Compaq appoints Computacenter as its first Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter partner in the UK

Computacenter today announced that it has been appointed Compaq's first Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter server solution integration partner in the UK. This partnership will enable Computacenter to offer its customers business-critical solutions on the Wintel platform using Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter on Compaq ProLiant servers.

"The recent developments in e-commerce, mean that more and more of our customers' business is conducted online and it has become increasingly important that IT infrastructures are reliable, stable and scalable enough to cope with the extra traffic", comments Mike Norris, Chief Executive Officer of Computacenter. "Downtime means a loss of productivity, revenue and custom, potentially damaging credibility and business efficiency. I am delighted that for the first time we can offer customers moving into the business critical arena a choice of platform based on proven and familiar technology"

Neil Holloway, Vice President Microsoft EMEA comments, "Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server is the most rugged and cost-effective solution for customers requiring high-end computing solutions today. We're pleased that, along with the Compaq solution, it won't remain the best-kept industry secret for much longer. Compaq's Datacenter Server solution, along with Computacenter, will give customers the ability to host massive corporate line of business systems without having either to invest in new skills or introduce costly additional vendor technologies into their infrastructure. This solution will also provide them with the agility to upwardly consolidate distributed servers into a single Windows 2000 Datacenter Server, reducing TCO and enhancing centralised management without the drawbacks of having to get rid of legacy infrastructure."

Computacenter is Compaq's largest partner in Europe, Middle East and Africa and one of only a handful of Microsoft Alliance partners. Compaq's decision to appoint Computacenter as its first solution delivery partner is based upon the company's ability to provide full end-to-end services supporting the Compaq range, from PDAs to complex storage solutions.

As part of its commitment to the initiative, Computacenter has put its staff through a rigorous new training programme that will enable them to tailor solutions to individual customer requirements.

Rene Schuster, Chief Executive for Compaq UK & Ireland, comments "Compaq continues to lead the adoption of Industry Standard technologies in increasingly mission critical environments. Solutions based on Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter, Compaq ProLiant hardware, delivered by Compaq through our channel partners are a key aspect of our enterprise strategy in the UK and Ireland. It is great news that Computacenter has become the first accredited partner within the UK to deliver such powerful solutions to business."