Avnet Technology Solutions (NYSE: AVT) announced a new cloud channel program at EMC World in Las Vegas called VSPEX Cloud Accelerator.
This program provides EMC channel partners a path to deploy VSPEX private clouds managed by Microsoft System Center 2012.
The program contains five main features:
1. Technical configuration and validation support across multiple brands.
2.Avnet will offer channel partners one integrated quote for configuration and order entry.
3.Accelerating channel awareness and reseller partner adoption with Avnet’s technical services and “Top Gun” partner training boot camps.
4.Providing security solutions through Avnet’s partnership with RSA and STEALTHbits.
5.Enhancing reseller partners and system integrators’ services opportunities with Avnet’s Data Center Lifecycle Services, as well as Brocade, Cisco, EMC, Microsoft and VMware consulting resources.
Tech Data’s overall net sales for the first quarter ended April 30, 2012, were $5.9 billion, a decrease of about seven per cent from $6.3 billion in the prior-yearfirst quarter.
According to Tech Data, the weakening of certain foreign currencies against the U.S. dollar negatively impacted the year-over-year netsales comparison by approximately four percentage points. In the first quarter of fiscal 2013, the company prospectively revised itspresentation of sales of vendor warranty services and certain fulfillment contracts such that they are now reflected on anagency basis as net fees as opposed to net sales and cost of products sold. These items would have contributed approximately$200 million of sales in the first quarter, which negatively impacted the year-over-year net sales comparison by approximately threepercentage points.
This change had no impact on gross profit dollars, operating income dollars, net income dollars or earnings per share for any period reported, but positively impacted the gross margin and operating income margin percentages in thefirst quarter of fiscal 2013 by approximately 18 and five basis points, respectively.
Also included in prior year net sales is approximately $100 million related to the in-country operations of Brazil and Colombia, which the company exited at the end offiscal 2012. Excluding the impact of the above factors, net sales increased by approximately one per cent. Operating income for the first quarter was $80.9 million or 1.37 percent of net sales. This compared to operating income of$75.7 million or 1.20 per cent of net sales in the prior-year first quarter. First-quarter net income attributable to shareholders ofTech Data was $51.7 million or $1.24 per diluted share compared to $48.7 million or $1.03 per diluted share in the prior-year period.
Company CEO Robert Dutkowsky said he was pleased with the start of fiscal 2013 with record first quarter operating income, net income and earnings per share.
“Our performance clearly demonstrates that despite volatile and uncertain markets, our strong operations, flexible business model and strategy of execution, diversification and innovation enable Tech Data to capture profitable market share and to deliver strong results to our shareholders,” he said.
Other happenings in distribution this week
Ingram Micro Inc. announced it will co-host the 2012 Health IT Innovation Summit on June 28 at the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, Calif.
