IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference – Avnet Government Solutions, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a leading global technology distributor, today announced new cloud security solutions through its partnership with IBM aimed at the public sector. Offering Security-as-a-Service (SaaS), Avnet Government Solutions business partners can now access IBM’s complete security solutions portfolio – including BigFix for endpoint protection, the QRadar security analytics platform and the Guardium data security platform – for federal, state, local and education government customers. These services-based solutions, known as “AGS SaaS Protect,” are designed to help Avnet Government Solutions’ business partners enhance the security postures for their government customers, making use of cloud for new innovations, improving service, better managing risk and reducing costs.

The new capabilities will help address one of the biggest security vulnerabilities across organizations – the laptops, workstations and servers used by individuals within an organization, referred to as endpoints, which are the primary targets for cyber criminals to infiltrate with malware, social engineering, phishing scams and other methods. In fact, a recent study from MeriTalk found that 44 percent of federal government endpoints are unknown or unprotected. One Avnet Government Solutions partner, GreenWave Technology Corp., a leading provider of computer and network security, is using AGS SaaS Protect on IBM Cloud for better endpoint management.

“Avnet Government Solutions has demonstrated that they have the capabilities to help us take our government business to a new level, and their addition of IBM’s portfolio of security products will help us in our commitment to providing our customers with better managed and protected data,” said Tanyalynnette Palmo, CEO, GreenWave Technology Corp. “GreenWave places the utmost importance on the security, insight and control of our customers’ data infrastructures, and IBM’s security offerings will help safeguard and manage them.”

“IT security is one of the biggest priorities today for public and private sector leaders,” said Pete Rzonca, vice president of Avnet Government Solutions. “Avnet’s new cloud security solutions will help business partners quickly enhance the security of their U.S. public sector customers’ IT infrastructures, and they stand as another great example of how Avnet and IBM have worked in partnership over the past 30 years to help partners capitalize on high-growth opportunities. Our business partners will now have a suite of leading IT security service offerings that they can immediately incorporate and implement for their customers, reducing business partners’ barriers to entry in this specialized market.”

Avnet Government Solutions will develop a set of security service offerings that its business partners can leverage and build upon to deliver complete, subscription-based solutions for their customers. Business partners will also be able to draw on Avnet’s complementary technology portfolio to create unique solutions. Additionally, since these solutions are offered through Avnet Government Solutions in a services-based model, easy access is provided for partners looking to deploy security solutions built on IBM technology and delivered to the federal and state, local and education spaces. IBM’s security software portfolio will now be available through the cloud for Avnet customers.

“With its flexibility and ability to more easily visualize analytics associated with security incidents, cloud is proving to be a real game-changer in the fight against cybercrime,” said Scott Ryan, North America vice president, IBM Security Systems. “Our relationship with Avnet Government Solutions in the U.S. public sector combined with trusted IBM Security expertise will deliver unparalleled security intelligence with reduced complexity for Avnet’s valued partners and government agencies looking for innovative approaches to solving security challenges.”

Today’s announcement expands on IBM’s partnership with Avnet in the public sector, which includes serving as a reseller of IBM Cloud.

Avnet at 2016 IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference

Avnet is an Ambassador-level sponsor of this year’s IBM PartnerWorld Leadership Conference at the Hilton Bonnet Creek hotel in Orlando, Fla., February 15-18, where partner attendees can schedule one-on-one meetings with Avnet leaders from all over the world, including North America, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Australia and Asia. Partners can also engage with Avnet during breakout sessions, at Avnet receptions, and by visiting the Avnet kiosk. For more information, contact your Avnet account representative.

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About IBM Security

IBM’s security platform provides the security intelligence to help organizations holistically protect their people, data, applications and infrastructure. IBM offers solutions for identity and access management, security information and event management, database security, application development, risk management, endpoint management, next-generation intrusion protection and more. IBM operates one of the world’s broadest security research and development, and delivery organizations. For more information, please visit www.ibm.com/security, follow @IBMSecurity on Twitter or visit the IBM Security Intelligence blog.

About Avnet Government Solutions

Avnet Government Solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of Avnet, Inc., focusing on the U.S. public sector. Specializing in the federal, state, local and education markets, it helps independent software vendor, systems integrator and value-added reseller partners capture IT market share with the U.S. government. Avnet Government Solutions has industry experience, strong supplier relationships, and government IT insight, providing an advantage partners and suppliers can leverage to transform technology into solutions that achieve meaningful results for the public sector. For more information, visit www.gov.avnet.com.

About Avnet, Inc.

From components to cloud and design to disposal, Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT) accelerates the success of customers who build, sell and use technology globally by providing them with a comprehensive portfolio of innovative products, services and solutions. Avnet is a Fortune 500 company with revenues of $27.9 billion for the fiscal year 2015. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

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