Channel Advisor Online Goes Live
Love the Channel Advisor? Now you can enjoy it online as well.

Launched in December 2006, our new web site, www.ingrammicro.com/channeladvisor, collects all the information, tips and features from our print issues in a central location for easy reference. Expanded content for some articles will also be available throughout the year. Visit often for the latest updates, and drop us an e-mail at channeladvisor@ingrammicro.com to let us know what topics you'd like to see covered in future issues.

Also, don't forget to check out Expert Insights, our brand-new Channel Advisor blog, for industry news and views on the profitable and growing managed-services market. The blog is accessible through the Channel Advisor web site or at channeladvisor. ingrammicroblog.com, and will be updated regularly with new content to help you make smart decisions about adding managed services to your business.

IMSN Member Stamps Out Virus in Record Time
When a business suffers an IT security breach, every second counts. For solution provider Bell Industries, membership in the Ingram Micro Services Network (IMSN) recently helped resolve just such an urgent situation.

According to Brannon Nealy, a business development manager for Bell, the company received word late on a Thursday afternoon that one of its large customers had been hit by a computer virus. More than 80 locations had been affected, and the customer wanted to know whether Bell could dispatch technicians to all of them within 24 hours -- a logistical challenge compounded by the need for every technician to arrive with specific instructions and touch multiple computers at each location.

Although Bell's staff couldn't commit to the 24-hour timeframe, they knew that with support from IMSN, they could make every effort to reach all 80 sites as quickly as possible. With IMSN's Project Deployment Services, they were able to accomplish it all through a single point of contact: services engagement manager Patti Chenard, who put in extra hours that weekend to locate and dispatch local IMSN service providers from all over the country.

"We used IMSN to manage the entire process from the geo-match to the completion of the call," Nealy says. "Within 24 hours, we had more than half the sites completed, and by Monday -- only 16 business hours after the initial call -- all 80 sites were close to completion." The customer was delighted and, Nealy reports, is now considering engaging Bell for a 300-site PC services deployment later in the year.

"This success will carry us farther into this account and hopefully into new accounts for 2007," he says.

Orchestrating Success at the VTN Invitational
Members of Ingram Micro's VentureTech Network are gearing up to attend the 2007 Spring Invitational, scheduled for March 14-17 in Nashville, Tenn.

At the event, themed "Orchestrate Success," attendees will be able to target the areas of greatest interest to their businesses by selecting workshop tracks devoted to marketing, services, sales, operations or technical training topics. Other activities will include manufacturer and member roundtables (including a new roundtable for the entire general session), a special presentation by John Ingram, vice chairman of Ingram Industries, and plenty of opportunities for member networking and interaction. Be sure to check this space in our next issue for news and highlights from this exciting event.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker: Gov/Ed Alliance Solution Providers Hook Up Through New Online Tool
For solution providers in Ingram Micro's GovEd Alliance, finding the right partner just got a lot easier.

Introduced at the last GovEd Alliance Invitational conference, the GovEd Alliance Partner Locator tool allows solution providers in the program to submit company profiles that are then shared with other GovEd Alliance solution providers and manufacturer partners.

In addition to basic company and contact information, the profile includes details on members' SDB certifications and classifications, contracts they hold, and government and educational entities they support. With this information, solution providers, prime contractors and manufacturers can quickly identify GovEd Alliance members who meet the criteria they need to form partnerships and teaming agreements that facilitate public-sector business. The portal can also be used to arrange meetings or form subgroups with GovEd Alliance members.

"GovEd Alliance solution providers and manufacturer partners have been asking Ingram Micro for an easy way to connect based on government certifications and contracts. The Partner Locator makes this happen," says Jason Bystrak, senior manager, channel marketing, Ingram Micro. "We expect to see significant revenue from teaming agreements and sales leads facilitated through this portal."

To use the new GovEd Alliance Partner Locator, GovEd Alliance members can visit www.ingrammicro.com/goved.

Discover Growth in Unexpected Places
Managed services are the channel's hottest ticket for solution providers who want to earn more recurring revenue, increase customer satisfaction and enjoy deeper entanglement with their customers. Now, with Ingram Micro's new hosted Seismic Remote offering, it's even easier for solution providers to gain these benefits -- and deliver the robust support levels and predictable costs that end users want -- without the traditional complexity and risk associated with establishing a managed-services practice.

"By adding a turnkey hosted offering to Seismic, we've all but eliminated the startup time for solution providers who want to establish a managedservices business," says Justin Crotty, vice president, services, Ingram Micro.

In addition to the existing on-site appliance version of Ingram Micro Seismic, solution providers can now choose to deploy a hosted version that offers the same level of performance, as well as several benefits unique to a hosted solution:

• Low financial investment -- No hardware purchase is required; ongoing fees are predictable and easy to budget.
• No need for additional IT resources -- All management tasks are performed by certified engineers at a world-class data center.
• Fast implementation -- Application usage can begin within minutes.
• Reliability, maintenance and security -- Quality of service and 99-percent uptime are guaranteed by service-level agreements and 24/7 technical support.

To learn more about Ingram Micro's hosted Seismic portfolio, call the Ingram Micro services team at (800) 705-7057, option 5, or e-mail services@ingrammicro.com.

Ingram Micro Goes "Green" With New Recycling Services
The dilemma of what to do with unwanted technology is a sticky one for solution providers and end users alike. Now, Ingram Micro is easing the burden with environmentally friendly recycling services available through Ingram Micro Outlet. "Recycling is an environmental responsibility the IT channel must follow through on," says Justin Crotty, vice president, services, Ingram Micro North America. "It is also a smart, simple and free way for our solution providers to add more value in the eyes of their customers and supplement their revenues by recycling the technology they sell and service."

An addition to Ingram Micro Outlet's existing technology trade-in services, Ingram Micro Outlet | Recycle allows solution providers to exchange cell phones, fax cartridges, and inkjet and laser printer cartridges for cash credits to their Ingram Micro accounts. Recycling requests can be placed online, and unwanted technology picked up on pallets or sent in prepaid collection boxes. For more information, Ingram Micro customers can visit www.ingrammicro.com/outlet.