CDW Supports Customers with Expanded Custom Configuration Capabilities; New 8,000 Sq. Foot Facility Enables Rapid Custom Configuration of Advanced Computing Technologies

Business Wire, Sept 28, 2004

VERNON HILLS, Ill. -- CDW (NASDAQ:CDWC), a FORTUNE 500 provider of name-brand technology products and services to businesses, government and education, today introduced its new Enterprise Configuration Center located at the company's headquarters in suburban Chicago. The center expands the company's capacity and capabilities to perform custom configurations of computer hardware and software including racks of multiple servers and hubs. CDW will draw from its inventory of thousands of products to offer customers flexibility and choice to quickly receive configured solutions that best fit their needs.

The 8,000 sq. foot Enterprise Configuration Center was built to meet growing demand for configuration services, particularly from medium-to large-sized businesses and public sector organizations. When customers request configured products, technicians at CDW load and test the purchased hardware and software applications. In addition, technicians can install custom images and asset tags. They also perform numerous quality-control checks that can identify potential incompatibilities or other issues prior to shipping. This can save customers time and resources when they receive their orders.

"CDW continues to offer a complement of value-added services that allow Marc Ecko Enterprises to increase our speed of delivery," said Sarah Casalan, Ecko's VP of information technology, a CDW customer who has toured the facility. "We have an extremely aggressive timeline and technology plan for the build out of our corporate headquarters. We'll use CDW's technical expertise and the Enterprise Configuration Center to pre-design and pre-configure the components of our data center. It will bring a turn-key component to the data center, which will dramatically reduce the time and internal resources it would normally take to complete."

"CDW is responding to customers' needs by reducing many of the burdens and costs associated with large-scale and complex deployments including asset tagging, imaging and application testing," said Joe Buedel, a CDW senior manager of technical services, who designed the facility. "We can ship products to multiple locations and when they arrive, they have passed through numerous quality-control checks to help ease the installation process."

Enterprise Configuration Center Fast Facts

--At maximum utilization, more than 200 servers can be configured simultaneously

--The facility is staffed by professional technicians with numerous engineer-level industry certifications

--The center includes more than 100 custom designed modular benches with dedicated power and circuitry at each bench

--The facility is ISO 9001:2000 registered and includes a gigabit network and fiber backbone

--It has an environmentally-controlled room with its own HVAC filtration system

Photography is available.

About CDW

CDW(R) (Nasdaq:CDWC), ranked No. 376 on the FORTUNE 500, is a leading provider of technology products and services for business, government and education. CDW is a principal source of technology from top name brands such as APC, Apple, Cisco, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Sony, Symantec, Toshiba and ViewSonic. CDW distributes contracts to end users for customized and standardized on-site services supplied directly by providers such as HP Services and Unisys and for training programs provided by firms such as KnowledgeNet and Productivity Point International.

CDW was founded in 1984 as a home-based business and today employs approximately 3,700 coworkers. In 2003, the company generated net sales of approximately $4.7 billion. CDW's direct model offers one-on-one relationships with knowledgeable account managers; purchasing by telephone, fax, the company's award-winning CDW.com Web site, customized CDW@work(TM) extranets, CDWG.com Web site and macwarehouse.com Web site; custom configured solutions and same day shipping; and pre- and post-sales technical support, with more than 100 factory-trained and A certified technicians on staff.

Additional information can be found by visiting CDW.com.