Tech Data Corp. has added offerings from Cisco Systems Inc. and the Ruckus Wireless division of Brocade Communications Systems Inc. to its North American product portfolio.
Both announcements were made in conjunction with the spring 2017 meeting of the Clearwater, Fla.-based distributor’s TechSelect partner community, which is currently underway in Savannah, Ga.
Under a new arrangement with Cisco, of San Jose, Calif., resellers in the U.S. and Canada can now work order the Cisco Security Incident Response Service through Tech Data’s Technology Solutions unit. That service provides customized advice on preparing for, responding to, and recovering from data breaches based on insights from the company’s Talos threat intelligence and research group.
“Enterprise IT systems are consistently under attack virtually everywhere, by viruses, malware, denial of service, etc., and studies show that security breaches cost hundreds of billions of dollars per year,” said Phillip Privett, who is vice president in charge of the Technology Solutions group’s Cisco solution portfolio, in a press statement. “Combine that with a worldwide shortage of security professionals, and the channel finds itself with a genuine need for a turnkey security response program that customers can deploy right now.”
Technology Solutions was known as Avnet Technology Solutions (ATS) until Phoenix, Ariz.-based Avnet Inc. sold it to Tech Data for $2.6 billion last September. That transaction formally closed in February.
Security specialists within Technology Solutions will help resellers weave the Cisco Incident Response Service into comprehensive security solutions. ATS’s strength in solution design and delivery was one of the primary motivators behind Tech Data’s decision to purchase it.
Both Technology Solutions and its new parent company have deeply established relationships with Cisco. Late last year, for example, ATS and Cisco collaborated on a series of live Internet of Things events. Tech Data, meanwhile, was named Cisco’s distributor of the year in November.
“As the threat landscape continues to grow, cybersecurity services offered by the channel are increasingly required by many end customers,” said Andrew Sage, Cisco’s vice president of Americas distribution, in today’s press release. “The Cisco Security Incident Response Service is the latest offering in our go-to-market approach with Tech Data’s Technology Solutions team, and our mutual channel partners will benefit from the value found in their market know-how and security expertise.”
The deal with Ruckus Wireless, which was disclosed yesterday, adds the networking vendor’s indoor and outdoor “Smart Wi-Fi” devices to Tech Data’s North American line card. Resellers can combine those products, which include wireless access points and switches, with Brocade products to form complete high-performance wireless network solutions. Brocade, which is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., acquired Ruckus a year ago.
“Our alliance with Ruckus adds a game-changing wireless component to our portfolio, offering a compelling solution to mobile carriers, broadband service providers and corporate enterprises,” said Chuck Bartlett, senior vice president of supplier solutions at Tech Data, in media remarks. “Ruckus wireless solutions are an ideal complement to Tech Data’s existing capabilities around Brocade offerings, highlighted by Brocade’s high-performance ICX campus network switches—making us even better positioned to support resellers who are helping to bring their end users into the new era of IT.”
Tech Data has assembled a team of Ruckus-certified technicians to provide support for its new offering.
“Ruckus is a pioneer in the Wi-Fi infrastructure market, enabling carriers and enterprises to stay ahead of the exploding demand for high-bandwidth applications and services,” said Eric Buck, director of worldwide distribution sales at Brocade, in the press release. “Our partnership with Tech Data will provide a better wireless experience option for their partners that offers greater performance, with flexibility, reliability and affordability—from the data center core to the wireless network edge.”
In March, Tech Data rival SYNNEX Corp., of Greenville, N.C., announced an alliance of its own with Ruckus covering its ICX campus switches.
The spring 2017 TechSelect conference concludes on Friday.
