MERLION and IBM Introduce Technology Solutions Center

MERLION, the largest Broadline distributor on the Russian market aggressively developing its VAD division, announced the IBM Technology Solutions Center. Its main purpose will be to provide MERLION's partners with all the resources they need to understand and promote IBM's advanced technologies.

The Center was a joint effort of IBM’s STG and STG Lab Services departments. They helped to create a pool of demo equipment, more than 10 business scenarios and couched MERLION staff in the running of the Center. The result is Russia’s first testing grounds for the entire stack of IBM’s latest storage systems, integrated with cutting-edge server solutions, including RISC servers on the POWER platform.

The combination of advanced server solutions and storage technologies allows MERLION’s partners, with assistance from the Center’s dedicated engineers and IBM experts, to fully configure converged solutions for specific organizational needs. Today, customers can appreciate the impact of new technologies directly in Moscow, ensure perfect interoperability of all software and hardware resources they use, and compile application use scenarios.
Taking note of Russian companies’ growing interest in open source software, IBM’s TSC will serve as a competency center for PowerLinux migration projects. MERLION’s experts are well-versed in this and can provide consulting services of every level, from demonstrating PowerLinux’s capabilities to participating in real-life projects – data migration, performance testing or ensuring application compatibility.

Business analytics is represented at the Center with IBM Netezza technologies for running analytic functions directly within databases. These solutions speed up BI applications deployment and allow large volumes data to be processed in real time.

The IBM Technology Solutions Center also became an opportunity to raise the bar for training technical staff and sales managers. They can combine lectures, including remote learning, with hands-on sessions.

Red Hat, too, has deployed all of its software solutions at the Center, which is unprecedented for a partners-oriented site in Russia. This interest in collaboration on behalf of global players, local developers, system integrators and their customers gives hope that best international and domestic practices can come together in MERLION’s center, nested around IBM innovations.

“MERLION’s IBM Technology Solutions Center is a big step forward in developing real Value-Added Distribution in Russia,” said Denis Reshin, Systems & Technology Group Leader, IBM Russia. “It is worth pointing out that the Center opens in a difficult economic situation. This clearly shows that MERLION and IBM know their customers and partners very well and will do all they can do help them find world-class solutions. The Center has dozens of IBM solutions deployed: enterprise mobile platforms, cloud computing, data storage, including software-defined environments, document management, infrastructure monitoring, information security, plus a virtual competency center, IBM Cloud Labs. Now customers and partners can save time and money on business trips since they can try and test a solution for any purpose at home – all thanks to MERLION. We are glad our relationship has developed and welcome everyone to make use of the Center.

“The Center is a new step in our cooperation with IBM,” commented Julia Pechnikova, Head of VAD Business Development, MERLION. “This is the only facility in Russia with the entire range of IBM’s data storage solutions on board – a great opportunity for customers wishing to see these technologies in action without traveling to Europe. IBM’s unique server and data storage technologies let us build converged solutions to specific customer needs. They can test these solutions either here, in the demonstration area, or remotely. The Center plus MERLION’s resources and vast experience in the VAD market confirm our leading position in this segment. The largest Russian corporations and banks choose us to help them upgrade their infrastructures. We are thankful to IBM for entrusting us with promotion of their products on the Russian market and for choosing us to help set up such a unique location. And a separate thanks for training our technical staff and sales managers.”