EMC Provides Velocity Distribution Partners Worldwide with New Assembly Services Capability

HOPKINTON, Mass., Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

News Summary:

• EMC continues to add to its recent string of channel-centric initiatives by announcing a new assembly services capability for its EMC Velocity™ distribution Partners.
• The new capability provides qualified distribution Partners with training and authorization to offer their reseller Partners assembly services for EMC VSPEX™ Proven Infrastructure¹ and other solutions that feature EMC's award-winning unified storage systems and next-generation backup solutions.
• As a result, reseller Partners can choose to leverage their distributors' assembly services to drive faster, easier, and more efficient implementations of multi-vendor solutions based on EMC technology for their customers.

Full Story:

EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) today announced that it is enabling EMC^® Velocity distributors worldwide with the skills and resources required to assemble multi-vendor solutions that feature EMC's award-winning unified storage systems and next-generation backup solutions. Distributors worldwide will be provided with the technical training, proven methodologies and the backing of EMC's Global Services organization so they may assemble EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure and other solutions for their reseller Partners. By receiving a pre-assembled, proven solution on-site that has been customized to meet the customer's specific business needs, reseller Partners can immediately focus on accelerating the installation and implementation so that its customers can realize the benefits of the solution faster.

The new assembly capability for distributors builds on EMC's commitment to provide choice for how Partners assemble multi-vendor solutions. It also enables Partners to accelerate their profitability by focusing on value-added services to more quickly deploy the solution to meet specific customer needs. Today's announcement follows a string of other new EMC initiatives developed to help channel partners worldwide accelerate their customers' journey to the cloud. These include VSPEX Proven Infrastructure, as well as Velocity Cloud Practices -- Cloud Builder and Cloud Provider -- and EMC Cooperative Services, which were announced at the first annual Global Partner Summit held at EMC World in May.

Reseller and Customer Benefits:

The assembly services capability announced today provides resellers and their customers:

• Faster, easier, and more efficient implementations of multi-vendor solutions like VSPEX that are built on EMC VNX^® and VNXe^® unified storage systems, EMC Data Domain^® deduplication storage systems and Avamar^®  deduplication backup software and systems;
• More efficient use of resources that focus on high-value configuration, reduced implementation time, and integration services specific to customer needs;
• Confidence of a validated solution assembled to their specific requirements by EMC-trained professionals; and
• Simplified logistics by reducing the need to receive and track numerous components for multi-vendor solutions.

Distribution Partner Benefits:

• EMC Velocity distributors that offer assembly services can better support many of their reseller Partners by delivering pre-built, multi-vendor solutions such as VSPEX that include EMC technology;
• EMC is providing distributors with free training and tools that support assembly of solutions built on the EMC VNX family of unified storage solutions, and Data Domain and Avamar backup and recovery solutions; and
• EMC is also providing distributors with online access to installation guides and tools, the backing of EMC Customer Support Services, and EMC's validation of their qualified status.

Reseller Partner Quotes:

Peter Castaldi, Principal and Co-Founder, Kovarus

"Arrow's new assembly services capabilities will dramatically increase time to market for our customers and accelerate their journey to the cloud. The sooner our customers receive VSPEX, the sooner they can begin to realize the benefits of the VSPEX solutions. With simplified logistics and more efficient multi-vendor solutions based on EMC technology, we can rapidly configure the technology to deliver true business value to our customers. "

Colin Sheard, Commercial Director, Synapse

"As a reseller, it's important that we have options to scale our business to meet our unique customer needs. Today's announcement is another example of EMC's commitment to provide its partners with the resources to meet our customers need for faster deployments, while growing our business."

Distribution Partner Quotes:

Joe Burke, Vice President of the North American Security, Virtualization and Networking group, Enterprise Computing Solutions, Arrow Electronics

"This additional services capability for Arrow brings Arrow's channel-enablement model full circle. Arrow's VSPEX enablement tools, coupled with the ability to assemble, will enable our solution providers to quickly and easily deliver VSPEX solutions to their customers."

Scott Zahl, Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Computing Division, Ingram Micro

"Having the ability to offer custom configuration, expert integration and other assembly services are critical for channel partners selling advanced technology solutions such as VSPEX. These new assembly services from EMC combined with Ingram Micro's proven partner enablement services and advanced solutions expertise will further enhance the value proposition we offer EMC partners and certainly help speed the sale and deployment cycle."

Christian Magirus, Executive Vice President & COO, Magirus AG

"In today's market, reseller Partners are demanding proven multi-vendor infrastructure solutions in one easy and fast shipment that is simple and efficient. EMC's new assembly services are a critical component for Magirus to deliver VSPEX and EMC's unified storage and backup solutions pre-tested, configured and tailored to meet our resellers' customer needs faster and easier. Wrapped with Magirus' additional support and implementation services, we are able to offer choice to suit our partners' businesses."

Chuck Bartlett, Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Infrastructure Solutions (AIS), Tech Data

"When EMC launched VSPEX earlier this year, it brought more choice, flexibility, and new selling opportunities for Tech Data's resellers. EMC's new assembly services capability is straightforward to adopt and gives us greater flexibility to meet our partners' needs, making it even easier to bring VSPEX solutions to our partners through our two ISO 9001 integration centers. As more companies move to cloud computing, we expect to see increasing demand for pre-tested, integrated solutions like VSPEX that leverage the full strength of our AIS group."

EMC Quote:

Daniel Coetsier, VP, Global Services, Channel and Partners, EMC Corporation

"EMC's new assembly services capability gives our Velocity distribution Partners a new opportunity to support their resellers by delivering solutions that are tailored to specific customer requirements. Today's announcement reinforces EMC's commitment to our valued channel Partners worldwide. We will continue to add more programs and capabilities that provide our distributors and resellers with predictable and profitable ways to add value to their customers and help accelerate their IT and business transformations."

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about partnering with EMC
• Follow @EMCChannel and join the #EMC conversation on Twitter
• Connect with EMC via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and ECN

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset -- information -- in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.

¹ Announced in May 2012, EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure is a simple, efficient, and flexible reference architecture comprised of EMC's award-winning VNX and VNXe unified storage systems and Avamar and Data Domain backup products, along with best-of-breed virtualization, server, and network technology from EMC alliance partners Brocade, Cisco, Citrix, Intel, Microsoft, and VMware. The fourteen VSPEX configurations available today are focused on enabling customers to accelerate deployment of private cloud and end user computing environments. With VSPEX, channel partners can sell complete, highly-flexible solutions to their customers, which may result in a higher attach rate of components, and likely a bigger sale. VSPEX allows partners the option to mix and match server and network components based on customers' specific infrastructure and application requirements to improve profitability while optimizing the value delivered to the customer. Additional partner and customer benefits can be found here.

EMC, Avamar, Data Domain, Velocity, VNX, VNXe and VSPEX are either registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation and its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. The use of the word "partner" does not imply a legal partnership relationship with EMC or any other company.

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the Federal Securities Laws. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (iii) the relative and varying rates of product price and component cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services revenues; (iv) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (v) component and product quality and availability; (vi) fluctuations in VMware, Inc.'s operating results and risks associated with trading of VMware stock; (vii) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and rapid technological and market change; (viii) risks associated with managing the growth of our business, including risks associated with acquisitions and investments and the challenges and costs of integration, restructuring and achieving anticipated synergies; (ix) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (x) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (xi) fluctuating currency exchange rates; (xii) threats and other disruptions to our secure data centers or networks; (xiii) our ability to protect our proprietary technology; (xiv) war or acts of terrorism; and (xv) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in EMC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EMC disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

SOURCE EMC Corporation