World Wide Technology Introduces a New Model for Buying and Managing Enterprise Software

EA+ turns enterprise licensing agreements into a tool for innovation

LAS VEGAS - June 26, 2017 - World Wide Technology (WWT), a leading integrator that provides innovative technology and supply chain solutions to large public and private organizations, today announced EA+, a program of services that maximizes how enterprises buy and use software. The offering was officially made public at Cisco Live, Cisco's annual IT and communications conference.

EA+ guides enterprise buyers through the entire process of defining, choosing and implementing a complete software stack. This will include Cisco software and the Cisco Enterprise Agreement.WWT has already sold more than $1 billion in Cisco Enterprise Agreements, and now through EA+ it is leading the way in shifting the industry to a more software-centric business model, leveraging the best solutions from all major software providers.

Research figures say 80 percent of end users employ software not cleared by IT and that only 8 percent of all enterprises actually know the scope of shadow IT within their organization1. The larger an enterprise becomes, the harder it is for them to manage their software footprint. Software assets become decentralized; employees don't get the tools they need to do their job, which can lead to an unchecked shadow IT; and the software that is purchased can often go underutilized either because users are not aware or were never properly trained to use it. The rapid pace of digital disruption in the industry will only exacerbate this software problem even further.

EA+ stands apart by managing every piece of the software buying process, from initial purchase, to implementation, to renewal. Clients gain exclusive access to WWT's $150 million Advanced Technology Center (ATC), a dedicated testing environment where proposed software solutions of any type can be evaluated before they are rolled out within an organization. The latest technologies from Cisco, Microsoft, Dell EMC, HPE, NetApp, VMware and F5 are preconfigured into a fully scalable environment that can mimic any software scenario. Here companies can find the right software that fits, removing any uncertainty from the buying equation.

WWT consultants work right alongside enterprise clients ensuring full business value is extracted from their software agreements. Ahead of any purchase, WWT holds an EA+ Business Value Workshop analyzing different types of software and determining whether they align with a company's business strategy. Once purchased, a series of EA+ Vision Workshops maps out how those enterprise agreements can be fully utilized within an organization. This includes Advanced Adoption Services where training sessions are held to familiarize end users and engineers about the new software to ensure high internal adoption.

"EA+ is a complete rethinking of how enterprise agreements work," said Dean Romero, practice director for software and lifecycle services at WWT. "Instead of just being a pricing tool, we've turned it into an asset that delivers business outcomes. Speed, simplicity and innovation can be achieved if you utilize the right approach to your software. With EA+ we can cut a clear path for that approach."

At Cisco Live, Dean will be leading a session titled WWT EA+ - Extracting the full value of an EA (Session ID: TNK-1001) where he will detail how EA+ represents a strategic model for enterprise agreements as the industry shifts to software as a service and other new types of technologies. The session will be held at booth #1601 in the World of Solutions at 2:45 p.m. PDT on Monday, June 26th.

About World Wide Technology

World Wide Technology (WWT) is a technology solution provider with more than $9 billion in annual revenue that provides innovative technology and supply chain solutions to large public and private organizations around the globe. While most companies talk about delivering business and technology outcomes, WWT does it. Based in St. Louis, WWT employs more than 4,000 people and operates over 2 million square feet of warehousing, distribution and integration space in more than 20 facilities throughout the world.

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Media Contact

North of Nine Communications for WWTAnthony Suarez, 212-614-4331 anthony.suarez@nof9.com