Westcon Group to Acquire Crane, UK-Based Distributor of Voice, Data and Converged Communications Solutions

Westcon Group, Inc, a multi-national distributor of networking,
security, mobility and convergence solutions, announced that its
parent company, Datatec Limited, has signed an agreement on behalf of
Westcon to acquire Crane Telecommunications Group Limited, a leading
value added distributor for voice, data and converged communications
solutions in the UK and Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium and France.

Through this acquisition, Westcon Group will add considerable
strength to its European convergence practice by enhancing its
relationships with Avaya, Nortel, Alcatel and Mitel, while gaining new
vendor relationships with companies including Samsung and BT Network
Services. Crane is well known for its consultative approach and
excellence in training. Its customer base includes over 250 resellers
focused on convergence and mobility.

Westcon's intent to acquire Crane directly follows an earlier
announcement in March of its intent to acquire NOXS, the leading
European security distributor. Following these acquisitions, Westcon
plans to leverage its financial strength and scale of operations in
Europe to bring new opportunities in convergence, security and
mobility to both new and existing customers, while broadening and
strengthening its European vendor relationships.

Barry Shakespeare, executive vice president of Westcon Europe,
commented: "When evaluating a company for a potential acquisition, two
of the key considerations are the company's management philosophy and
their customer orientation. Crane has developed an incredibly loyal
customer base built squarely on relationships. This approach is very
much like our own in both the solutions approach and technology
focus."

David George, executive chairman of Crane Group, added: "Westcon
Group and Crane share a heritage in delivering converged voice and
data solutions for well over a decade. This acquisition enables our
customers to increase their success by leveraging Westcon's
complementary technologies and programme infrastructure. We look
forward to developing and expanding mutual opportunities once the
acquisition closes."

"By acquiring Crane, Westcon Group increases its ability to
deliver the most effective convergence solutions to the market," said
Dave Johnson, senior vice president, global channels development and
alliances, Avaya. "With broader coverage and the combined strength of
these two leaders, customers will benefit from a targeted vendor
portfolio, which feature solutions and programs such as VoicePoint and
ConvergencePoint. Once the acquisition is complete, Avaya will
continue to support the new, combined organization delivering
intelligent communications solutions that help customers transform
their businesses with Avaya's market leading products and services."

About Westcon Group

Westcon Group, Inc. is a multi-national specialty distributor of
networking, security and communications equipment for leading
technology vendors, including Cisco Systems, Inc., Nortel Networks
Corporation and Avaya, Inc. Through its Westcon and Comstor divisions,
Westcon Group sells products and services to resellers, systems
integrators and service providers. Westcon Group has particular
expertise in the convergence of voice, data and video applications and
technologies, including voice-over Internet protocol, or VoIP,
security for networking and communications systems, remote access,
Internet and e-business, virtual private networks, videoconferencing
and wireless connectivity. For more information, visit
www.westcongroup.com.