Performance, Services Lead BET Interactive to Dell; Company Attributes Improved Data Center Performance and Cost Savings to Open, Industry Standard Infrastructure from Dell

Business Wire, Oct 3, 2005

ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Black Entertainment Television (BET) Interactive is finding less really can translate into more.

Dell today announced that the leading African-American multimedia entertainment company, which operates BET.com, has reduced scaling costs more than 25 percent and improved Web site performance by 30 percent by replacing a proprietary, UNIX-based infrastructure with an open, industry-standard environment powered by Dell hardware and Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Server 2003(a).

With the help of Dell services, BET Interactive standardized its data center with Dell PowerEdge(TM) Servers, PowerVault(TM) network attached storage (NAS) systems and PowerConnect(TM) Gigabit Ethernet network switches.

BET Interactive needed to cost effectively scale its technology infrastructure to support the media-rich features on BET.com for millions of visitors who access streaming audio and video on the site.

"We evaluated various technology vendors, and concluded that the value of Dell products and services would best enable us to meet our IT and business goals," said Navarrow Wright, chief technology officer for BET Interactive.

Dell services helped BET assess its requirements, then integrated the applications, optimized the Web architecture and trained the company's IT staff to manage the new infrastructure. The support from Dell services helped enable BET Interactive to quickly and seamlessly transition to the new Windows-based platform.

BET Interactive, an Internet company that was started by BET holdings, a Viacom subsidiary, saw an immediate performance improvement with the Dell infrastructure, and has realized additional benefits over time. "BET.com is growing rapidly, and the Dell architecture has proven to cost-effectively scale as our user base and Web site performance requirements grow," said Wright.

The cost differential between Dell and competing proprietary products was significant enough to allow BET Interactive to replace its client systems with Dell Latitude(TM) notebook computers, OptiPlex(TM) desktop computers and Dell flat panel displays while staying within a budget originally intended to cover only the data center migration.

"More institutions are migrating from high-cost proprietary platforms as executives realize how standards-based, scalable technology enables companies to meet business goals," said Tim Mattox, a vice president at Dell. "BET Interactive is an excellent example of a business realizing the total value of Dell."

About Dell

Dell Inc. (NASDAQ:DELL) is a trusted and diversified information-technology supplier and partner, and sells a comprehensive portfolio of products and services directly to customers worldwide. Dell, recognized by Fortune magazine as America's most admired company and No. 3 globally, designs, builds and delivers innovative, tailored systems that provide customers with exceptional value. Company revenue for the last four quarters was $52.8 billion. For more information about Dell and its products and services, visit www.dell.com.

Dell is a trademark of Dell Inc. Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others.

(a) Dell cannot guarantee these exact results for all customers.