Ingram Micro Launches New Social Networking Sites for Partner Communities, Forms Strategic Alliance With M&A Forum LLC

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Industry Thought Leader Positions 'The Zone' and 'M&A Forum' as Growth Catalysts for VAR-to-VAR Enablement and Networking Opportunities

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- VentureTech Network Invitational -- Keeping the focus on partnership and growth, Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) today announced two distinct online networking resources designed specifically to enable, educate and network solution provider partners in the U.S. and Canada. The new offerings include:

    --  The Zone -- Exclusive to Ingram Micro's solution provider communities,
        the Zone is comprised of four online business-to-business
        social networking sites powered by Leverage Software.  These
        social networking communities are designed to make it easier
        for solution providers to partner and communicate with fellow
        members within a specific Ingram Micro community.
    --  M&A Forum -- Offered as part of a strategic alliance between Ingram
        Micro and M&A Forum LLC, this open online marketplace allows
        solution providers to exchange information, as well as find
        candidates for mergers, acquisitions and capital investments
        at a reduced rate. It also serves as a proven resource for
        identifying best practices surrounding mergers and
        acquisitions.

The Zone and M&A Forum will debut this week at Ingram Micro's Fall VentureTech Invitational, scheduled for Oct. 14-17 at Caesars' Palace, Las Vegas. The Zone will be readily available to solution providers within Ingram Micro's four partner communities, including VentureTech Network, SMB Alliance, GovEd Alliance and System ArchiTECHs, by November 2007. The M&A Forum is available immediately to all Ingram Micro solutions providers.

"Social networking and online marketplaces are breaking into the business world and will, without a doubt, become primary vehicles for solution providers to build their business, network, partner and refine best practices," says Christina Richmond, hardware channels analyst, IDC. "The advent of Web 2.0 into what has been a historically face-to-face relationship between VARs and Ingram Micro will bring a new level of networking and partnership to the table and escalate the sharing of best practices, as well as identify new market opportunities and trends."

"We introduced The Zone and forged an alliance with M&A Forum to extend our value and help our partners accelerate their business faster than they could do alone," says Kirk Robinson, vice president, channel marketing, Ingram Micro North America. "By using these new online resources, our solution providers can network and partner with each other remotely and on a much broader scale that drills down deeper into each organization. It's a win/win for everyone involved and another key differentiator for those solution providers partnered with Ingram Micro."

"The M&A Forum is the first marketplace focused exclusively on M&A services for IT services and solutions providers, outsourcing and software firms," says Patricia Wegner, president, M&A Forum. "We look forward to working with the Ingram Micro communities and putting solution providers together for new opportunities."

The Zone will be offered to each Ingram Micro community free of charge. Each of the four social networking tools, branded as VentureTech Zone, SMB Alliance Zone, System ArchiTECHS Zone and GovEd Alliance Zone, will feature detailed member profiles and will allow partners to search for, create and maintain contacts lists, host topical groups, and participate in online discussions through chat room functionality. Solution providers can also maintain their own blogs and participate in online polls to provide feedback to the greater community and Ingram Micro. In addition, The Zone will help members stay up to speed on events and manufacturer information with dynamic banner ads and resources posted throughout the site.

"Ingram Micro's new social networking sites, combined with the M&A Forum, will make it that much easier for our partners to work together, network their employees with other like-minded professionals, and cash-in on new sales and service opportunities that may not have existed otherwise," concludes Robinson. "It's this ability to innovate and partner smart that sets us apart and enables us to build the IT industry's most successful and sought-after partner communities and solution providers in the IT channel."

To learn more about Ingram Micro's solution provider communities and business-building resources, visit http://www.ingrammicro.com or call (800) 456-8000.

About Ingram Micro

As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics services, technical support, financial services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company serves 150 countries and is the only broadline global IT distributor with operations in Asia. Visit http://www.ingrammicro.com.

SOURCE Ingram Micro Inc.

Released October 15, 2007