Avnet Technology Solutions Expands Storage Portfolio with Archival Solutions from Plasmon

Enables Partners to Address Growing Market Demand for Secure Archival Solutions Due to Regulatory Compliance, Litigation Protection and Information Protection Requirements

TEMPE, Ariz. & BROOMFIELD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas, a value-added distributor of enterprise computing products, software and services, and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), and Plasmon (LSE: PLM), the trusted source in archiving systems, today announced a new distribution agreement. Under the agreement, Avnet will distribute and provide services and support for Plasmon’s archival products and solutions to authorized value-added reseller partners in North America.

The addition of Plasmon’s Ultra Density Optical (UDO) professional archival solutions expands Avnet's storage portfolio from disk and tape-based solutions to include optical media. Plasmon’s optical-based solutions are designed to meet the archival storage demands of large corporations, small- to mid-sized businesses, healthcare facilities and government agencies. They benefit end-customers by providing an archival storage option that features media longevity of more than 50 years, fast random access to data, low total cost of ownership, and an environmentally-conscious solution with low-power consumption and carbon footprint.

"An archive strategy to meet today’s demanding compliance standards is a business imperative. IT executives should strive to separate fixed content data from production data and move static data to an active archive,” said Carolyn DiCenzo, Research Vice President, Gartner, Inc. “A best practice for securing long-term data archives is to maintain three copies of data on at least two different types of media in multiple locations, mitigating the risk of media failure. At least one copy of the media should be removable and be maintained offsite for disaster recovery purposes.”

Plasmon’s solutions help partners implement a tiered archival strategy for their customers. While Plasmon’s products are widely used as a primary active archive solution, they also have the flexibility to work alongside existing disk and tape-based solutions as a secure second disaster recovery solution where two different types of media are recommended.

“The need for archival solutions continues to rise at an accelerated pace because of regulatory compliance, litigation protection and long-term retention requirements,” said Jeff Bawol, senior vice president and general manager, Enterprise Software and Storage Business Unit, Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. “Adding Plasmon to our existing storage portfolio gives partners new, high-margin opportunities to help their customers safeguard their data and ensure regulatory compliance.”

Through Avnet, partners will have access to Plasmon’s flagship product, UDO Archive Appliance, UDO 1 and 2 Drives and Media, G-Series UDO Libraries, and IBM 3996 Libraries for IBM System i and System p families. Partners can also leverage Avnet’s Consolidation Impact Assessment for Storage service. This provides partners with a proven methodology to rapidly assess a customer's storage environment, present a total cost of ownership analysis, and recommend the storage solutions and services most appropriate for end customers needs. The data in the analysis provides the partner's end-user customer with an objective review of the financial and technical benefits of storage consolidation. Additionally, partners can demonstrate Plasmon’s products to potential customers through Avnet’s IT DemoCentral portal. This portal provides easy access to full production versions of leading enterprise hardware and software, and offers a real-world environment for conducting training and highlighting software functionality.

“The channel is vital to our company’s go-to-market strategy, and cultivating the right base of reseller partners is critical to our success,” said Mike Koclanes, chief strategy officer and senior vice president of sales and marketing, Plasmon. “Partnering with Avnet and leveraging the company’s extensive expertise in storage gives us the infrastructure and reach we need to accelerate the adoption of advanced archival solutions through valued reseller partners.”

In addition to serving the needs of businesses in the mainstream IT market, Plasmon has a 20-year track record of delivering active archiving solutions to medical and healthcare providers. Partners will be able to leverage Avnet’s dedicated HealthPath™ healthcare practice and its training program, HealthPath University. Through Avnet’s HealthPath University, partners will learn how to develop business practices to address the growing healthcare industry and the types of solutions, such as Plasmon’s, that will enable them to meet the unique customer needs of this market.

“Avnet has always focused on providing us with the solutions, services and support that enable us to become trusted advisors to our customers,” said Ted Glahn, president, Presidio Networked Solutions. “The addition of Plasmon to Avnet’s portfolio offers us a unique option for customers that are looking for long-term, removable storage solutions with longevity and data authenticity for disaster recovery.”

About Plasmon

Plasmon is the trusted source in archiving systems and provides the most comprehensive line of archival storage solutions, including the flagship Archive Appliance product. Founded in 1984, Plasmon is listed on the London Stock Exchange, (LSE: PLM) with worldwide headquarters in Cambridge, United Kingdom and U.S. headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Plasmon offers longevity, authenticity, and ease of access to critical business data to enterprises looking to protect business assets for competitive reasons and meet regulatory compliance requirements. For more information, visit www.plasmon.com.

About Avnet Technology Solutions

Avnet Technology Solutions is a distributor focused on enterprise computing solutions and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. representing $4.99 billion in annual revenue, with locations in more than 30 countries. As a global technology sales and marketing organization, Avnet Technology Solutions has sales divisions focused on specific customer segments and a select line card strategy enabling an exceptional level of attention to the needs of its customers and suppliers. Visit www.ats.avnet.com/.

About Avnet

With more than 250 locations serving customers in 70 countries worldwide, Avnet markets, distributes and adds value to the products of the world’s leading electronic component suppliers, enterprise computer manufacturers and embedded subsystem providers. Additionally, Avnet brings a breadth and depth of service capabilities, such as supply-chain optimization, logistics solutions, product assembly, device programming, computer system integration and engineering design assistance. For the fiscal year ended July 1, 2006, Avnet generated revenue of $14.25 billion. Visit www.avnet.com/.