Technology distributor Ingram Micro and network access solutions provider Aruba Networks announced a distribution agreement that will see Ingram market, sell and support Aruba’s portfolio of wired and wireless access solutions.
Ingram Micro, which is a specialist in IT supply-chain, mobile device lifecycle services and logistics solutions, works to create sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through marketing programs, outsourced logistics and mobile solutions, technical support, financial services, and product aggregation and distribution.
Under the terms of the agreement, Aruba will work with Ingram Micro’s Advanced Technology Division to offer a broad set of sales and technical tools, as well as training and support resources to its mutual channel partners.
“Ingram Micro brings Aruba an expanded footprint of resellers and new opportunities that will help us reach the kinds of customers that are ideal for our entire portfolio of products, and target key growth areas like cloud-managed Wi-Fi,” Jim Harold, vice president of channel for Aruba Networks, said in a statement. “This new relationship with Ingram Micro is strategic to our growth as a company, because it gives us access to a channel that is primed for the solutions we offer and excited to add the value Aruba brings to their networking practices.”
In addition, the relationship is designed to bring greater brand and market awareness to Aruba’s Instant controller-less access points (APs) and the recently announced Aruba Central cloud management service, as well as the company’s new cloud WiFi solution to channel partners in the United States.
The cloud WiFi platform combines the company’s Central cloud-based management service with Instant APs—including the new Instant 155 wireless and wired AP, the new Instant 220 series 802.11ac wireless AP and a new version of Aruba Instant OS, for distributed organizations and midsize networks.
Aruba is also expanding its switching portfolio with the S1500 Mobility Access Switch, optimized for cloud WiFi and designed for both large, distributed enterprises and smaller locations.
Aruba Central is a public, cloud subscription-based management service that gives organizations a single point of management for multiple sites and multiple Instant WLANs within sites.
“We’re seeing an increasing demand for an enterprise-grade, cloud-managed Wi-Fi solution within our channel partner community,” Eric Kohl, senior director of the Ingram Micro U.S. advanced technology division, said in a statement. “Aruba’s new Cloud Wi-Fi offers the simplicity and scalability that our partners and their customers are looking for, and is a great addition to our growing portfolio of best-in-class networking solutions.”