Avnet Inc., the Phoenix, Arizona-based distributor, today announced two significant new collaborations with IBM Corp. at IBM’s PartnerWorld Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida.
The first initiative seeks to promote the development and deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) solutions based on the IBM Watson IoT Platform in the U.S., Europe, and Canada.
Under the new agreement, Avnet and IBM will help original equipment manufacturers, solution providers, and other tech industry businesses create new IoT-related solutions by providing them access to:
- IBM applications critical to designing and managing IoT solutions, including IBM Watson IoT Platform, IBM Watson, and IBM Cloud
- IoT development platforms and kits that accelerate prototyping of IoT solutions based on IBM’s Bluemix hybrid cloud development platform
- Avnet data center and cloud solutions based on IBM Watson IoT Platform for analytics, asset management, data management, IoT platform-as-a-service, and security
- IBM software- and infrastructure-as-a-service solutions in areas such as analytics, mobile, social, and security via the Avnet Cloud Marketplace, along with the ability to create branded storefronts. Avnet introduced the Cloud Marketplace last year.
- Assistance with proof-of-concept solutions from Avnet technicians
- Solution design, integration, and assembly support services at Avnet solution centers in the Americas and EMEA
- Technical education and training for both IBM Bluemix and IBM Watson IoT Platform through Avnet Academy
“Developing an IoT solution is incredibly complex and requires deep technical knowledge from a semiconductor level to advanced data analytics running in a data center,” said Patrick Zammit, president of Avnet Technology Solutions, Global, in a press statement. “Avnet and IBM joined together to simplify the development cycle at every stage and give our customers the power to unlock the potential of IoT.”
Under the second agreement unveiled today, Avnet’s wholly-owned Avnet Government Solutions LLC subsidiary now offers IBM’s complete security solutions portfolio to resellers targeting the federal, state, local, and education markets. Offerings now available through Avnet Government Solutions include IBM’s BigFix endpoint protection solution, QRadar security analytics platform, and Guardium data security platform.
“IT security is one of the biggest priorities today for public and private sector leaders,” said Pete Rzonca, vice president of Avnet Government Solutions, in a press release. “Our business partners will now have a suite of leading IT security service offerings that they can immediately incorporate and implement for their customers, reducing business partners’ barriers to entry in this specialized market.”
Avnet also plans to develop new security service offerings enabling its partners to deliver subscription-based solutions for public sector customers.
Today’s news comes just a few months after Avnet Government Solutions became an IBM cloud reseller.
