup for Enterprises: Combines Amazon S3 and Riverbed Whitewater cloud storage gateway appliance, which integrates into the existing infrastructure of Symantec Backup Exec customers. Partners can provide this packaged offering to their customers through a monthly subscription fee.
• Cloud Backup for Oracle Databases: This monthly, subscription-based solution leverages Amazon S3 with Recovery Manager (RMAN) to provide backup and recovery services for partners’ customers using Oracle databases (version 9iR2 and later).
• Microsoft SharePoint 2010 Enterprise Server Farm: Provides a pre-configured, production-grade SharePoint cloud infrastructure based on Amazon Elastic Cloud Compute (Amazon EC2). This includes application, presentation and database servers that are ready to be integrated into the existing Active Directory infrastructures of partners’ customers.
• Enterprise Web Hosting: Delivering production web hosting on Amazon EC2, each package includes a scalable, HA cloud infrastructure capable of hosting from 10,000 – 100,000 concurrent users and millions of page views per month. Additionally, partners’ customers can deploy a full-load balanced, multiple data center web farm based on Linux that supports the DMZ, presentation, application and database tiers.

"Avnet’s solution-driven strategy coupled with Amazon Web Services’ highly reliable, scalable, low-cost infrastructure platform in the cloud gives Avnet’s channel partners enterprise-class packaged solutions that they can easily consume and deliver faster and at a lower cost to their customers," said Terry Wise, head of Worldwide Partner Ecosystem, AWS. "Avnet’s deep channel knowledge combined with its solutions development expertise enables us to provide continued AWS adoption in the channel."

"We’ve been impressed with the up-front investments Avnet made to create complete cloud solutions using Amazon Web Services," said Jennifer Connolly, president, The Metropolitan Technology Services Group LLC, an IT solutions-focused company and Avnet partner. "Avnet developed its new off-premise cloud computing offerings with the channel top of mind, which will significantly reduce our solutions development time and costs. Most importantly, Avnet’s solutions built on AWS have given us a very specific set of offerings that we can start discussing with our customers today, which will help us quickly profit from the growth opportunities in off-premise cloud computing."

Avnet is a silver sponsor of AWS re: Invent, being held November 27-29, 2012, in Las Vegas, NV.