Arrow ECS Enhances Solutions Lab For Future Evolution of the Channel

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (Apr. 20, 2010) – As evolving technology and new markets usher in a new era for the IT channel, Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, a business segment of Arrow Electronics Inc. [NYSE: ARW], has enhanced its solutions lab to help resellers close more sales both in the present and the future.

“Use of our solutions lab continues to increase as resellers recognize the value of demonstrating solutions as an effective approach to closing sales,” said Glenn Samala, senior director of North American sales operations for Arrow ECS, who oversees the Arrow ECS solutions lab. “We have made several improvements to our solutions lab to facilitate opportunity progression for resellers throughout the sales cycle.”

The Atlanta solutions lab enables Arrow ECS resellers and their customers to test and demonstrate increasingly complex data-center solutions in an environment that replicates the data-center environment.

A broader variety of technology, including many cloud-computing solutions and products from market innovators, is now featured in the solutions lab. Examples of these products include the new EMC® VNX™ family of unified storage systems, HP BladeSystem Matrix private cloud solution, CA virtualization suite and Riverbed Steelhead Appliance. Many other products from Brocade, CA, Cisco, EMC, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, IBM, NetApp, Riverbed and VMware, among others, also are available.

The solutions lab offers enhanced virtual capabilities for self-service access, on-demand demonstrations and hands-on training and certification. Self-service access enables resellers to demonstrate solutions for their customers. On-demand access to key solutions provides resellers flexibility with conducting demonstrations anytime, anywhere and at any point in the sales cycle. Resellers can complete product training either through self-paced study using videos and recorded demonstrations, or they can enroll in courses held in the solutions lab environment and led by Arrow ECS solution architects.

Logging into a secure website, resellers can operate technology available at the solution lab as if they were physically there. All of the software and equipment is accessible through a single connection.

Drawing from the technical expertise of the Arrow ECS Fusion professional services team, resellers can work with Arrow ECS for engineering services, implementation support and 24-hour technical assistance. The solutions lab also continues to offer access to solutions architects for configuration, presales and proof-of-concept support.

ABOUT ARROW ENTERPRISE COMPUTING SOLUTIONS

Arrow ECS, a business segment of Arrow Electronics Inc. [NYSE: ARW], provides enterprise and midrange computing products, services and solutions to value-added resellers, system integrators, and independent software vendors. Based in Englewood, Colo., and with offices in 29 countries, Arrow ECS connects its customers to the world’s foremost technology suppliers. Arrow ECS reported $5.6 billion in global enterprise computing solution sales in 2010. Visit ecs.arrow.com for more information.

Contacts
Arrow Electronics, Inc.
Dawn Small
Communications Manager
Arrow ECS
303-824-4188
dsmall@arrow.com