Alternative Technology will provide technical support for all Blue Coat products

Englewood, Colo. Sept. 23, 2008 Alternative Technology, Inc., an Arrow Electronics, Inc. company and leading specialty distributor of thin-client/server-based computing, edge infrastructure, virtualization, storage and security solutions, today announced that it will provide certified Level 1 and Level 2 technical support on behalf of Blue Coat Systems, Inc., the leader in WAN Application Delivery and Secure Web Gateway, for all Blue Coat products.

Alternative Technology met a stringent set of support readiness and training requirements to become a North American distributor in the Blue Coat® BlueTouch(SM) Support Program. These requirements include a staff of certified technical experts with advanced configuration, installation, operation and troubleshooting capabilities, a support center lab environment that is capable of replicating problems, and an established service delivery infrastructure that provides 24x7 support.

“We are honored to be part of Blue Coat’s elite support program,” said Bill Botti, president and chief operating officer, Alternative Technology. “Blue Coat has been a premier strategic partner for us for a long time, and participating in the BlueTouch Support Program allows our solution providers to offer the benefits of comprehensive support to their customers. This program will help accelerate adoption rates of Blue Coat solutions and help our VARs establish and/or grow a strong services business around Blue Coat products.”

“As a certified BlueTouch service partner, Alternative Technology is extending the reach of Blue Coat’s high-quality service program to support a growing base of channel partners and their customers,” said Jim Harold, vice president of Worldwide Channel Sales, Blue Coat Systems. “Alternative Technology’s technical and educational resources provide channel partners with the tools they need to deliver value-added services to their customers.”

Blue Coat® ProxySG® appliances provide the visibility, control and security organizations require to enforce corporate policies based on granular controls and accelerate applications across the wide area network (WAN) to branch offices.

Alternative Technology, a long-established Blue Coat distributor, is also a Blue Coat Authorized Training Center, enabling VARs to offer custom classes or sign their customers up for open enrollment classes. Additionally, Alternative Technology offers installation and technical consulting services that VARs can bundle into tailored Blue Coat solutions and service offerings, a VAR equipment demo program, and the Alternative Advantage Partner Program that allows VARs to accrue vouchers that are redeemable for technical, educational and marketing services.

Blue Coat secures Web communications and accelerates business applications across the distributed enterprise. Blue Coat's family of appliances and client-based solutions - deployed in branch offices, Internet gateways, end points, and data centers - provide intelligent points of policy-based control enabling IT organizations to optimize security and accelerate performance between users and applications. Blue Coat has installed more than 40,000 appliances worldwide. Blue Coat is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and can be reached at (408) 220-2200 or www.bluecoat.com.

Channel partners can learn more about Alternative Technology’s BlueTouch Support, Alternative Technology Professional Services and the Alternative Advantage Partner Program by visiting www.alttech.com or calling 800.544.7674 (USA), or 866.240.9991 (Canada).

Blue Coat and other applicable product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blue Coat Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks, trade names or service marks used or mentioned herein belong to their respective owners.

Alternative Technology is a leading specialty distributor for value-added resellers who need products and services targeted at thin-client/server-based computing, edge infrastructure, virtualization, security, and wireless markets. Driving the widespread adoption of leading-edge technologies by bridging the gaps between products and services to solve critical business problems, Alternative Technology identifies business issues that are key to its markets and offers multivendor solutions that drive demand back through its reseller partners. Alternative Technology, headquartered in Englewood, Colo., has offices in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Los Angeles, Calif., Carlsbad, Calif., Solon, Ohio, and Mississauga, Canada. Alternative Technology is a wholly owned subsidiary of Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, which is a business segment of Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW). For more information, go to: www.AltTech.com, e-mail: sales@AltTech.com or call toll-free: 800.544.7674 (USA), or 866.240.9991 (Canada).

For Alternative Technology
Mark Rieger
ProAmericas Marketing & Public Relations
markr@proamericas.com
303-520-4524

For Blue Coat
Steve Schick
steve.schick@bluecoat.com
408-220-2076

or

Ben Merritt,
Merritt Group
merritt@merrittgrp.com
703-926-0290

This release was published on openPR.