ATLANTA, GA--(MARKET WIRE)--Nov 6, 2008 -- Executive Alliance, creator and provider of premium leadership recognition forums worldwide, announced today the winners for the Data Center Executive of the Year (DaCEY) and Project of the Year National Awards for 2008.

The Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, GA was the place to be on the evening of Wednesday, November 5, 2008, where over 60 industry leaders and project teams from across the United States were honored for their achievements in data center initiatives.

The Data Center Executive of the Year and Project of the Year Awards honor data center executives and project teams for their outstanding achievement, leadership, innovation and contributions in the Data Center.

Peter Corrigan, Assistant Vice President of Infrastructure Services, Allstate Insurance Company, took home the Data Center Executive of the Year Award. Mr. Corrigan was recognized for his innovative leadership, compelling vision, and ability to develop best-in-class solutions.

In addition to the winner, four other finalists for the Executive of the Year Award were recognized during the event: Jacquelyn Barretta, Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Con-way Inc.; Mark Middleton, Systems Director Information Technology and Architecture, CHRISTUS Health; James Swartz, Chief Information Officer, Sybase, Inc.; and Jeffrey Szymanski, Director, Information Systems, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

New this year, the DaCEY Project of the Year Award recognized data center projects that were successfully completed within the last 12-18 months in seven categories. The 2008 Award Winners are:

 
--  Data Center Design Project Award Winner -- Teradata for the Teradata
    Data Center Separation Project
--  Green Initiatives Project Award Winner -- Allstate for the Emerald
    City: Allstate's New Data Center Project
--  Infrastructure Management Project Award Winner -- King & Spalding, LLP
    for the  Data Center Consolidation Project
--  Network Operations Project Award Winner -- Clemson University for the
    Campus IT Infrastructure Re-Engineering Project
--  Security Project Award Winner -- CHRISTUS Health for the Vulnerability
    Management Program Project
--  Storage Project Award Winner -- CNA for the CNA Data Center Migration
    Program
--  Virtualization Project Award winner -- Sybase, Inc. for the
    Virtualization of the Data Center Project

"This year's outstanding winners and finalists exemplify all the attributes of leadership in this industry," said Mary Lou Heastings, President of Executive Alliance. "They bring to the table a compelling vision for their organizations and clearly the ability to influence and motivate their organizations, to succeed."

"Avocent is delighted to be a part of this prestigious event. The IT professionals represented at this year's DaCEY event are the ones to follow because they are already managing today's challenges while preparing for the data centers of tomorrow," said Mike Borman, CEO at Avocent, DaCEY's Founding Terabyte sponsor.

About the Sponsors

The Data Center Executive Summit featuring the DaCEY Awards is brought to the business community by the following: Founding Terabyte Sponsor -- Avocent; Megabyte Sponsor -- Forsythe; Kilobyte Sponsors -- Lee Technologies and Symantec; Media sponsor -- InformationWeek Magazine.

About Avocent -- Founding Terabyte Sponsor

Avocent delivers IT operations management solutions that reduce operating costs, simplify management and increase the availability of critical IT environments 24/7 via integrated, centralized software. Additional information is available at www.avocent.com.

About Executive Alliance

Executive Alliance is recognized worldwide as the premier organization for creating leadership-recognition forums that honor and celebrate outstanding achievements of executives in different industries. These forums facilitate deep relationships and provide visibility for executives and their companies while offering access and insight to the key people leading these industries. For more information, visit www.datacenterawards.com, www.execalliance.com, www.infosecaward.com.

     Media Contact:
      
     Bridget Greiner
     Executive Alliance, Inc.
     404-982-8562
     Email Contact
      
     Marianne Higgins, APR
     Public Relations Manager
     Avocent Corporation
     256-217-1221
     Email Contact