CDW IT Industry Straw Poll: Fifty-two Percent of IT Industry Executives Expect 2008 IT Budgets to Be Higher/Much Higher Than 2007.

Executives From Across the IT Industry Note That Media Coverage of Britney Spears, High Gas Prices and Longer Work Hours Are Less Frustrating than Airline Travel

LAS VEGAS -- CDW Corporation, a leading provider of technology products and services to business, government and education, today announced the results of its Information Technology (IT) Industry Straw Poll, taken at the 2007 CDW Partner Summit. The informal poll of 266 IT industry executives indicates that 43 percent of respondents believe that 2008 IT budgets will be higher than in 2007, with an additional nine percent believing that IT budgets will be much higher.

The IT Industry Straw Poll also reveals a shift in how the IT industry is communicating the value of technology to business executives. When asked to cite the top reason why customers purchase their product, service or solution, just 13 percent cited technology leadership, while 83 percent cited business benefits such as increasing operational efficiency (38 percent), building or expanding a competitive advantage (16 percent), and supporting expansion and/or revenue growth (9 percent). When asked to choose how they would like their company to be perceived by customers, 31 percent indicated a desire to be known as a provider of leading business solutions, with 21 percent indicating that they would like to be known as a partner that understands customers' problems. Thirty-two percent of respondents expressed the desire to be known as a technology leader.

"The IT industry clearly recognizes the need to create business value and to communicate that value to support both IT and business executives," said Matt Troka, vice president for product and partner management at CDW. "While technology leadership is still important for driving innovation, customers need IT solutions that are specifically tailored to solve their unique business challenges."

Despite the focus on communicating business value, responding IT industry executives did note difficulties in communicating to and educating business executives on how to harness technology. When asked to name the biggest obstacles for customers trying to increase their IT budgets, 25 percent of respondents cited lack of executive vision in how to harness IT for business advantage, while 12 percent noted a lack of senior executive understanding and support. Likely related to the same issue, 34 percent stated that competing priorities for resources reduced IT budget growth opportunities - the leading response to that question.

The communication gap between business and IT executives also surfaced when respondents were asked to name the biggest IT mistakes made by companies. Thirty-two percent of respondents indicated that the lack of a vision for applying technology to solve business problems was the biggest IT mistake, while an additional 15 percent cited insufficient business cases for IT investment, the first and second responses respectively.

"Despite the emphasis on communicating how technology can drive profitable revenue growth and bottom-line results, many business executives do not look to IT to power their business," continued Troka. "The IT industry needs to engage business leaders directly and more clearly articulate how technology can grow the top line, bolster earnings and define strong competitive advantages."

During the straw poll, IT industry executives also took a moment to name their biggest frustration during 2007. Despite high gas prices, longer commutes and longer work hours, respondents named anything and everything to do with airports as their top frustration, with 21 percent of respondents citing. Media coverage of Britney Spears ranked second on that list with 18 percent of responding executives. Other responses included: traffic/commuting (15 percent), longer work hours (14 percent) and the high price of gasoline (13 percent).

For a full copy of CDW's IT Industry Straw Poll, please contact Anne Marie Archer at [phone] ext. 126 or [e-mail].

About CDW Partner Summit

Operating at the nexus between those who offer technology and those who use technology to solve business problems, CDW Partner Summit is an annual conference of IT industry executives. The event focuses on collaboration between CDW and its partners to share objectives, strategies and go-to-market programs among CDW's more than 1,000 vendor partners. The two-day event brings more than 700 industry leaders together in one location to better align the IT industry to the needs of IT customers.

About CDW

CDW[R], ranked No. 342 on the FORTUNE 500, is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government and education. CDW is a principal source of technology products and services including top name brands such as Acer, Adobe, APC, Apple, Cisco, EMC, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Panasonic, Quantum, Samsung, Sony, Symantec, ViewSonic and Xerox. CDW's direct model offers customers one-on-one relationships with knowledgeable account managers and access to approximately 820 on-staff engineers and advanced technology specialists who customize solutions for customers' complex technology needs. CDW also provides same-day product shipping and post-sales technical support.

CDW was founded in 1984 and as of June 30, 2007, employed approximately 5,880 coworkers. In 2006, the company generated sales of $6.8 billion. For more information, visit CDW.com.