Datatec Systems Unveils Partnership With Anixter International; Announces New $15 Million Contract Delivered via Anixter Partnership

Business Wire, Feb 5, 2003

Business Editors

FAIRFIELD, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2003

Datatec Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: DATC), a leading provider of technology deployment services and software tools, today announced that it has signed a partnership agreement with Anixter International Inc. (NYSE:AXE), the world's leading distributor of communication products.

Datatec also announced today that it has been awarded a $15 million deployment contract that will be delivered via the Anixter partnership.

Anixter and Datatec will jointly leverage their respective core competencies of materials logistics and deployment services to provide complete turnkey solutions to major technology partners and enterprise customers.

Datatec's Integrator's Workbench(R) (IW2000) software will automate the system configuration and integration process and Datatec's eDeploy(R) web-enabled deployment management software will be utilized as a central collaboration tool to coordinate, manage and monitor the installation of those systems by Datatec field crews and other Anixter delivery partners.

"This partnership with Anixter will enhance our ability to deliver services with better quality at a lower cost", stated Ed King, Datatec's Vice President of Sales. "Our common goal is to have a single consolidated, pre-configured shipment to each location. Since the majority of infrastructure materials are stock items for Anixter, it makes the most sense to integrate and kit these materials along with routers, switches and workstations at an Anixter facility. This approach benefits all project partners by tightly coordinating activities, thus eliminating errors and unnecessary costs. We foresee many more opportunities to work closely with Anixter in order to deliver value to our joint customers."

Commenting on this partnership, Anixter Vice President, Steve Keller said, "Increasingly our customers are looking to simplify the deployment of voice, data and security networks across, in many cases, hundreds of locations. Anixter's extensive experience in providing advanced logistics and integrated supply services, along with cabling and related components, helps manage these network rollouts on a timely basis at low cost to our customers. In developing our partnership with Datatec, we can jointly offer customers a more complete solution, with Datatec providing custom configuration of technology components that are then included in the deployment kits."

About Datatec Systems, Inc.

Fairfield, NJ-based Datatec Systems specializes in the rapid, large-scale market absorption of networking technologies. Datatec's deployment services utilize a software-enabled implementation model to configure, integrate and roll out new technology solutions using a "best practices" structured process. Its customers include Fortune 1000 companies and world-class technology providers. Datatec stock is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market (DATC). For more information, visit Datatec at http://www.datatec.com/

About Anixter

Anixter International is a leading distributor of communication products and a leading distributor of "C" Class inventory components to Original Equipment Manufacturers. The company adds value to the distribution process through its value added service and logistics programs and by providing its customers access to 1) more than 185,000 products and approximately $500 million in inventory, 2) 125 warehouses with more than 4.4 million square feet of space, and 3) locations in 193 cities in 40 countries. Founded in 1957 and headquartered near Chicago, Anixter trades on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AXE. Additional information about Anixter is available on the Internet at www.anixter.com.

This Press Release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties which may cause the actual results or objectives to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.