Ingram Micro Launches New Social Networking Sites for Partner Communities, Forms Strategic Alliance With M&A Forum LLC
October 15 2007 - 8:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Industry Thought Leader Positions 'The Zone' and 'M&A Forum' as
Growth Catalysts for VAR-to-VAR Enablement and Networking
Opportunities LAS VEGAS, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- VentureTech
Network Invitational -- Keeping the focus on partnership and
growth, Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE:IM) today announced two distinct
online networking resources designed specifically to enable,
educate and network solution provider partners in the U.S. and
Canada. The new offerings include: -- The Zone -- Exclusive to
Ingram Micro's solution provider communities, the Zone is comprised
of four online business-to-business social networking sites powered
by Leverage Software. These social networking communities are
designed to make it easier for solution providers to partner and
communicate with fellow members within a specific Ingram Micro
community. -- M&A Forum -- Offered as part of a strategic
alliance between Ingram Micro and M&A Forum LLC, this open
online marketplace allows solution providers to exchange
information, as well as find candidates for mergers, acquisitions
and capital investments at a reduced rate. It also serves as a
proven resource for identifying best practices surrounding mergers
and acquisitions. The Zone and M&A Forum will debut this week
at Ingram Micro's Fall VentureTech Invitational, scheduled for Oct.
14-17 at Caesars' Palace, Las Vegas. The Zone will be readily
available to solution providers within Ingram Micro's four partner
communities, including VentureTech Network, SMB Alliance, GovEd
Alliance and System ArchiTECHs, by November 2007. The M&A Forum
is available immediately to all Ingram Micro solutions providers.
"Social networking and online marketplaces are breaking into the
business world and will, without a doubt, become primary vehicles
for solution providers to build their business, network, partner
and refine best practices," says Christina Richmond, hardware
channels analyst, IDC. "The advent of Web 2.0 into what has been a
historically face-to-face relationship between VARs and Ingram
Micro will bring a new level of networking and partnership to the
table and escalate the sharing of best practices, as well as
identify new market opportunities and trends." "We introduced The
Zone and forged an alliance with M&A Forum to extend our value
and help our partners accelerate their business faster than they
could do alone," says Kirk Robinson, vice president, channel
marketing, Ingram Micro North America. "By using these new online
resources, our solution providers can network and partner with each
other remotely and on a much broader scale that drills down deeper
into each organization. It's a win/win for everyone involved and
another key differentiator for those solution providers partnered
with Ingram Micro." "The M&A Forum is the first marketplace
focused exclusively on M&A services for IT services and
solutions providers, outsourcing and software firms," says Patricia
Wegner, president, M&A Forum. "We look forward to working with
the Ingram Micro communities and putting solution providers
together for new opportunities." The Zone will be offered to each
Ingram Micro community free of charge. Each of the four social
networking tools, branded as VentureTech Zone, SMB Alliance Zone,
System ArchiTECHS Zone and GovEd Alliance Zone, will feature
detailed member profiles and will allow partners to search for,
create and maintain contacts lists, host topical groups, and
participate in online discussions through chat room functionality.
Solution providers can also maintain their own blogs and
participate in online polls to provide feedback to the greater
community and Ingram Micro. In addition, The Zone will help members
stay up to speed on events and manufacturer information with
dynamic banner ads and resources posted throughout the site.
"Ingram Micro's new social networking sites, combined with the
M&A Forum, will make it that much easier for our partners to
work together, network their employees with other like-minded
professionals, and cash-in on new sales and service opportunities
that may not have existed otherwise," concludes Robinson. "It's
this ability to innovate and partner smart that sets us apart and
enables us to build the IT industry's most successful and
sought-after partner communities and solution providers in the IT
channel." To learn more about Ingram Micro's solution provider
communities and business-building resources, visit
http://www.ingrammicro.com/ or call (800) 456-8000. About Ingram
Micro As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro
creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and
resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics
services, technical support, financial services, and product
aggregation and distribution. The company serves 150 countries and
is the only broadline global IT distributor with operations in
Asia. Visit http://www.ingrammicro.com/. DATASOURCE: Ingram Micro
Inc. CONTACT: Marie Meoli of WhiteFox Marketing &
Communications, +1-714-680-0335, , for Ingram Micro Inc. Web site:
http://www.ingrammicro.com/
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