Avnet
Technology Solutions, the global IT solutions distribution leader
and an operating group of Avnet,
Inc. (NYSE: AVT),
today introduced Avnet
Government Solutions, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary focused on the
U.S. public sector. Avnet launched the new business to help independent
software vendor (ISV), systems integrator (SI) and value-added reseller
(VAR) partners capture IT market share with the U.S. government. Avnet
Government Solutions will provide focus on the federal, state, local and
education markets. Avnet Government Solutions provides a holistic
approach to pursuing these market opportunities, combining business
development, capture and compliance assistance with Avnet’s more than 90
years of technology distribution expertise.
Avnet Government Solutions will be led by Ray Ramey, a 30-year veteran
of the IT industry who will serve as vice president and general manager
of Avnet Government Solutions. Ramey is responsible for Avnet Government
Solutions’ market growth and penetration, including business strategy
and corporate governance. Prior to joining Avnet, he served as chief
financial officer and facility security officer for Pepperweed
Consulting, LLC (acquired by Avnet in 2012), supporting the company’s
federal business. An IT enterprise management and integration provider,
Pepperweed had more than 3,000 successful engagements with Fortune 500
clients and large-scale government agencies.
“The U.S. government is the world’s largest and most lucrative IT
market, and the federal, state, local and education sectors are expected
to spend more than $148 billion1 in IT-related purchases in
2014,” said Ramey. “While the marketplace has its rewards, it also
requires a unique set of alliances and expertise to effectively compete
and achieve meaningful returns. We created Avnet Government Solutions to
provide our partners with a single source for all of the resources they
need to succeed in pursuing government IT business. Avnet Government
Solutions will help our partners profitably increase their government
business by distinguishing them as industry specialists who understand
the intricacies of the market and have the expertise needed to deliver
the specific solutions government customers require.”
Avnet Government Solutions will offer services to partners specifically
designed to provide a comprehensive approach to pursuing federal, state,
local and education contracts, including:
-
Capture Assistance: Avnet Government Solutions has strong
relationships with top public sector technology suppliers and helps
partners develop and execute capture plans and initiatives for greater
success. This includes working with partners to identify
opportunities, develop capture strategies, build teams and assemble
expertise to align with contract needs, supplement technical writing,
assist in scoping and estimating projects, and provide the means to
successfully engage with intelligence agencies through targeted
business development activities. Additionally, Avnet Government
Solutions holds a general services administration (GSA) schedule from
which its partners can resell.
-
Compliance: Avnet Government Solutions will assist in
guiding partners toward the necessary certifications that are needed
to pursue and successfully capture government contracts. Additionally,
Avnet Government Solutions will stay actively involved throughout the
bidding and procurement process to ensure the development
of competitive responses that work to avoid risk and improve chances
for success.
-
Process Management: Avnet Government Solutions will also
provide partners with the IT distribution services that Avnet is
globally renowned for, such as those related to logistics, finance,
supply chain and technical capabilities. These services will help
partners deliver solutions on time and on budget to their government
customers.
Partners will be able to access additional resources to help further
accelerate their capabilities in the government market. For example,
they will be able to participate in Avnet
GovPath®, which provides education and enablement to hone
their expertise on the U.S. government market using Avnet’s SolutionsPath®
methodology. Partners can also access other SolutionsPath practices,
including those focused on the healthcare and financial markets, to
expand their expertise in key vertical market opportunities within the
public sector.
Additionally, partners can leverage Avnet
Services to create more complete responses to contract vehicles and
increase the types of government contracts they are able to pursue.
Avnet Services has a dedicated team of specialists who can help partners
expand their capabilities related to business solutions, IT solutions,
lifecycle solutions and technical education services. Avnet Services’
offerings include cloud services; data mining and analytics; end-of-life
and recycling options; field installation and maintenance; industry
certifications; integration and automation; mobility solutions; portals
and collaboration; vendor-accredited training; break/fix services; and
hardware and software maintenance.
“As a veteran firm that provides enterprise IT architecture for federal
agencies and the U.S. military, Swish Data wants to strategically expand
the types of contracts we pursue,” said Bob Kerr, owner, Swish Data, a
group of data performance architects for the federal marketplace and an
Avnet partner. “Avnet Government Solutions gives us the right set of
resources, supplier relationships and capabilities to take our
government business to a new level, faster and with less investment and
risk. We’ve been impressed with the conversations that we’ve had with
the highly experienced Avnet Government Solutions team. Their holistic
approach will help us successfully navigate the government market,
especially opportunities with Homeland Security and intelligence
agencies.”
Click
to tweet: Avnet launches Avnet Government Solutions to help partners
capture IT market share with the U.S. government – http://www.gov.avnet.com/.
Avnet Government Solutions at XChange Public Sector 2014
Avnet Government Solutions officially launches at The Channel
Company’s XChange Public Sector 2014 held May 20-21, 2014, in
Alexandria, Va. Avnet Government Solutions’ Vice President and General
Manager Ray Ramey will participate in the Public Sector IT Lightning
Round, where partners can learn more about this new business. It will be
held on Tuesday, May 20 at 6:15 p.m. ET in the Plaza Ballroom East of
the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center. Avnet Government Solutions is a
Silver Sponsor of XChange Public Sector 2014.
Supporting Quotes
“The IT systems of the U.S. Federal government are mission-critical for
every single citizen and warfighter. Brocade wants to grow our partner
community in this market to help agencies and institutions address key
issues such as the need for IT modernization and data security,” said Anthony
Robbins, vice president of federal for Brocade. “Avnet Government
Solutions will help us expand in the federal market through its
comprehensive approach that assists partners through each stage of the
contract process, from identifying opportunities to delivering solutions
and services.”
“Finding the right companies to align and partner with is one of the
secrets to success in the federal government market,” said Wes
Hester, president and CEO, Foxhole Technology, a Service-Disabled,
Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) and an Avnet partner. “Avnet
Government Solutions has proven to be a great distribution partner for
Foxhole Technology and, in turn, helped to accelerate our growth. With
Avnet Government Solutions, we’ve been able to expand the technology
manufacturers we support and offer total, end-to-end IT solutions to our
customers.”
“Avnet Government Solutions has demonstrated a deep level of
understanding of our technology, the public sector partner community and
the nuances of working with the federal government,” said Mike
Tanner, president and CEO, Hitachi Data Systems Federal Corporation.
“This level of commitment has led HDS Federal to select Avnet Government
Solutions as our single distribution partner for the federal
marketplace. We are confident that this relationship will position HDS
Federal to more effectively meet the critical virtualization, cloud, big
data and consolidation challenges and needs of our federal customers.”
“System integrators play an important role in the IT partner ecosystem
for the U.S. federal government,” said Liz Vogel, senior director of
global aerospace and government alliance sales, HP. “Avnet
Government Solutions will help HP engage the system integrator community
by building a go-to-market team and providing system integrators with
the resources they need most to close large government contracts.”
“Storage is the number-one line item on most federal agencies’ IT
budgets, and they are looking for partners that understand how to build
efficient storage foundations,” said David Drahozal, senior director
of channel sales, U.S. public sector, NetApp. “NetApp and Avnet
Government Solutions are joining forces to give our partners the ability
to help agencies reduce the costs of storing and managing data, while
working with government customers to provide the technology and services
needed to get the information to the right people at the right time.”
Follow Avnet Government Solutions on Twitter in real-time from XChange
Public Sector 2014: @AvnetEvents
and #AvnetGov.
Stay up-to-date on Avnet Technology Solutions, North America, on
Twitter: @AvnetAdvantage
and @AvnetTSChannels,
as well Avnet Government Solutions: @AvnetGov.
Connect with Avnet Technology Solutions and Avnet Government Solutions
on LinkedIn: Avnet
Technology Solutions and Avnet
Government Solutions.
Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/avnetgov.
All brands and trade names are trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are the properties of their respective owners. Avnet disclaims any
proprietary interest in marks other than its own.
About Avnet Technology Solutions
As a global IT solutions distributor, Avnet
Technology Solutions collaborates with its customers and suppliers
to create and deliver services, software and hardware solutions that
address the business needs of their end-user customers locally and
around the world. The group serves customers and suppliers in North
America, Latin
America and Caribbean, Asia
Pacific, and Europe,
Middle East and Africa. It generated US $10.36 billion in annual
revenue for fiscal year 2013. Avnet Technology Solutions is an operating
group of Avnet, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.ats.avnet.com.
About Avnet
Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT),
a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic
components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers
globally. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the
world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of customers by
providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the
fiscal year ended June 29, 2013, Avnet generated revenue of $25.5
billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.
1 Sources: (a) Federal IT Dashboard; (b) Deltek, Inc. State
and Local Industry Analysis; (c) Center for Digital Education
Copyright Business Wire 2014