Avnet TS signs up with Riverbed for WAN optimisation support

Avnet Technology Solutions has further enlarged its services portfolio, signing up as a partner with Riverbed.

Avnet has been awarded Riverbed Authorised Support Partner (RASP) status in the UK, and will provide support to resellers providing wide area network (WAN) optimisation services.  This means Avnet will provide post-sales engineering support, education for Riverbed technology, and a dedicated lab for testing and problem replication.

In order to receive the RASP status, Avnet needed to demonstrate detailed reporting mechanisms incorporating installed base data, training and certification procedures, and performance metrics and service renewal activities.

Avnet will also be required to conduct customer satisfaction surveys going forward.

In addition Avnet also  plans to expand its portfolio of Riverbed services in future, providing support for network monitoring, application delivery and cloud storage acceleration technologies.

Avnet said that its partners will be able to save on support for Riverbed solutions, and will be able to expand their own offerings.  Partners can also take advantage of a new Avnet Same Day Plus service, including the provision of a technical specialist on-site at customer locations, the distributor said.

“Our agreement with Riverbed marks yet another step forward in our continuing programme of service provision,” said Anthony Rowan, services director, Avnet Technology Solutions, UK.  “Working with leading vendors like Riverbed, we can complete the loop from pre-sales support, configuration and supply of the latest technology, to full after-care support – all backed with effective business development and marketing programmes and all in one place.”

He added: “This represents a powerful proposition for our business partners who are under increasing pressure to deliver end-to-end, revenue-generating business solutions to their customers quickly and cost-efficiently.”

Richard Gold, UK vice president, Riverbed, commented: “Partnering with Avnet was a simple decision, as we share a common ethos for delivering the very best solutions that drive customer loyalty and generate additional value for both the channel and the end customer.

“Avnet’s proven track record of providing business partners with the expert technical knowledge and commercial clout necessary to succeed in today’s marketplace is critical to our own success,” Gold said.

He added: “It reduces the load on the Riverbed support organisation, giving us the freedom to focus on engineering and development rather than day-to-day queries and to devote more resources to delivering innovative new technology.”