The journey to securing data at the edge

As threats to intellectual property get more sophisticated and the resulting business disruptions become more prevalent, Code42 helps mitigate the risks that companies face from workforces that are increasingly mobile. They provide fast, secure endpoint protection, recovery, and visibility. When Code42 needed to address their own complex business operations, they turned to Avnet’s Integrated Solutions team for access to our world-class capabilities and for industry-leading technologies from Intel, Supermicro, and Western Digital.

Code42 combats both unseen threats and unsurmountable challenges

Endpoint attacks can cripple an organization’s business operations in seconds flat. And that’s just the beginning—data incidents and security breaches alienate customers and can destroy a company’s reputation and its growth.

Today’s organizations need to spot risk sooner and bounce back faster so they can consistently move forward faster. That’s why endpoint data protection, recovery, and visibility companies like Code42 are essential. Their enterprise-level software helps more than 47,000 organizations protect their data and reduce their exposure to risk. But to deliver their software to customers, Code42 had to take on some risk of their own. They needed to move into unfamiliar territory for a traditional SaaS company: hardware production and distribution.

Code42 was holding millions of dollars’ worth of hardware inventory, which increased their exposure and their ability to get to market quickly. Preferring faster turnaround times and a smaller footprint, Code42 Supply Chain Director Scott McGrath began looking for ways to decrease inventory levels and lower exposure. He also sought to increase turn times and shipping speed.

“One of the things that drew me to Avnet right away was that they can buy inventory, build, test, and drop ship these devices to our data centers,” said McGrath. “Not to mention the breadth of services that are available through Avnet.”

Above and beyond distribution

“When the relationship began, Avnet acted as a pure distribution point for off-the-shelf technologies,” said Avnet senior account manager Joe Nelson. Avnet procured and supplied platforms based on Intel® Xeon® processors for the appliances, and Code42 handled assembly and storage.

When the software company moved away from that model, the relationship grew and Avnet starting building Code42’s hardware. Avnet’s specialized Integrated Solutions team helped design and architect their cloud solution, leveraging Supermicro servers based on Intel® Xeon® processors and HGST hard drives. The Avnet team even helped Code42 migrate one of their data centers across the country.

“Avnet not only moved 28 racks of equipment, but their service allowed us to pull material we wanted to decommission,” said McGrath. “They helped us do a complete DOD erase and at the end they wrote us a check for the decommissioned material.”

Advantages that span the globe

Avnet’s global footprint has also been quite advantageous for Code42, especially when serving customers who perform backups to appliances on-premises. Ordinarily, if a drive failed at a customer’s international site, Code42 would need to ship the device back to the U.S. to decommission it. Avnet’s global presence allows drives to be swapped out faster and properly disposed of within the region at a cost that is “very minimal compared to shipping it around the world,” said McGrath.

Delivering hardware to customer locations and data centers across the globe also means dealing with certifications that change by country and region. Avnet’s regulatory services team has extensive experience in this area. “There’s somewhere in the area of 27-28 regulatory marks that are required to be able to ship product into certain countries,” said McGrath. “Avnet works with you to get these regulatory requirements into place so you don’t have issues getting product delivered to these different countries.”

“We wanted to take all the hardware off their plate and let Code42 be a software and cloud services company,” said Avnet senior manager Jonathan Parks. “That’s why we handle everything from system design, through product lifecycle services, logistics, integration, and supply chain services. Our Integrated Solutions team was built to help companies stay focused on what they’re best at.”

Avnet’s services and solutions span the entire product lifecycle, from product and solution design to supply chain services. What's more, we provide off-the-shelf, modified and custom solutions for data centers and embedded solutions.

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