CDW Berbee Achieves Master Specializations in Unified Communications and Security from Cisco

First Cisco channel partner to attain both Master Specialization Designations

MADISON, Wis. – November 17, 2006 --MADISON, WI. – CDW Berbee Information Networks Corporation (CDW Berbee), a CDW Company and a leading provider of advanced technology and data center solutions, has become the first Cisco channel partner worldwide to earn Cisco Master Specializations in both Unified Communications and Security. Master Specialization is a new brand that represents the highest level of Cisco channel partner specialization and depth of expertise. On November 14, 2006, Cisco granted this highest level of channel partner specialization to CDW Berbee.

“To be the first to achieve not only one but both Master Specializations is a tremendous honor for CDW Berbee and our staff, as it represents an objective measurement of the complete solution set we offer in Unified Communications and Security,” said Pat Scheckel, Vice President of the Cisco Practice at CDW Berbee.

“Master Specializations are only awarded to partners with the most in-depth technology skills and a proven track record of customer success in selling, deploying and supporting Cisco solutions,” said Edison Peres, vice president and chief go-to-market officer for Worldwide Channels at Cisco. “Earning each Master Specialization involves compliance to stringent requirements, including a thorough on-site audit in which partners must demonstrate their master level of training completion in complex solutions integration and lifecycle services capabilities. For CDW Berbee to obtain these master specializations is an excellent achievement.”

The Cisco Master Specialization designation is designed for channel partners that address the strategic needs of today’s most sophisticated customers, while offering channel partners further opportunities for competitive differentiation, revenue growth and economic incentives. This fall, Cisco launched its first two Master Specializations, in Unified Communications and Security.

“Our relationship with Cisco is best-in-class, and our customers are the real winners from this collaboration because we can deliver quality solutions that give them a competitive advantage in their business,” Scheckel continued.

The Master Specialization is a key component of the enhanced Cisco Channel Partner Program, which was launched earlier this year at the Cisco Partner Summit. The program recognizes channel partners for their breadth of capability across key technologies, their depth of skills in a particular technology, or both. Cisco certifications at the gold, silver and premier levels represent a channel partner’s completion of training in the delivery of integrated networking solutions. Cisco specializations represent a channel partner’s technology skills depth. Cisco offers three specialization levels to address the full spectrum of customer needs — express, advanced, master — where a channel partner must demonstrate greater sales, technical, and service capabilities at each level.

About CDW Berbee

CDW Berbee, a CDW company, is a proven partner for IT solutions, including network infrastructure, productivity applications, server and storage infrastructure, communication and collaboration, application development, and security. CDW Berbee's data centers deliver hosted applications, co-location, and managed services to clients nationwide. CDW Berbee is a leading provider of technology for business and is among a handful of companies worldwide to achieve the highest level of partnership with our strategic partners Cisco, IBM, and Microsoft. CDW Berbee has offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Additional information about CDW Berbee is available at www.berbee.com.

For more information, press only:

CDW Berbee Information Networks Corporation
Pat Scheckel – Vice President, Cisco Practice at CDW Berbee
608.289.1227