Arrow ECS IBM Group Newsletter

Upcoming Tivoli Talk - What Storage Professionals Need to Know about Cloud - 09/28/2011

Cloud computing is all the rage in IT, promising to streamline services and reduce costs. But cloud raises many questions for storage pros. Is the data in the cloud adequately protected? Can or should you use public cloud services for backup and disaster recovery? How do you build your own storage cloud?  Virtual server and storage technologies, the enabling technologies for Cloud, have dramatically changed the data center, reducing hardware, energy and facilities costs. However, these solutions have made data and storage management exponentially more complex, creating new questions: where is the data, how do you manage it, how do you best utilize your existing storage resources?  

Speaker: Rich Vining, Product Marketing Manager

Date:  September 28, 2011
Time: 11:00 AM Eastern US  

Please register for this event using the On-line Registration.
After registering you will receive a confirmation note with call-in instructions.

Upcoming Tivoli Talk - TSM for Virtual Environments - 09/27/2011

Please join us for this 45-minute conversation, led by ESG's Senior Analyst Lauren Whitehouse and IBM's Richard Vining, on meeting the challenges of data protection and recovery in production VMware virtual environments. If you are still using in-guest backup agents on your virtual machines, you are likely experiencing issues with application performance and availability, or not adequately protecting that important data. We'll discuss new and innovative approaches to solving these problems.

Speakers: Lauren Whitehouse, ESG Senior Analyst & Rich Vining, Product Marketing Manager

Date:  September 27, 2011
Time: 11:00 AM Eastern US  

Please register for this event using the On-line Registration.
After registering you will receive a confirmation note with call-in instructions.

27-Sept ICS SalesTalk: Exceptional Web Experience NOW solutions: Expanded, Enhanced and Contract Free!

Arrow ECS wants you to know how IBM's Portal NOW service offering has successfully established itself as a strong solution for both customers and  business  partners. By implementing this solution, customers are up and running quickly, and partners have a strategic solution to offer to compete and win against competitors like Sharepoint and niche providers.

Given the success of Portal NOW, ICS has also developed WCM NOW and Forms NOW, and all of these programs are now available through an expanded, enhanced and contract free model that makes the NOW solutions even more compelling.  Come to this Partner-focused ICS SalesTalk to hear about the updates in the business model for working with ICS on NOW solutions.

Tuesday, September 27, 10:00 AM EDT US

For web conference details: https://www.ibm.com/partnerworld/page/EPT_BAYD-8HWJUC

Webcast Replay available - The Business of Being Bold

Do you know which programs, incentives and benefits can help you finish strong in 2011? In this on-demand replay of the September 13, 2011 you'll hear how three Premier IBM Business Partners have already been successful leveraging the tools and resources available today. Don't miss out - access the on-demand replay now!

Value Advantage Plus for Government: Simplified Criteria

The Value Advantage Plus for Government criteria has been simplified! Many of you questioned the requirement of submitting three prior government sales references when already Software Value Plus (SVP) authorized, so as of September 7, 2011, we've removed it. Now, more Business Partners can participate and leverage this lucrative incentive! If you already qualify for an SVP product group authorization and Software Value Incentive, you have the required credentials and certifications to start earning more rewards in Value Advantage Plus for Government today. Visit the website for details.

IBM Cost Buster Solutions for Small Deals

IBM Cost Buster solutions are pre-configured and Business Partner-ready. By combining IBM software and hardware that target the midmarket with an attractive monthly payment, these solutions are affordable for clients of all sizes. Each solves a business problem, is wrapped with low cost IBM Global Financing and includes some of the best cutting edge technology available! Solutions are available now for Business Analytics, Help Desk, IT Monitoring, Collaboration, Data Protection and more! Check out our new, invigorated IBM Cost Buster Solutions, including a complete list of the 29 IBM Cost Buster Solutions for Small Deals -- software, hardware, services and financing -- on PartnerWorld.

Announcing IBM Smart Analytics System 5710 for Midmarket

Join this webinar to hear about our new, cost effective solutions for midmarket customers looking to quickly deploy analytics and business intelligence! This is a compact, pre-optimized business analytics platform with best-of-breed technologies. Included are IBM InfoSphere Warehouse software with Cognos 10 on IBM systems and storage.

Who: IBM Business Partners (especially those with DB2, Informix, Data Warehouse, Infosphere, Cognos, or Analytics skills) 

When: October 11 at 11:00 am ET

How:  Audio --- Dial in: 866-803-2143 or 210-795-1098 - Passcode: SMART  /  Webinar ---- Join the LotusLive meeting at: https://apps.lotuslive.com/meetings/join?id=6789816

SPOTLIGHT - September 20, 2011

Power Systems
IBM has been leading the server market for many years and continue that leadership with IBM Power7, especially in the Unix marketplace.  See the benefits of IBM Power7 and DB2 in an SAP Cloud infrastructure.

System x/Blade
Wouldn’t it be great if IBM offered hardware support and phone support in one simple ServicePac sku?  Now they do!  You can now order many of the warranty uplift and RTS options you’ve been ordering, now combined into one “Essential” ServicePac.  Read more...

Storage
Storage Sales ExSELLence Workshops on XIV
Are you interested in becoming an expert XIV storage seller in your organization?  Have you sold XIV before but want to take your product knowledge and closing skills to the next level?  If you answered YES to the above, attend our upcoming FREE, 2 day Arrow ECS, IBM Sales ExSELLence workshops,  XIV in Atlanta on October 25th and 26th at our Arrow ECS Office.  Register now seating is limited.

Software
A Technical Netezza Boot Camp is now available for no charge in Toronto from November 29-Dec 2.  This technical workshop is for IBM Business Partners. It provides training on the Netezza Performance Software (NPS®) Release 6.0 in a classroom setting. Detailed presentations and hands-on labs are included where you will gain in-depth knowledge of the software that powers high performance data warehouse appliances like the current Netezza Twinfin Wave 2 systems.  View the agenda and registration link here.

Retail
IBM Retail Store Solutions 2011 Jump Start Co-marketing Incentive!  Approval to conduct an IBM PartnerWorld co-funded marketing activity is contingent upon adherence to the following terms and conditions, which apply in addition to the terms and conditions governing the Business Partner’s PartnerWorld membership.  Read more...

Education/Events
The key to success. 4Q Salesplays BP Sales Newsline call.
Attending the Business Partner Sales Newsline call on October 5 will help ensure a strong finish to your year. Designed for the Business Partner salesforce, this call covers the 4Q gameplan, salesplays and incentives you need to drive sales in the last quarter of 2011. Mark this important call on your calendar and spread the news.

Date: Wednesday, October 5, 2011 from noon to 1pm ET.
Webcast: www.lotuslive.com/join.  Webcast ID: 3163634
Dial in: (800)-475-4945 or (773) 799-3307. Audio passcode: NEWSLINE.
Presentations available on the day of the call: www.ibm.com/partnerworld/mem/newsline.

Nominate your winning solutions for an IBM Beacon Award
The IBM Beacon Awards recognize IBM Premier and Advanced Business Partners for innovative solutions based on IBM technology. More than 25 awards are available that acknowledge achievement across areas including Smarter Computing, Smarter Solutions, Smarter Industries and Technical Excellence. IBM Premier and Advanced Business Partners are invited to nominate solutions until November 1, 2011.

Webinar: IBM Watson and the Future of Enterprise Content Management

Traditional enterprise content management (ECM) has never actually been particularly smart. Valuable information is trapped in documents and images. With the social content boom underway, now is the time to unlock the value of all of your enterprise content and data.

Watson leverages core content analysis, along with other advanced technologies, to arrive at precise answers within a very short period of time. The business applications for this technology are limitless.  Learn more and sign up here.

Virtual Event: Business Analytics Made Simple: Low Risk, High Return

Presented three times: Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011 at 5 AM EDT, 12 Noon EDT and 8 PM EDT

The third in a 2011 series of quarterly, interactive forums looks at how three midsize companies leveraged business analytics solutions from IBM to achieve a combined average return on investment of 1,000%.  Learn more.