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CDW Government, Inc. (CDW-G), a wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corporation [NASDAQ:CDWC] and leading source of Information Technology (IT) solutions to governments and educators, today released the findings of the CDW-G School Safety Index, a research project benchmarking the current status of public school district safety. Based on 14 elements of physical and cyber safety, the survey of 381 school district IT and security directors highlights the indicators of strong district safety programs, as well as the barriers to school safety. The CDW-G School Safety Index reveals that districts are having greater success with cyber security than physical security. Key findings from the School Safety Index include: School districts rely too heavily on technical solutions to protect networks and buildings and need to focus more attention on educating students about physical and cyber dangers Tech-savvy students are putting the district network and themselves at risk by sidestepping IT security procedures through measures like proxy servers Districts rely heavily on the telephone to communicate with faculty and parents during emergencies Lack of budget, staff resources and proper security tools limit districts� ability to protect themselves �The School Safety Index helps educational stakeholders understand the broad spectrum of tools available to them to improve both cyber and physical security,� said Bob Kirby, senior director K-12, CDW-G. �CDW-G examined a broad range of security topics, from data monitoring and building access to security software and safety education. The index shows the potential for schools to do more � especially in the areas of safety education and emerging communication technologies.� By understanding the baseline, CDW-G hopes districts will use the index to examine their particular security issues and how to address them better, Kirby noted. Cyber Safety Out of a possible 110 points on the CDW-G cyber safety index, the districts surveyed scored 55.3. While many districts are monitoring student Internet activity (81 percent), blocking Web sites (95 percent) and placing computer monitors in view of adults (89 percent), only 38 percent have a closed district network to provide more control over communication and content access. A new challenge for IT directors, however, is the growing sophistication of tech-savvy students, who have figured out how to build proxy sites to get around closed networks. Nearly every district reported having an acceptable use policy (AUP), but as with any policy, its true strength lies in frequent dissemination and review with users. However, 37 percent of districts update their AUPs less than once a year. �Popular social networking sites such as Facebook have just opened up to high school users in the last year, which means that many districts have no stated policy about students using district resources, especially bandwidth, to access these sites,� Kirby noted. Additionally, the survey finds that just 8 percent of districts provide cyber safety training to students, despite the long-term effects of identity theft and the potential impact that inappropriate content can have on a student�s college and career plans. Districts report that they rely more on filtering software to protect networks than on actively engaging students to be part of the safety solution. Physical Safety Districts scored much lower on the physical safety index, with the national average at 44 out of a possible 160 points. Sixty-three percent of districts are utilizing security cameras, with many more considering their use over the next two years, but only 24 percent of districts report having real-time access to sex offender databases. �It�s as important for districts to know who is trying to gain access to their campuses as it is to watch them once they are there,� Kirby said. The survey also shows that districts have room to improve their emergency communication programs. During a campus emergency, districts report utilizing intercom systems most often (48 percent) to convey information to faculty. Phone calls are also the preferred method for reaching parents in an emergency, at 54 percent. Only 1 percent of districts are considering mass notification systems like text alerts to cell phones. �In an emergency, every moment is critical, and education is a late adopter of mass notification systems,� Kirby said. �Mass notification systems allow districts to instantaneously reach out to any one of a number of pre-selected groups to disseminate information, from first-responders to faculty to parents. They are a tool that federal, state and local governments have embraced post-September 11, and the applications for education extend well beyond emergencies to improve overall school-to-home communication.� Call to Action As half of all districts cite budget restraints as their primary barrier to improving security, the School Safety Index can help IT and security directors make the case for additional funding by helping district leaders understand the tools and resources that may prevent or mitigate security breaches, thereby lessening the long-term impact that a breach can have on a district. CDW-G also recommends that districts turn to peers and the vendor community to understand their options regarding new security technology and best practices. Whether it is physical or cyber security, the threats that districts face will become increasingly sophisticated. With a solid framework, the right tools and proper planning, districts have the opportunity to prevent breaches and anticipate threats. Methodology The CDW-G School Safety Index is based on a survey of 381 public school district IT and security directors. The survey was conducted online and by phone by Quality Education Data. The survey has a +/- 5 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level. For more information about school cyber safety, please visit www.cdwg.com/newsroom/schoolsafetyindex. About CDW-G A wholly owned subsidiary of CDW Corporation (NASDAQ:CDWC), a FORTUNE 500 company, CDW Government (CDW-G) is a trusted technology advisor to federal, state and local government agencies, as well as to educational institutions at all levels. CDW-G offers best-in-class technology products and services from top-name brands such as APC, Acer, Adobe, Cisco, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Panasonic, Quantum, Samsung, Sony, Symantec and ViewSonic. For more information about CDW-G product offerings, procurement options, service and solutions, call 1.800.863.4239, or visit the CDW-G Web site at CDWG.com. CDW Corporation will file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the �SEC�), and furnish to its shareholders, a proxy statement soliciting proxies for the meeting of its shareholders to be called with respect to the proposed merger between CDW and Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC. CDW SHAREHOLDERS ARE ADVISED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT WHEN IT IS FINALIZED AND DISTRIBUTED TO THEM BECAUSE IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. CDW shareholders and other interested parties will be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the proxy statement (when available) and other relevant documents filed with the SEC from the SEC�s website at http://www.sec.gov. CDW shareholders and other interested parties will also be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the proxy statement (when available) and other relevant documents by directing a request by mail or telephone to CDW Corporation, 200 N. Milwaukee Ave., Vernon Hills, Illinois 60061, Attention: Corporate Secretary, telephone: (847) 465-6000, or from CDW�s website, http://www.cdw.com. CDW and certain of its directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may, under SEC rules, be deemed to be �participants� in the solicitation of proxies from shareholders of CDW with respect to the proposed merger. Information regarding the persons who may be considered �participants� in the solicitation of proxies will be set forth in CDW�s proxy statement relating to the proposed merger when it is filed with the SEC. Information regarding certain of these persons and their beneficial ownership of CDW common stock as of March 31, 2007 is also set forth in CDW�s proxy statement for its 2007 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 16, 2007. Statements about the expected timing, completion and effects of the proposed merger between CDW and Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC, and all other statements in this filing other than historical facts, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, each of which is qualified in its entirety by reference to the following cautionary statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and are based on current expectations and involve a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. CDW may not be able to complete the proposed merger because of a number of factors, including, among other things, the failure to obtain shareholder approval, the failure of financing or the failure to satisfy other closing conditions. Other risks and uncertainties that may affect forward-looking statements are described in the reports filed by CDW with the SEC under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including without limitation CDW�s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December�31, 2006.