High-Technology Solutions Lab to Feature Real-Time Demonstration Center; Satellite Training Capabilities
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM)
, the largest global wholesale provider of technology products and services, today announced the development of the IM Solutions Center, a multifunctional development, testing and training lab for U.S. technology enterprise solution providers and vendor partners.
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The IM Solutions Center will serve as a world-class destination for building enterprise solutions. It will offer an onsite and remote porting facility for UNIX(R) and NT(R) server platforms, a showcase for demonstrating total solution offerings to technology buyers, an e-commerce solution center, a test center for new technologies and Internet architecture builds, and a training and certification facility. In addition to enterprise solution providers and vendors, the facility will also be available to other technology industry players such as web integrators, application service providers, consultants and e-commerce solution providers. Construction of the 2,000-square-foot facility will begin this month at Ingram Micro's Santa Ana, Calif., headquarters, with opening scheduled for early in the second quarter of 2001.
Speaking to enterprise Sun resellers at Ingram Micro's Enterprise.connect executive summit at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel, Calif, Ingram Micro U.S. President Kevin Murai called the center Ingram Micro's latest investment in enterprise technologies and in making these technologies available to customers developing enterprise solution offerings.
"The enterprise technology market is a complex selling environment for solution providers, requiring heavy financial and time investments in training, packaged solutions and supporting various vendor platforms," he said. "The IM Solutions Center helps our customers and vendors address these needs and deliver solutions selling. From sales support to financial and technical services, Ingram Micro is committed to providing the right tools to help our enterprise customers and vendors extend their market reach and increase profitability."
The center's key features include full Internet accessibility, a scalable demonstration room to accommodate large events and product releases and a 20-seat training facility with an interactive satellite downlink capability. The satellite technology provides vendors with the ability to interactively train solution providers in multiple offices with similar technologies, as well as to announce new programs and product releases in real time. The IM Solutions Center will be operated and maintained by engineers from Ingram Micro as well as participating vendors.
The IM Solutions Center is being developed through resources from Ingram Micro and more than $2 million in product and solution sponsorships from several leading vendors, led by Sun Microsystems, Inc. Other sponsors include IBM Lotus; iPlanet E-Commerce Solutions, a Sun/Netscape alliance; Network Associates; and Symantec Corp.
About Ingram Micro Inc.
Ingram Micro Inc. is the largest global wholesale provider of technology solutions, products and services. The company operates in 34 countries with sales exceeding $30 billion for the past four reported quarters. Ingram Micro's global regions offer e-commerce solutions, logistics services, and technology product distribution and marketing to more than 175,000 technology solution providers and manufacturers. The company is focused on maximizing shareowner value and achieving customer satisfaction by continuously innovating the information technology supply chain. Visit http://www.ingrammicro.com/.
Ingram Micro and the registered Ingram Micro logo are trademarks used under license by Ingram Micro Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
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Source: Ingram Micro Inc.
Contact: media, Alan Buis, Ext. 230, alan_buis@benjamingroup.com, or
Lisa Falcetti, Ext. 234, lisa_falcetti@benjamingroup.com, both of Benjamin
Group/BSMG Worldwide, 949-260-1300, for Ingram Micro Inc.; or Jennifer
Marchetta of Ingram Micro Inc., 714-382-2692,
jennifer.marchetta@ingrammicro.com
Website: http://www.ingrammicro.com/