Avnet Technology Solutions Brings Oracle Cloud Services to the U.S. and Canadian Channel

Avnet Technology Solutions, a global IT solutions distribution leader and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), today extended its more-than-25-year relationship with Oracle to help Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) partners expand their cloud computing capabilities. Avnet will now assist partners in engaging in Oracle Cloud services through Oracle’s recently introduced Value Added Distributor (VAD) offerings and obtaining the specializations needed to solve their customers’ business needs with Oracle Cloud services. Additionally, Avnet will distribute Oracle’s portfolio of Oracle Cloud services, including those related to enterprise performance management, financials, human capital management, portfolio management, procurement, social relationship management, supply chain and vertical industry applications.

“With worldwide public IT cloud services spending expected to reach nearly $108 billion by 20171, this market presents a tremendous opportunity for our partners,” said Chuck Scalia, vice president and general manager, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, Oracle Solutions group. “Avnet’s team has deep technical and market expertise in public, private and hybrid cloud platforms. Our Oracle partners will be able to draw upon this experience to rapidly bring Oracle Cloud services to market and expand partners’ revenue opportunities.”

The Oracle Cloud partner program features an array of unique offerings designed to fit specific customer needs, as well as a variety of individual partner skill levels. As a part of this program, partners will be recognized for their expertise and capabilities to meet customers’ needs around specific cloud services. Additionally, they will have an opportunity to participate in the entire lifecycle of the cloud services subscription, including the ability to expand, upgrade and renew cloud services over time.

“The Oracle Cloud Partner program is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the channel and enable highly specialized partners to deepen their relationships with customers,” said Bruce Chumley, group vice president, Worldwide Alliances and Channels Distribution Sales, Oracle. “Avnet has a proven track record of helping partners obtain Oracle PartnerNetwork Specializations, and we know that they will be equally successful in accelerating our partners’ cloud computing capabilities and developing new routes to market for Oracle Cloud, our public cloud services.”

Avnet is one of the largest global distributors of Oracle technologies, and it supports Oracle and its partner community in 58 countries throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Since 2010, Avnet has helped partners obtain approximately 650 OPN specializations through its successful “Under Our Wing” program in the U.S. and Canada. This program provides resources, tools, training, dedicated personnel and demos to prepare partners for specialization tests.

"Avnet has been an invaluable partner to Keste, helping us to be recognized as the ‘2014 Oracle Excellence Award Global Specialized Partner of the Year for Middleware,’" said Ken Judd, chief financial officer, Keste, LLC. "Avnet's personal and highly engaged approach to specialization has allowed us to get to market quickly and ahead of our competitors. We’re looking forward to working with Avnet’s cloud experts on the Oracle Cloud Partner program and engaging with Avnet to transform technology and services from Oracle Cloud offerings into true business solutions for our customers.”

Partners will also benefit from Avnet CloudReadyTM, the company’s approach to helping the channel community move their customers’ businesses to the cloud, as well as the extensive experience and knowledge base of the Avnet Cloud Solutions and Avnet Services teams. Avnet has proven technical expertise to assess and deliver optimal public, private or hybrid cloud solutions that best suit partners’ and their customers' needs.

At Oracle OpenWorld, OPN partners were able to hear more about Avnet’s approach to cloud computing in the session titled “Growing Your Business with Avnet and Oracle.” This session featured Chuck Scalia, vice president and general manager, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, Oracle Solutions group, and Tim FitzGerald, vice president of Cloud Solutions, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, who discussed how partners can develop complete IT solutions that span hardware, software, and services and succeed in the rapidly changing IT landscape.

Additionally, Avnet is a Platinum-level sponsor of Oracle OpenWorld, as well as a Platinum-level member of OPN. To learn more about Avnet’s programs for Oracle partners, please visit ats.avnet.com/ts-oracle.

Follow Avnet Technology Solutions, North America, on Twitter: @AvnetAdvantage and @AvnetTSChannels.
During Oracle OpenWorld 2014, follow us on Twitter @Avnet_Oracle and use the hashtag #oow14.

For more information about Avnet’s cloud solutions, visit www.avnetcloudready.com.
Learn more about Avnet’s cloud solutions through the Avnet Cloud Solutions Blog.
Watch Avnet’s videos on the cloud: http://www.youtube.com/user/AvnetCloudSolutions/featured.

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About Oracle OpenWorld

Oracle OpenWorld San Francisco is the most important business and technology conference of the year for Oracle customers, prospective customers, and partners. This educational conference is dedicated to helping businesses optimize existing systems and understand upcoming industry trends and breakthroughs driven by technology. Oracle OpenWorld offers more than 2,500 educational sessions, hundreds of demos and hands-on labs, and exhibitions from more than 400 partners and customers from around the world showcasing applications, middleware, database, server and storage systems, industries, management, cloud, and infrastructure solutions—all engineered for innovation. Oracle OpenWorld 2014 is being held September 28 through October 2 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information; to register; or to watch Oracle OpenWorld keynotes, sessions, and more, please visit www.oracle.com/openworld. Join the Oracle OpenWorld discussion on Twitter, Facebook, and the Oracle OpenWorld blog.

About Oracle PartnerNetwork

Oracle PartnerNetwork (OPN) Specialized is the latest version of Oracle's partner program that provides partners with tools to better develop, sell and implement Oracle solutions. OPN Specialized offers resources to train and support specialized knowledge of Oracle products and solutions and has evolved to recognize Oracle's growing product portfolio, partner base and business opportunity. Key to the latest enhancements to OPN is the ability for partners to differentiate through Specializations. Specializations are achieved through competency development, business results, expertise and proven success. To find out more visit http://www.oracle.com/partners.

About Avnet Technology Solutions

As a global IT solutions distributor, Avnet Technology Solutions transforms technology into business solutions for customers around the world. It collaborates with customers and suppliers to create and deliver services, software and hardware solutions that address the changing needs of end-user customers. The group serves customers and suppliers in North America, Latin America and Caribbean, Asia Pacific, and Europe, Middle East and Africa. It generated US $11.0 billion in annual revenue for fiscal year 2014. Avnet Technology Solutions is an operating group of Avnet, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.ats.avnet.com.

About Avnet, Inc.

Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers globally. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended June 28, 2014, Avnet generated revenue of $27.5 billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

1 “Worldwide and Regional Public IT Cloud Services 2013–2017 Forecast,” IDC, Doc #242464, August 2013.