Ingram Micro Swings into Action
Golf Tournaments Raise More Than $250,000 for Charity
For the past 12 years, Ingram Micro's Buffalo, N.Y. and Santa Ana, Calif. headquarters have hosted very successful Golf Classics that benefit numerous local charities. In 2007, the tournaments were by far the most successful in Ingram Micro's history, with more than 300 registered golfers raising a total of more than $250,000.

More than $150,000 from the East Coast tournament was distributed to four local charities, including main recipient Sabah, Sled Hockey and Hasek's Heroes, which received $66,000; Brian Moorman's Punt Foundation, which received $58,000; the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo, which received $25,000; and Bornhava, which received $2,500.

More than $100,000 raised in the West Coast tournament went to nine charities,with main recipient Olive Crest receiving $25,000. The other charities -- Braille Institute, Canyon Acres, Community/SeniorServ, Crittenton Services, MADD, Mary's Shelter, TACA (Talk About Curing Autism) and THINK Together -- received $6,500 each. All of Santa Ana's remaining funds will go to other charities throughout 2008.

Ingram Micro would like to thank all the vendors, customers, associates and volunteers who participated and helped support each event.We look forward to seeing you on the course in 2008.

Solution Provider Gets Technical With Support From IMSN
Sita Business Systems works to be a one-stop resource to the federal government agencies it serves, whether those customers are looking for computers and peripherals or office supplies, copiers and furniture. Recently, a long-time customer, National Institutes of Health (NIH), called Sita account executive Porter Bankhead and asked for help in procuring and integrating five HP servers into its network.

"The NIH was putting together a system to create a highresolution profile of the restoration of the human genome project," Bankhead says. "Although we could do the customer interface, we are a small company that did not have the technological capabilities to do this rather complex project."

"Complex" is an accurate description. The project called for five high-powered HP Proliant DL140 servers to be integrated into an existing NIH lab that was used to track modifications occurring to DNA and other proteins that regulate the way genes are transcribed to produce proteins.With each experiment producing more than 80 million DNA sequences that must be mapped to the genome, the additional servers would add the computing power needed to crunch the data created by the sequencing machine, which can output up to a terabyte of data every three days.

"The bottom line was that lots of data (would) be generated, and NIH needed a system with servers in place that would allow the scientists to process the data and gain understanding from it," says Bankhead. "We knew HP's Proliant servers would be an ideal solution to this increasingly complex and data-intense business need, but we just didn't have the bandwidth or technical expertise to deploy it."

To qualify for the business, Sita contacted Ingram Micro's Onsite Professional Services, powered by the Ingram Micro Services Network (IMSN), to see what could be done. Although not an active IMSN member, Sita had learned from its Ingram Micro sales representative that the service was open to any and all Ingram Micro solution providers. After filling out an opportunity worksheet, Sita was approved, and the IMSN went to work to find a partner. Together, Sita and the IMSN team outlined the requirements of the projects, which included setting up the system, integrating the five HP servers and having the engineer remain on-site for a few days to answer questions that the NIH scientists might have.

In very short order, Ingram Micro had found a qualified technician from an existing IMSN partner: AVR Enterprises in Herndon,Va. Once the terms of the engagement had been cleared by both parties, the project was SKU'd up and the technician was dispatched. Ultimately, the project proved hugely successful -- and with the IMSN's help, Sita brought the project in on time and under budget.

"The final price was significantly lower than the original bid," says Bankhead. "We saved NIH almost $30,000.And our margin was good, too!"