Compaq Launches World-Class Enterprise Service and Support Capability

Compaq Evolving from PC Company to Computer Company

HOUSTON, October 16, 1995 -- In a move which clearly places the company on
a competitive level with the leading providers of worldwide enterprise
service and support, Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE:CPQ) today launched
a world-class enterprise service and support capability. This new
capability will assure CIOs and MIS Directors they can rely on Compaq
systems to run their enterprise business-critical applications, knowing
Compaq can deliver the service and support they require no matter their
size, location or IT (information technology) assets.

Today's announcement, coupled with Compaq's Server Array clustering
direction (see related release), accelerates Compaq's ability to deliver
products and services which can meet the challenges of distributed
enterprise computing environments. Further, today's announcement
strengthens Compaq's momentum in the distributed enterprise market and
brings it a significant step closer to its goal of becoming the industry
leader in customer satisfaction.

Compaq also announced today that it selected Digital Multivendor Customer
Services as its Global Service and Support Provider.

Compaq's strategy for delivering this system-focused enterprise-class
service and support is based on three key elements:

 New Compaq-branded Service and Support Offerings sold by Compaq's
 qualified distribution partners and executed by Digital Multivendor
 Customer Services -- Compaq's global service and support provider;

 Substantial worldwide enhancements of existing, strong channel
 service and support capabilities through new systems-focused service
 provider programs;

 Significant investments in Compaq's internal worldwide service
 and support infrastructure, designed to support the increased
 and new levels of support offered by channel partners and Digital
 Multivendor Customer Services.

This new worldwide enterprise service and support capability enables Compaq
and its partners -- qualified distribution partners and Digital
Multivendor Customer Services -- to offer a total service solution to
customers around the world. Customers who require this level of support
from Compaq can now expect to obtain services commonly offered by
traditional computer companies via dedicated service and support personnel
such as, designated account engineers, enhanced response and restore
contracts, 7 x 24 technical support and many others.

"Together, Compaq and its partners will deliver a systems service solution
to Compaq customers around the globe," said Gary Stimac, senior vice
president and general manager, Compaq Systems Division. "We recognize that
enterprise-class service and support is crucial to our customers who
operate business-critical computing systems on the network, so we've
designed a service and support program which builds on the strengths of
our channel partners, enhances those strengths and meets the needs of our
larger, multi-national customers who require global service and support.
Through our partners around the world, the global service and support
program we're announcing today offers local, national and multi-national
enterprise-class service."

"We also recognize that some customers demand worldwide service and support
as well as accountability from Compaq; to meet that customer need we are
offering Compaq-branded Service and Support Offerings. These
enterprise-class services will be sold by our qualified distribution
partners -- complementing the services they already provide -- and will be
delivered by Digital Multivendor Customer Services," Stimac added.

DIGITAL MULTIVENDOR CUSTOMER SERVICES: COMPAQ'S GLOBAL SERVICE AND SUPPORT
PROVIDER

Compaq selected Digital Multivendor Customer Services as its Global Service
and Support Provider because of its ability to provide globally-
consistent, high-quality service and support. Digital Multivendor Customer
Services -- a world leading service and support organization -- enjoys a
reputation as one of the most respected multivendor service and support
providers. Resources include 21 customer support centers for telephone
support around the globe, worldwide logistics and delivery systems, and
more than 22,000 multivendor services personnel operating in more than 450
locations in over 100 countries.

When Compaq customers require global service and support, they can choose
from a broad range of Compaq-branded Service and Support Offerings. These
service offerings, which will be executed by Digital Multivendor Customer
Services include, but are not limited to the following:

 On-site services:

   on-site engineers and on-site troubleshooting
   on-site response (same-day, 5 x 9, 5 x 12, 7 x 24)
   committed response and restore times such as 2 hour response
   and 4 hour restore; designated account engineer to manage 2-
   hour response; 4 hour response/restore
   best effort or continuous problem resolution
   disaster recovery

 Enhanced technical phone support:

   operating system, database and application support
   per incident and unlimited software support on a 5 x 9, 5 x
   12, or 7 x 24 basis

 Value-added services

   system health checks (quarterly, semi-annual or annual)
   capacity planning; performance tuning
   upgrade/migration planning; implementation planning
   remote systems management and alert monitoring
   customer profiling
   server availability assurance

 Systems Installation

   hardware only, may include rack installation
   hardware and software

Compaq-branded Service and Support Offerings -- combined with channel
partners' support offerings and Digital's multivendor support offerings- -
provide the flexibility to meet a wide range of customer needs in
business-critical application environments. Depending upon the customer's
environment and service and support requirements, any combination of the
available Compaq-branded Service and Support Offerings can be selected to
design a support program appropriate for that account.

"Compaq recognizes that enterprise-class systems are very complex. They
cover a broad range of components and are increasingly used to run
business-critical applications around the world, offering strategic
benefits to a business," said Stimac. "With today's announcement, Compaq
is delivering the type of service and support required by customers who
choose to implement these systems, whether on a local, national or
multi-national basis."

ENHANCED SERVICE AND SUPPORT THROUGH QUALIFIED COMPAQ DISTRIBUTION
PARTNERS

"Today, Compaq customers receive excellent service and support from Compaq
Authorized Service Providers," said Gene Austin, vice president of
Marketing Compaq Systems Division. "Compaq will continue to promote
resellers as its primary means of delivery for products and services and
will increase its investment in those resellers that have built a service
infrastructure to support the service needs of enterprise-class customers.
To that end, we have created systems-focused service provider programs in
each geography. Channel partners who qualify for this program will be able
to offer additional and enhanced levels of service and support beyond
their current offerings today."

Under these new worldwide systems-focused service provider programs, Compaq
will identify those qualified distribution partners who are already
providing enterprise-level, business-critical support to corporate
customers. Additionally, Compaq will continue to invest in these programs
to maintain and enhance the services capabilities and infrastructure of
program participants.

These qualified distribution partners will be experienced at providing
guaranteed service-level agreements to corporate customers. They will have
invested in the training, personnel and internal systems necessary to
support such agreements; and they will have a demonstrated history of
success at supporting business-critical, networked systems. These
qualified distribution partners will be proficient in remedial (break-fix)
service, as well as the design, installation, integration and optimization
of networked application platforms that include Compaq hardware and
software, local and wide area connectivity, and database or workgroup
tools.

Corporate customers will be able to select from a menu of services provided
by Compaq qualified distribution partners which include, at minimum, the
following:

 Designated Compaq service account contact (for customers)
 Technical services:

   * break-fix service for all Compaq products
     (in-warranty and out-of-warranty)
   * onsite 7 x 24; local and remote help desk
   * enhanced response and restore times
   * networked system delivery, installation, moves, adds, changes
     and upgrades

 Professional services:

   local and remote network monitoring, administration and management
   project management; asset management; facilities planning
   network tuning and optimization
   database and workgroup solutions integration and support
   technical staff outsourcing
   local and wide area network system design, installation,
     integration and support; systems integration

Compaq-branded Service and Support Offerings (delivered by Digital
Multivendor Customer Services -- Compaq's global service and support
provider)

Qualified distribution partners will be able to augment their own offerings
with the Compaq-branded Service and Support Offerings as needed to meet
customer needs for high-end services and geographic (including national
and multinational) coverage.

Opting to deliver enterprise-class service and support through Compaq
qualified distribution partners ensures that Compaq's enterprise customers
can obtain local, national, and multi-national enterprise- class service
agreements from a single source. By evaluating the service and support
currently offered by its channel partners and establishing criteria which
program participants must meet, Compaq's customers will have a wider array
of levels of service and support products to choose from.

COMPAQ INTERNAL WORLDWIDE INFRASTRUCTURE ENHANCEMENTS

As the foundation of Compaq's new worldwide service and support, Compaq's
internal worldwide service and support infrastructure is being
significantly enhanced to ensure consistent service for customers'
business-critical systems worldwide. New Technical Support Centers,
located in Houston, Munich and Singapore, are available delivering access
to service and support that Compaq-qualified distribution partners and the
Global Service and Support Provider can leverage quickly and efficiently
to solve customer problems. Enhanced software tools are in development to
further complement the Compaq integration tools like Insight Manager and
SmartStart.

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Compaq Computer Corporation is the world's largest supplier of personal
computers, offering desktop PCs, portable PCs and servers. Founded in
1982, the Company reported 1994 worldwide sales of $10.9 billion. Compaq
products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries throughout the
world. Compaq also sells directly to customers through Compaq Direct Plus
at 1-800-888-5858. Compaq provides 24-hour customer support and can be
reached through the Compaq forums on America Online, CompuServe, Internet
(http://www.compaq.com), and Prodigy, or by calling 1-800-345-1518.

SERVICE AND SUPPORT QUOTE PAGE

"This global alliance between Compaq and Digital's Multivendor Customer
Services Division represents a powerful combination of strengths for
Compaq's partners and customers," said John J. Rando, vice president and
general manager, DIGITAL'S MULTIVENDOR CUSTOMER SERVICES DIVISION.
"Compaq's technologies, the technologies and services of its partners, and
our industry-leading multivendor services and networking capabilities will
enable customers around the world to build superior business solutions in
the most advanced client/server environments."

"By choosing Digital's Multivendor Customer Services Division to enhance
its worldwide service and support capability, Compaq confirms us as the
industry's service partner of choice for providing global, enterprise-wide
solutions," added Rando.

Stephen Clancy, director of systems service, at DATAQUEST WORLDWIDE
SERVICES GROUP said, "Compaq is using a new business model to compete for
high-end computing customers against IBM, HP and other midrange vendors.
This effort is substantially supported with today's announcement. With
their well-thought out approach to a myriad of service and support issues,
Compaq has demonstrated it has the service and support value necessary to
compete in the distributed enterprise server market segment. By marketing
Compaq-branded service and support products through channel partners, the
company and partners offer customers a flexibility that will be greatly
appreciated."

According to Tom Martin, senior vice president, services for ENTEX
INFORMATION SERVICES, "The more mission-critical the application, the more
comprehensive the service and support requirements are to maintain the
integrity of that computing environment. As our customers deploy Compaq
X86-based servers to run applications vital to their businesses that
formerly ran on traditional midrange systems, their need for a
vendor-certified support program, like Compaq's Systems Service Provider
Program, becomes apparent."

Bill Tauscher, chairman and CEO of VANSTAR CORPORATION, said, "Vanstar's
global customers need consistent service and support, especially when they
have offices spread across continents. Compaq's systems, with consistent 7
x 24 level service and support, means Vanstar's and Compaq's customers can
comfortably deploy x86-based servers in the most demanding enterprise
server environments. By making their service and support products
available through Vanstar, customers can select from a wide array of
products that will fit virtually any need."

COMPUCOM'S president, Ed Anderson, said, "CompuCom continues to place top
priority on its service and support capabilities. During 1995 CompuCom has
greatly expanded its capabilities to support enterprise- wide network
installations. The new Compaq service support program adds an important
element to our partnership with Compaq and it complements the goal of
becoming best of breed in service and support at CompuCom."
 
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