Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 10th January 2012 – Avnet Technology Solutions, the global IT solutions distribution leader and operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), has entered into a strategic alliance with Oracle to offer a proof-of-concept demonstration facility in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, for Oracle’s Engineered Systems, including the Exadata Database Machine and Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud. The facility will help Avnet’s business partners in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region address the business challenges of their end-user customers.

The demonstration centre is the first of its kind in the MENA region. The facility works as a point of reference for companies that would like to understand the potential of Oracle Exadata and Exalogic technology. It will enable companies to experience the use of Oracle technologies by creating proof-of concept-designs and performance benchmarks based on the Oracle Exadata Database Machine or Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud virtual private cloud solution to transform business requirements into a proven IT solution within an optimised and risk-mitigated environment.

Hani Barakat, senior director Oracle business MENA, Avnet Technology Solutions, said, “Avnet Technology Solutions is dedicated to accelerating the success of our business partners and suppliers by investing in long-term, profitable, shared growth opportunities. This new facility demonstrates our commitment to providing Oracle business partners with the tools and resources they need to increase sales opportunities and provide additional value to their end customers. It also reflects the strength of our relationship and the confidence Oracle has in Avnet to drive market expansion for Exadata and Exalogic platforms in the MENA region.”

Abdul Rahman Al Thehaiban, vice president, Oracle Middle East and Africa, commented, “We have chosen Avnet as a strategic partner for our engineered systems – Exadata and Exalogic – due to their excellent capabilities, execution and expertise. Engineered Systems are changing the game in the IT industry and, thanks to the investment made by Avnet and Oracle, every Oracle partner can be part of it.”

Avnet is the only value-added distributor in the region to host such a facility. The technology and demonstration centre is fully equipped with a team that has the right skills, experience and expertise to service the requirements of partners and end-users on Oracle Exadata Database Machine and Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud platforms.

About Oracle PartnerNetwork
www.oracle.com/partners

About Avnet Technology Solutions
www.ats.avnet.com