Ingram Micro's New Experience Center Spotlights the Latest Cisco Technology

SANTA ANA, Calif., Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding its leadership in advanced technologies, Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) is pleased to announce the grand opening of its Experience Center.

Located within the distributor's multi-million dollar Solution Center in Buffalo, NY, the new 1,000 square foot technology showcase and demonstration facility offers a first look at many of Cisco's most popular technology solutions including Cisco TelePresence and the complete portfolio of Cisco Data Center, Borderless Network and Collaboration solutions. Interactive demonstrations of Cisco's mobile user, home user and remote user solutions are also featured within the new Center.  

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and sneak peek of the Experience Center will take place at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, November 9 in Buffalo. Guest speakers and event VIPs include Mario Leone, executive vice president and CIO, Ingram Micro; Paul Bay, executive vice president, Ingram Micro North America; Ken Bast, general manager and vice president, Advanced Technologies Division, Ingram Micro U.S.; Peter Gambino, vice president, Cisco Business Unit, Ingram Micro U.S.; Julie Hens, vice president, North American distribution, Cisco; Matt Jonson, director, systems engineering, Cisco and Marc Sherman, vice president of marketing, APC. Members of the press are welcome to attend.

New Experience Center is a Powerful, Business-Building Resource

Available now to authorized Ingram Micro solution providers throughout North America, the new Experience Center is a powerful sales, marketing and technical enablement resource. Ideal as a no risk, try-before-you-buy customer engagement tool, the new Center gives channel partners, as well as their clients and prospects, a first look at Cisco technology in action.  

Equipped with more than $2 million in new equipment, the Experience Center doubles as a best-in-class training lab and hands-on education classroom for channel partners who sell Cisco solutions. As the IT industry's ultimate resource for channel partner enablement, Ingram Micro plans to offer a wide variety of technical and sales-focused Cisco-based training courses over the next 18 months at the Experience Center.

"The Experience Center will help channel partners understand the importance of approaching their custom business needs and opportunities from an architectural perspective," said Julie Hens, vice president of North American distribution, Cisco. "Together, Ingram Micro and Cisco have built a state-of-the-art facility that will enable our channel partners and mutual customers to deepen their understanding of the business value delivered through Cisco technologies. Ultimately, Ingram Micro's Experience Center will make training, education and sales much more effective."

Ingram Micro's new Experience Center spotlights the following Cisco technologies:  Cisco Unified Computing System B-Series blade servers; Cisco Unified Computing System C-Series rack-mount servers; the entire portfolio of Cisco Nexus 7000, 5000, 2000 and 1000 switches; Cisco TelePresence; Cisco Video Surveillance; Cisco Digital Signage solutions; and Cisco's Unified Communications solutions.

"Ingram Micro is constantly innovating to find new and cost-effective ways to empower our channel partners to be more successful across the board in all they do," says Bast. "By investing in the Experience Center and delivering access to many of the advanced technologies that businesses are hungry for, we're offering our channel partners the solutions, resources and support they need to further specialize, move up market and gain a competitive edge."

For nearly 15 years, Cisco and Ingram Micro have been working side-by-side to provide channel partners with the technology, services, support and financing resources necessary to capture new and incremental sales and grow their business. In recognition of their joint success, Cisco recently presented Ingram Micro with the Cisco Worldwide Distributor of the Year Award.  Simultaneously, Ingram Micro's U.S. team was awarded the Cisco Services Innovation Award.

"The new Experience Center builds upon the momentum of the Ingram Micro Cisco Business Unit and will further enable our mutual channel partners to successfully sell and market Cisco solutions to their customers and prospects," concludes Bast.

For more information about Ingram Micro's Experience Center visit http://www.ingrammicro.com/cisco or contact your Ingram Micro sales representative.  

For more information about Ingram Micro, visit http://www.ingrammicro.com/.

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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 approximately 150 countries and is the only global broad-based IT distributor with operations in Asia. Visit www.ingrammicro.com.

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SOURCE Ingram Micro Inc.