INGRAM MICRO OFFERS SPECTRUM OF REMOTE MANAGEMENT SERVICES FOR RESELLERS

Agreements with AlphaNet Solutions and Data General support new offerings.

SANTA ANA, Calif., Oct. 26, 1998

Ingram Micro Inc., the world's leading distributor of technology products and services, today announced agreements with AlphaNet Solutions Inc. of Cedar Knolls, N.J., and Data General Corporation of Westborough, Mass., to support Ingram Micro's new remote managed services, including network monitoring, server monitoring, problem resolution and performance reporting.

Ingram Micro is introducing remote management services in response to an increased demand from its reseller customers. The new offerings further Ingram Micro's commitment to provide managed services to its customers. These services will be provided to end users through resellers with Ingram Micro acting in a marketing and management capacity. Strict rules of engagement have been established to ensure relationship integrity between the end user and service providers.

"This area of our business is a growth opportunity for our customers," said Randy Jones, Ingram Micro's vice president of services. "Resellers can provide their end users with the assurance of network integrity and security while enhancing performance and reducing the cost of ownership through remote management. We want to give resellers the information and tools they need to be successful in this market. This extensive offering of remote managed solutions is another way to help Ingram Micro customers compete."

AlphaNet Solutions has created a robust and flexible remote network management system that monitors and manages network devices -- ranging from desktops and printers to sophisticated local and wide-area network equipment -- across single and multiplatform environments. The system features proactive performance monitoring and problem resolution to allow networked applications to run smoothly and efficiently. AlphaNet Solutions' package, Enterprise Management Solutions (EMS), combines the capabilities of its remote network management system, help desk and emergency response, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The offering is completely scalable and able to adapt to client needs. AlphaNet Solutions will offer qualified resellers specialized training to help them sell and market these services to their customers.

"We are excited that Ingram Micro has made Enterprise Management Solutions a core offering in their suite of remote managed services," said John Centinaro, senior vice president, operations, AlphaNet Solutions. "EMS is a sophisticated network management package with economics that customers can easily justify. By offering these ongoing services, Ingram Micro's resellers can leverage and strengthen their customer relationships."

Additionally, Ingram Micro is offering Data General's remote server management services for Intel-based Microsoft Windows NT servers as a packaged (SKUd) service. These services are offered through Data General's NTERPRISEcard. The NTERPRISEcard, part of Data General's group of RELiiON Card services for NT server monitoring, provides a cost-effective solution for proactive remote server monitoring for mission-critical environments running Intel-based Microsoft Windows NT servers. The Data General RELiiON Card offers varying levels of support to meet individual service needs with the NTERPRISEcard, providing high levels of support to meet business-critical service requirements. With the NTERPRISEcard, telephone software support and Internet support are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"Data General is pleased to be continuing its tradition of providing comprehensive support through Ingram Micro," said Tim Tormey, director of sales and marketing for Data General's Services Division. "We provide a total end-to-end service for those customers running Windows NT servers. This is an affordable, fixed-price service that improves server reliability, increases productivity and helps to achieve long-term server planning goals."

For More Information

For more information on remote management services, resellers may call Ingram Micro at 1 (800) 705-7057 to speak with a service sales specialist.

Ingram Micro Services

Ingram Micro offers a one-stop shop for resellers that provide services to end users. The distributor's lineup includes managed and packaged service solutions from more than 40 vendors. The offering includes remote managed services for networks and systems, classroom and self-paced IT training, certification, help desk, warranty upgrades, hardware and software maintenance, and networking support and installation.

About AlphaNet Solutions Inc.

AlphaNet Solutions (NASDAQ:ALPH) markets computer products and provides a broad range of systems integration and other IT services, including network consulting, workstation support, education, communications installation, IT staffing and applications consulting, to Fortune 1000 and other large and midsize companies located primarily in the New York-to-Philadelphia corridor. Additional information about AlphaNet Solutions Inc., its products, services and employment opportunities is available.

About Data General Corp.

Data General (NYSE:DGN), based in Westboro, Mass., is a major supplier of storage and enterprise computing solutions for customers worldwide. The company's products include CLARiiON Fibre Channel storage systems, high-end NT and UNIX AViiON servers, and related software and services. Data General reported revenues of $1.5 billion during fiscal 1997. Additional information about Data General, its products and services is available.

About Ingram Micro Inc.

Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM), headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., is the world's leading wholesale distributor of technology products and services, and a leading provider of assembly and integration services, with sales of $19.3 billion for the past four quarters. The company and its affiliates operate in 31 countries and distribute more than 145,000 products to more than 100,000 resellers in 120 countries.

Contact

Carrie Brooks
Ingram Micro Inc.
(714) 382-1403