To: Dunc who wrote (1 ) 12/9/1999 1:27:00 PM From: GC Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 25
DECISIONONE SELECTED AND VA RESEARCH LINUX SYSTEMS SIGN LETTER OF INTENT TO FORM TECHNICAL SUPPORT ALLIANCE San Jose, CA, LINUXWORLD EXPO (March 2, 1999) - DecisionOne Corporation and VA Research Linux Systems (VA) today signed a letter of intent for DecisionOne to provide twenty four-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week North American support for VA's enterprise Linux solutions. Details are expected to be finalized within the next 30 days. The alliance will enable VA to scale its nationwide support to its thousands of existing customers and its growing base of enterprise Linux users. DecisionOne's national enterprise-class support and service infrastructure will enable VA to leverage its Linux technology leadership and expertise to support the growing community of enterprise Linux users. DecisionOne technical personnel are undergoing extensive training from VA on the Linux operating system and will provide around-the-clock hardware and software support services to ensure that Linux's scalability and reliability meets the needs of its enterprise customers. "VA already has thousands of existing customers, and with Linux's big push into the enterprise, we recognize the need for '24-x-7' support to fuel widespread enterprise adoption of Linux systems," said Dr. Larry M. Augustin, President and CEO, VA Research Linux Systems. "VA and DecisionOne are committed to dispatching Linux technicians anytime, anywhere to ensure mission-critical Linux systems are always running." "VA decided to partner with DecisionOne because of our extensive support infrastructure and core competency in service," said William J. Beaumont, vice president of Marketing for DecisionOne. "We have the resources and technical expertise to quickly respond to the ever-changing demands of the enterprise Linux market as it evolves and matures." Employing more than 5,500 people, DecisionOne is the largest independent provider of multivendor computer maintenance and technology support services in North America. Headquartered near Philadelphia, PA, the Company provides services for a broad range of computing environments, from the data center to the desktop, through one of the industry's largest service infrastructures. DecisionOne has an impressive roster of customers, representing more than 40 percent of Fortune 1000 companies. DLJ Merchant Banking Partners II, a unit of Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc., controls 88 percent of DecisionOne's common stock. DecisionOne stock is listed on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol DOCI (As previously announced, DecisionOne stock will move to the Nasdaq SmallCap Market in the near future.) More information on DecisionOne services can be found on the Company's web site at decisionone.com . VA Research Linux Systems is the leading provider of Linux-based hardware, software, service and support. The first Linux systems company in the world, VA is a pioneer in providing high performance workstations and servers to enterprises and is at the forefront of the open source revolution. Based in Mountain View, Calif., the privately-held company has been profitable since its formation in 1993 and has gained a reputation for innovation and responsiveness that is making it a leader in full service Linux solutions. For more information, contact VA at varesearch.com , (888) LINUX-4U or by sending e-mail to sales@varesearch.com. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------