Newmarket, 7th January 2013: COMPUTERLINKS UK, the next generation distributor of IT security and Internet technology solutions, today announced an agreement in the UK and Ireland with Arista Networks, the provider of software defined cloud networking solutions for data centres. The agreement will enable COMPUTERLINKS’ resellers to deliver best-of-breed Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Ethernet switching solutions that offer high performance and low total cost of ownership

The decision to partner with Arista Networks is the latest stage in the development of COMPUTERLINKS’ next generation data centre channel proposition. The agreement will allow resellers to address their customers’ needs to drive down the operational and ownership costs of their data centres and cloud computing environments as Arista’s Ethernet switching platforms represent the smallest footprint and lowest power consumption of all the major switching vendors. Resellers will now be able to offer their clients SDN and switching solutions designed to meet the stringent power and cooling requirements of today’s most demanding data centres.

David Ellis, director of new technology and servicesatCOMPUTERLINKS said, “We selected Arista Networks as the company is at the forefront of SDN and high performance switching. Its unique disruptive technology separates the network management state from the processing itself, in a software management platform. We believe that the adoption of SDN will be a key trend for 2013, because it can reduce costs and the data centre’s reliance on complex intelligent hardware switches. This will help our channel partners to prepare their data centre and cloud provider customers for new challenges such as the impact of big data.”

Arista Networks’ Ethernet switching solutions, designed specifically for data centre environments, are based on its unique Extensible Operating System (EOS) platform, an advanced networking operating system designed to build software defined cloud networks and next generation data centres. The agreement includes Arista Networks’ full portfolio of 1/10 and 40 GbE products.

Dave Watkins, managing director EMEA at Arista Networks said, "The appeal of Arista Networks' technology has now grown outside of early adopters and specific niche market segments to have a much broader appeal to any organisation that relies on its data centre. In line with that growing appeal, having COMPUTERLINKS and its partners as part of our channel team in UK and Ireland will enable even more organisations to take advantage of our unique high performance software controlled network architecture.”

The announcement follows the launch of Arista Networks A-Plus Partner Programme in November 2012 which is designed to engage and reward partners who drive demand for Arista’s solutions and who bring value-add services to the market.

About COMPUTERLINKS
COMPUTERLINKS is the next generation distributor of IT security, network performance and Internet technology, providing channel partners with reliable, supported solutions from world-leading hardware and software manufacturers and service providers. COMPUTERLINKS concentrates on dynamic technologies such as cloud computing, virtualisation, and the growing area of IP Physical Security. It provides a comprehensive and complementary product portfolio, backed by an extensive range of knowledge-based professional and managed services, to ensure its channel partners deliver the right solutions to their customers. COMPUTERLINKS is 100 per cent committed to the two-tier channel and delivers profitable growth to its partners and competitive advantage to their customers by providing a full-service package of technical, sales and marketing support, practical training and efficient logistics. The company currently has over 600 employees operating across 23 countries worldwide. For more information visit www.computerlinks.co.uk

About Arista Networks
Arista Networks was founded to deliver software defined cloud networking solutions for large data center and computing environments. Arista’s award-winning best-of-breed 10 Gigabit Ethernet switches redefine scalability, robustness, and price–performance. At the core of Arista's platform is EOS, the world’s most advanced network operating system. Arista Networks products are available worldwide through distribution partners, systems integrators and resellers. Additional information and resources on today's announcement can be found at: http://www.aristanetworks.com

For further information about this news please contact:
Joanne Smith
Goode Communications
+44 (0) 1491 873 323
joanne.smith@goode.co.uk

Peter McEvoy
COMPUTERLINKS
+44 (0) 1638 569 600
peter.mcevoy@computerlinks.co.uk

Lisa Elliott
Arista Networks
+44 (0) 7769 908968
lelliott@aristanetworks.com

Further information (external website)