Arrow's Empower Program Looks At Data Center Convergence, Services

Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions has added a couple new tricks to its Empower program for VARs, framing new solutions based on data center convergence and value-added services, according to the company.

Arrow detailed the new offerings for more than 100 VAR executives this week at its annual HP Alliance Summit in Hollywood, Fla., though the new initiatives run across all vendors the distributor carries, said Sean Kerins, president of Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, North America.

"We're closing the gap between a product-centric view of the data center and one that sits at the solution level and focuses on demand trends," Kerins said. "It's multi-dimensional multi-vendor, regardless of the hottest trends for selling enterprise technology. We have a standard methodology for helping partners go after that space, mapping different technologies to each of those opportunities."

Arrow launched the Empower program earlier this year with an initial offering around business intelligence and next-generation analytics.

Arrow launched Empower after noticing more than a year ago that solution providers were becoming more diversified among vendors they sell but organizing their practices around more specific solutions at the same time, Kerins said. "Someone might have said they have an IBM Power practice, but now they have a data center convergence practice or a security practice. We're taking our lead from them and they're taking their lead from what their customers want," he said.

Under Empower, Arrow has mapped out different technologies and products needed for specific solutions opportunities and beefed up its own data mining to better help partners find opportunities, Kerins said. For example, Arrow can help VARs mine their geography to identify prospects for specific solutions.

"It's about helping partners capitalize on that clear trend, regardless of the technologies they carry on their line card. We give them disciplines to say, 'Here's best practices we've seen and training based on the vendors you choose to work with,'" Kerins said. "Then we move into the demand gen cycle. We help them find a variety of prospects around say data center convergence and move to sales cycle enablement and support."