Global technology distributor Avnet, Inc. announced that it was named to the 2012 CIO 100, which is developed by IDG’s CIO magazine. The 25th annual award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology (IT). CIO selected Avnet as one of the recipients for this award based on the company’s development of a data storage management system, which significantly enhanced Avnet’s business continuity capabilities for its main North American data center.
“Like most large companies, the amount of data that Avnet needs to store is growing at a tremendous rate,” said Steve Phillips, senior vice president and CIO, Avnet, Inc. “Our IT team focused on developing a technology-based solution to meet our current data storage needs while allowing for future growth, which will only accelerate as we look to offer more ‘bring your own device’ options for employees. I commend the team on their ability to develop an innovative system that effectively addresses both our short- and long-term business needs.”
The data stored in Avnet’s data center more than quadrupled in the last two years. To manage this growth, Avnet’s IT team completely redesigned its North American data storage backup systems and processes to optimize operational performance. The new data storage management system leveraged a variety of technologies, including state-of-the-art robotics, virtual tape and de-duplication. As a result, Avnet significantly enhanced its business continuity capabilities; decreased the time to recovery in the event of a system failure; positioned itself to manage the rapid, long-term growth of business critical data; reduced the power consumption in its data center; and improved the productivity of its data center team.
“For 25 years now, the CIO 100 awards have honored the innovative use of technology to deliver genuine business value,” said Maryfran Johnson, editor-in-chief of CIO magazine & events. “Our 2012 winners are an outstanding example of the transformative power of IT to drive everything from revenue growth to competitive advantage.”
Executives from the winning companies will be recognized at the CIO 100 Symposium & Awards Ceremony, to be held Tuesday evening, August 21, 2012, at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. Complete coverage of the 2012 CIO 100 awards will be online at www.cio.com on August 1, 2012, and in the August 1, 2012, issue of CIO magazine.
