Westcon Group Announces Acquisition of Afina Group

- Deal Expands Distributor's Presence in Important Latin American, Iberian, and North African Security and Data Center Markets

TARRYTOWN, New York, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Westcon Group, a value-added distributor of category-leading unified communications, network infrastructure, data center and security solutions with a global network of specialty resellers, today announced the acquisition of the Afina Group through the acquisition of GLS Software and its subsidiaries. The deal will immediately expand Westcon's presence in the Latin American, Iberian, and North African marketplaces.

Headquartered in Madrid and Miami and founded in 1990, Afina conducts business across Latin America, the Caribbean, Iberia, France, and Morocco. Focusing on distribution of security and data center solutions, Afina's vendor portfolio includes VMware, Citrix, Riverbed, and Symantec - as well as many firms currently among Westcon's portfolio in other regions. Afina Group additionally offers specialized services to support its resellers, including: post-sale support, value-added augmentation, and training.

With this acquisition, Westcon expands its presence in Latin America, Iberia, and North Africa and adds an augmented focus on customer-led services. In addition to bringing greater consistency to the Westcon line card, the agreement will add such strategic vendors as VMware, Symantec and Citrix to Westcon's portfolio.

"The Latin American market is now entering a highly robust period of IT spending driven mostly by Brazil and Mexico. Most analysts estimate the region will generate more than $310 billion in IT spending in 2012," said Dean Douglas, President and CEO, Westcon Group. "With the acquisition of Afina, Westcon is very well positioned to capture this momentum – driving market leadership in the local arena and expanding our portfolio of data center and security products."

"When Afina was launched, the goal was to become the premier distributor in the Latin American and Iberian markets, offering the most comprehensive solutions and services in security and infrastructure," said Pedro Galatas, Afina Group CEO. "Westcon has proven time and again its reputation as a distributor with unmatched market expertise and global reach. The acquisition is the right fit at the right time for the company and partners – an agreement that will dramatically power our next stage of growth."

Westcon Group provides all the necessary elements enabling customers to develop end-to-end data center and security technology solutions. Its security, compliance, data center and cloud offerings include complementary best-in-class products -- supported by a comprehensive suite of professional support, operational, marketing and financial services. Westcon's global presence and expertise provides unique support and benefits to partners' global projects.

For an in-depth look at the transaction, please see a video of Chief Executive Officer Dean Douglas here: http://youtu.be/obmT4lUVVtw

To learn more about Westcon Group, please visit www.westcongroup.com. To learn about Afina, please view http://www.afina.es. For more information on Westcon, please "Like" our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/westcongroup or www.facebook.com/comstorworldwide.

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About Afina Sistemas Informaticos

The Afina Group is a multinational leader in the value-added distribution (VAD) of products, solutions and services within the IT industry. As a distributor of reference, Afina offers complete global solutions for corporations and organizations.

Afina carries a product portfolio represented by the industry's best-of-breed brands within the Infrastructure, Security, Virtualization and Data Center industry segments.

The Afina Group differentiates itself by positioning the firm as a real value-added distributor (VAD) by virtue of offering a full line of professional services. Among these are technical support, subscription services and a complete portfolio of educational services. It's also an Authorized Training Center (ATC) for the vendor partners whose products it distributes.

The Afina Group currently has offices in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Morocco, Madrid, Barcelona, Portugal, France and the USA.

About Westcon Group

Westcon Group, Inc. is a value-added distributor of category-leading unified communications, network infrastructure, data center and security solutions with a global network of specialty resellers. Westcon's teams create unique programs and provide exceptional support to accelerate the business of its global partners. Strong relationships at every level of the Westcon Group organization enable partners to receive support tailored to their needs. From global logistics and flexible customized financing solutions to pre-sales, technical and engineering assistance, the company works with partners to respond with agility and speed to changing market conditions so they can achieve the fastest time to revenue. Westcon Group's portfolio of market-leading vendors includes: Cisco, Brocade, Fujitsu, Polycom, Juniper Networks, F5, Avaya, Check Point, and Blue Coat. For more information, please visit: www.westcongroup.com.

Westcon Group Media Contact:
Craig Librett
Westcon Group
+1-914-357-1747
craig.librett@westcon.com

Afina a Westcon Group Company Media Contact:
Latin America
Maria Dolores Galindo maria.galindo@afina-la.com
Mexico: Karla Lopez karla.lopez@afina-la.com
SOLA: Carolina Zamorano carolina.zamorano@afina-la.com
NOLA: Catalina Herrera catalina.herrera@afina-la.com
Iberia: Sara Crespo sara.crespo@afina.es
Spain: Soraya Frias soraya.frias@afina.es
Portugal: Paula Barbosa paula.barbosa@afina.pt