Please direct your media and public relations inquiries to: mediarelations@cdw.com 800-800-4CDW IT Buyers Get Personal, Award-Winning Attention at CDW.com PC Week rated CDW's Web site and customized extranet program as No.1 for one-stop shopping VERNON HILLS, Ill. - June 2, 1999 - Savvy IT managers put CDW.com at the top of their shopping lists, and so does PC Week. The May 24 issue of the popular trade publication rated CDW's online site the No. 1 e-commerce site for IT buyers, saying, "If comfort is what IT buyers want, they'll likely find it with PC Week's No. 1 pick, www.cdw.com. The site offers the ultimate in handholding: a customized extranet complete with an account team that acts as the equivalent to personal shopping assistants." The magazine selected CDW Computer Centers, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDWC) and the company's extranet program as the top site for IT purchasers based on an evaluation of online product offerings; efficient customer service; order tracking; and asset tracking among other criteria. This ranking recognizes CDW's continued efforts to raise the bar on e-commerce initiatives. Through programs like CDW@work, CDW helps small- and medium-sized business customers, like Rick Olson of Oregon Mutual Group, streamline their IT purchasing with personalized, secure extranet sites. "Since implementing CDW@work several months ago, I now save 75 percent of the time I once spent on purchasing procedures," said Olson, telecommunications and networks manager at the Oregon Mutual Group. "We used to split our hardware and software purchases equally among three major vendors, but because CDW@work makes it so easy to get product information and preferred pricing, we now order from CDW for the majority of our purchases. Between their Web site and customer service, they really do what it takes to make my job easier." Through CDW@work, Olson and CDW's 28,000 other extranet customers can view their previous orders, manage current assets and forecast future equipment needs by using their site's customized purchase history features. Successfully balancing high tech with high touch, CDW@work gives customers real time access to real people-providing the photos, names, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and up-to-the-minute availability of the customer's dedicated CDW account team. PC Week cited this "high level of tender loving care," along with lifetime technical support, as one of the reasons CDW.com ranked higher than any other site. "Through CDW@work, personalization and the Internet are no longer an oxymoron. We're giving our customers personal attention-with the speed and convenience of the Internet-saving them time and money," said Jim Shanks, CIO of CDW. "CDW is committed to perfecting the delicate high tech/high touch balance that our customers need and want, and this No. 1 ranking proves we've been successful." In fact, the magazine cited CDW's customer service focus and personalization as one of the reasons for rating CDW No.1, saying that CDW.com users can rest assured they "won't feel like they're talking to an electronic wall when they need customer service." Personalized customer service is business as usual at CDW. For the past 15 years, the company has catered to customers with a combination of dedicated account managers, choice of purchasing avenues and a wide product selection. In addition to saving them time and money, CDW@work provides users customized information at the stroke of a key to help make their jobs easier. Customers like Olson can place or check orders at any time of day or night using their password-protected CDW@work sites. Plugging into CDW's back-end systems in real time, CDW@work also provides up-to-the-minute stock status and pricing information. The site's SmartSearch™ engine lets customers search for products by category, price and in-stock availability. Also, CDW.com users can receive a personal e-mail when their specified products become available or reach a certain price. These features--along with customized billing, asset tracking and side-by-side comparisons-helped make CDW.com PC Week's No. 1 site for corporate purchasers. Customers interested in learning more About CDW@work can call 800-797-4239 or visit the Web site at cdwatwork.com. About CDW CDW® (NASDAQ: CDWC) is the country's leading direct solutions provider, offering complete, customized computing solutions for businesses and consumers nationwide. With competitive prices on a selection of thousands of brand name computer products, CDW is the No. 1 authorized direct source of Compaq, Computer Associates, IBM, Microsoft, Toshiba and other top name brands. Celebrating its 15th anniversary year, CDW was founded in 1984 as a one-man, home-based business and today employs more than 1,500 coworkers whose efforts generated net sales of $1.9 billion for the trailing twelve months ended March 31, 1999. CDW's pioneering direct model offers personalized expertise through one-on-one relationships with highly-trained, knowledgeable account managers; telephone and online purchasing; custom configured solutions; customized financing solutions; next day shipping; and lifetime phone and online technical support, with close to 60 factory-trained and A+ certified technicians on staff. For more information About CDW's products and services, call 800-797-4239 or visit the award-winning e-commerce Web site at www.cdw.com. For media inquiries or general company information, please call CDW's media relations at 888-CDW-7040.