Leading IT products distributor Tech Data Corporation (NASDAQ:TECD) and Parallels, a worldwide virtualization and automation leader, today announced an exclusive distribution agreement for the Parallels Virtuozzo Containers server virtualization solution. Available to value-added resellers (VARs) through distribution for the first time, Parallels Virtuozzo Containers further strengthens Tech Data's Advanced Infrastructure Solutions (AIS) Division's virtualization solutions offering. AIS supports the broadest array of leading virtualization software developers in the channel today.

'Server virtualization is clearly an emerging technology that offers VARs tremendous opportunities to grow their revenue and deliver more robust data center solutions,' said Amy Belcher, Tech Data's director, Product Marketing, Advanced Infrastructure Solutions. 'But as quickly as virtualization is reshaping the IT strategies of large enterprises and small businesses, the server virtualization landscape is rapidly evolving with new and creative solutions like Parallels Virtuozzo Containers. The AIS Division and its team of virtualization experts are on hand to help VARs understand the latest offerings and to choose the solutions that best meet the needs of their customers.'

'Virtuozzo takes a different approach to server virtualization than many of the leading solutions available in the channel, and by doing so offers enterprises large and small a unique set of advantages,' said Bill Portin, vice president of North American sales and operations. 'Our approach of operating system virtualization enables Virtuozzo to create 3 to 10 times more virtual instances, called containers, of the same operating system on a single server than can be achieved through hardware virtualization. That provides a number of management and performance benefits, and it is especially helpful for VARs deploying virtual desktop infrastructure solutions. Working with Tech Data's AIS Division, Parallels will ensure our VAR partners have access to the support, expertise and information they need to profitably deploy Parallels Virtuozzo Containers.'

VARs can leverage Parallels Virtuozzo Containers to enhance and deploy a wide range of IT solutions, including:

• Server and Operating System Consolidation ' Consolidate multiple physical servers to fewer virtualized servers that run multiple instances of the same operating system
• Business Continuity ' Ensure continuous business operations with cost-effective disaster recovery and high-availability configurations
• Virtual Desktop Infrastructure ' Streamline desktop management by centralizing application access, provisioning and administering patches and updates for multiple users from the data center
• Workload Management ' Manage applications and allocate resources in real-time in response to changing user needs
• Application Hosting ' Provision servers to host applications providing on-demand software solutions

To learn more, call (888) 834-6247, send e-mail to ais-sales@techdata.com or visit www.techdata.com.