 |
|
    |
|
|
|
Ingram Micro Expands Market Reach, Announces New Enterprise StrategyLeading technology distributor introduces new enterprise product offerings and services, creating growth prospects for VARsSANTA ANA, Calif., April 30, 2001Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM), the largest global wholesale provider of technology products and supply chain management services, today announced plans to expand and diversify its U.S. enterprise solutions strategy to include a variety of platforms and enterprise solutions. The company also will integrate its ASP initiative, wireless networking solutions and professional services into the new enterprise strategy. Over the next several months, Ingram Micro will broaden its market reach by investing in more products that support Microsoft Windows NT, UNIX and Linux platforms, while continuing efforts to evaluate their benefits to customers. "By expanding our enterprise solutions strategy, Ingram Micro is redefining our enterprise offerings to provide a wider range of viable solutions for our customers," said Kevin Murai, president, Ingram Micro U.S. "Our new strategy simplifies a complex business model and minimizes barriers that may discourage entry into this potentially lucrative market." Increased Focus on Multi-Vendor Technology Platforms Designed to accelerate market growth, Ingram Micro"s new enterprise products and services will offer a variety of multi-vendor technology platforms and bundled solutions. Ingram Micro"s expanded enterprise offering will include specialized resources, as well as technical support, training and financing opportunities. The company is investigating multiple enterprise technology solutions to support the new Linux platform and will expand its offerings in the Microsoft Windows NT and UNIX platforms. "By adopting a variety of business models to address the enterprise market, Ingram Micro has identified a profitable growth opportunity for our customers and vendor partners," said Pam Bryson, vice president, business development, Ingram Micro U.S. "The role of the technology distributor is to look ahead for new products and emerging markets. We are evaluating our entire enterprise strategy and investigating new options to drive profitable growth." According to IDC research on U.S. server customer revenue by operating system, 1998-2004, the compound average growth rate for NT platforms is expected to grow 18.7 percent, UNIX growth is estimated at 4.7 percent and Linux is 28.3 percent. Specialized Enterprise Support and Services Over the past five years, Ingram Micro has built an enterprise business with experienced and highly skilled staff to support enterprise customers and vendor partners. Ingram Micro's team of focused product managers, dedicated sales professionals and customer service representatives forms the foundation of Ingram Micro's enterprise solutions group. The group also includes a team of dedicated technical support staff and state-of-the-art configuration services centralized at Ingram Micro's facility in Memphis, Tenn. As the market evolves from product technology sales to enterprise solutions sales, Ingram Micro is developing more go-to-market strategies to help VARs expand their business offerings. The company also provides specialized financing tools to support and encourage enterprise VAR growth. World-Class Enterprise Solutions Center The jewel of Ingram Micros enterprise offering is its new Solutions Center scheduled to open in June 2001. The Solutions Center will serve as a world-class destination for training and product demonstrations and a showcase for total solution offerings supporting the enterprise market and ASP services. Integration of Existing Offerings within Enterprise Strategy Ingram Micros ASP initiative, scheduled for launch in June 2001, will become integrated as part of the companys enterprise offering. In November 2000, Ingram Micro announced partners that made up an ASP offering tailored to fit the needs of the IT channel. The ASP initiative aggregates complex hosted service offerings into packaged solutions for resale by VARs. With the ASP initiative tied more closely to a broader enterprise solutions offering, enterprise VARs can now easily adopt packaged ASP solutions as an add-on to services they offer. Alternatively, Ingram Micro's ASP initiative will offer a low-cost, low-risk way for non-enterprise VARs to expand their businesses and provide enterprise-level solutions. Bundling ASP services with a wide range of enterprise technology platforms provides greater value in helping VARs solve complex business issues for their end-user customers. Ingram Micro customers will receive technical and sales training, certifications and technical support to help bundle the ASP services with an enterprise solution. Ingram Micro also will integrate wireless networking solutions into its expanded enterprise strategy. IDC and Cahners-In-Stat Group forecast the wireless market will grow in sales by 15 percent, with unit growth at 30 percent through 2003. As such, Ingram Micro has created the Wireless 2001 Campaign, a comprehensive, three-tiered program focusing on wireless networking products for customers. In addition, Ingram Micro recently met the challenging Cisco Wireless LAN Specialization certification, ensuring that its sales and support organizations are armed with the expertise and are better prepared to properly service and address new market demands for its customers. Ingram Micro is also focused on building professional services assistance, such as its arrangement with Science Applications International Corp. for support of Cisco's AVVID platform. As part of the expanded strategy, the company will create specialized consulting offerings for implementing mission-critical pieces in an enterprise solution. About Ingram Micro Inc. Ingram Micro Inc. is the largest global wholesale provider of technology solutions, products and services. The company operates in 36 countries with sales of $30.7 billion for the fiscal year 2000. Ingram Micro's global regions provide the distribution of technology products and services, marketing development and supply chain management services to more than 175,000 technology solution providers and 1,700 manufacturers. The company is focused on maximizing shareowner value and achieving customer satisfaction through innovation in the information technology supply chain. For more information, contact: Ingram Micro Inc.: Media Information For more Ingram Micro news, visit our corporate site. |
|
||