Compaq Helps Customers Realize the Benefits
of the Real Time Enterprise

  Compaq Zero Latency Enterprise (ZLE) Delivers Long Sought Prize:  Single,
                   Integrated View of Business in Real Time

    HOUSTON, Feb. 6, 2001 -- Compaq Computer Corporation 
today named nine leading independent software vendors (ISVs) as business
partners in the Compaq Zero Latency Enterprise (ZLE) initiative.   Compaq is
the first to create zero latency technology to meet customer demand for
solutions that enable business to be conducted in real time.  Driven by the
Internet, real time computing requires that decision-makers have a single,
integrated view of the business -- and their customers -- that is current up
to the second.
    Compaq said it has signed agreements with these vendors, the first
software partners to be formally recognized as an integral part of the Compaq
ZLE architecture.  They are:  Actional Corporation; Acxiom Corporation; Blaze
Software, Inc.; Mercator Software; MicroStrategy(R) Inc.; Protagona Worldwide,
Inc.; SAS Institute Inc.; Savant Technologies, Inc.; and Trillium Software.
Each ISV partner contributes valuable enabling technology to the base Compaq
ZLE architecture, which forms the framework for market-specific Compaq ZLE
solutions.

    ZLE Brings Real Time to the Enterprise
    ZLE is a transaction-oriented solution providing a single, integrated view
of business and customer transactions as they occur, no matter where they
occur in the enterprise, in real time.  In a zero latency environment, the
flow of internal information is accelerated to the point where transactions
are instantaneously propagated within the enterprise and can be acted upon in
real time.  Gartner, which originated the zero latency concept, forecasts that
almost every successful business will have some form of ZLE infrastructure.
Compaq is building ZLE solutions today aimed at the highly competitive
telecommunications, finance, and retail markets where immediate insight into
customer actions and business transactions offers a compelling advantage.
    Ross Altman, research director, Gartner, said, "Information that's fresh
has the most value.  In a real time, zero latency enterprise, information is
delivered to the right place at the right time for maximum business value."
Altman continued, "Companies are going to move to reduced latency
environments, it's just a question of when.  The longer one waits, the worse
it gets.  The sooner an enterprise embraces and implements the concept of zero
latency, the stronger its competitive position is likely to be."
    Howard Elias, senior vice president and general manager of Compaq's
Business-Critical Server Group, said, "The Internet business model has moved
all of us to act and respond to our customers in real time.  Compaq ZLE is the
transformational technology that allows a business to truly enable a real time
enterprise.
    Elias continued, "Integral to delivering ZLE are the strong partnerships
with ISVs that provide advanced solutions technology, an understanding of
customers' business needs, and real-world experience.  We will grow these
partnerships and will add new ones to help build ZLE-enabled solutions across
different industries."

    'Best-in-Class' ISV Partners are Integral Part of ZLE Solutions
    Compaq ZLE deployment is based on a combination of Compaq servers and
unique Compaq database and software technologies.  The ZLE architectural
framework combines leading enterprise application integration (EAI) technology
and a real time Operational Data Store (ODS).  Surrounding these two key
architectural constructs are the partner applications that are enabled to take
advantage of real-time data.  It is the work that has been done with these
software developers, as providers of end-user applications, that exposes the
benefits of the ZLE architecture to the end user.
    Each of the nine ISVs announced today are key contributors to the ZLE
architecture and each brings a valuable software technology, as well as
real-world experience in developing an aspect of ZLE-based solutions.  Compaq
will continue to grow this list as it brings on board ISVs whose technologies
and expertise add value to our customers' ZLE solutions.
    The ISV partner software can be grouped into three categories within the
Compaq ZLE architecture:  Core ZLE Services; Docking Applications; and Clip-On
Applications.
    Core ZLE Services are the central applications used for building a
customer's ZLE solution and interfacing to the ODS.  These are:  a rules
engine; message transformation; workflow management; message router and
inserter; ETL (data extraction, transformation, and loading); as well as data
mining and analytics.

    --   Blaze Software, a Brokat company, provides a real time application
         of business rules, enabling Compaq's ZLE customers to manage,
         execute and maintain personalized e-Business applications.

    --   Mercator brings powerful e-Business data transformation technology
         that substantially reduces the time and effort required to implement
         and maintain new application interfaces across heterogeneous
         business environments.

    --   Savant Technologies provides the ETL technology for managing system
         performance in one tool by automatically collecting, analyzing, and
         condensing data into critical information.

    --   SAS provides industry-leading e-intelligence and data mining
         technology as well as extensive data warehousing experience and ETL
         capabilities that leverage the use of information in any ZLE
         environment.

    Docking Applications enable a customer's existing applications to "plug-
and-play" with ZLE implementations.  A docking application does not require
modification and works independently with other cooperating applications
through the use of standard application adapters.   Examples of typical
docking applications include Siebel, SAP, Oracle, and Peoplesoft.  Actional is
announced today as a software partner providing application integration
software that is used to connect to these docking applications.

    --   Actional provides its patented control broker(TM) technology to
         deliver the unique ability to provide direct real time connections
         between applications.

    Clip-On Applications are either standalone applications enhanced through
tight integration with a core ZLE service or new applications built by an ISV
or by Compaq based on one of the core ZLE services.  As announced today, these
include:

    --   Acxiom(R) enables a single view of the customer using AbiliTec(TM)
         Customer Data Integration software to link disparate sources of
         information into a single real time view.  InfoBase(R) data can
         augment that view with real time consumer and business information
         to better recognize, understand and market to customers.

    --   Protagona Worldwide provides a full-featured high performance
         marketing capability for planning, campaign management, workflow
         management, and touchpoint integration.

    --   MicroStrategy offers a flexible and scalable, Web-based business
         intelligence platform that includes a sophisticated analytical
         engine that supports multiple databases and provides access to
         information via Web, wireless and voice.

    --   Trillium Software, a division of Harte-Hanks, is an industry leader
         in data quality software solutions.  The Trillium Software System
         can be completely integrated for accurate and consistent customer
         identification and relationship matching.

    ZLE Leverages Compaq's Enterprise Fleet of Servers and Global Services
    The Compaq ZLE initiative brings the strengths of its entire enterprise
product line to bear in the development and deployment of a ZLE solution.
Today, the ODS hub of the system is built on the highly scalable Compaq
NonStop(TM) Himalaya(TM) server and NonStop database.  Existing customer
database, data mining applications, and clip-on applications are generally
hosted on Compaq Tru64(TM)UNIX on AlphaServer(TM) systems and on Compaq
ProLiant(TM) servers running Windows NT.  This mirrors the heterogeneous
infrastructure requirements of the business world, where specific technologies
are leveraged to do what they can do best -- in an environment that integrates
and harnesses their collective power to serve the needs of the customer.
    The Compaq ZLE initiative also leverages the skills and capabilities of
Compaq's global services organization and its partners.  Compaq Global
Services provides complete life-cycle services to help organizations rapidly
implement, operate, and support ZLE-based solutions.  Integration expertise is
in place today for the wide range of ISV applications that are required in
ZLE-based solutions.  Business Critical Support services are specifically
tailored for ZLE environments to provide the high availability that customers
demand.
    Additional information on the Compaq ZLE initiative, technology, and
demonstrations is available at:  http://www.compaq.com/zle.

    Company Background
    Compaq Computer Corporation, a Fortune Global 100 company, is a leading
global provider of technology and solutions.  Compaq designs, develops,
manufactures, and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services,
including industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant
business-critical solutions, and communications products, commercial desktop
and portable products, and consumer PCs that are sold in more than
200 countries.  Information on Compaq and its products and services is
available at http://www.compaq.com.

    Compaq, AlphaServer, Himalaya, NonStop, ProLiant, registered U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office.  Product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or
registered trademarks of their respective companies.  Tru 64 is a trademark of
Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.P.  UNIX is a registered trademark of
The Open Group in the U.S. and other countries.  Windows NT is a registered
trademark of Microsoft Corporation.  This press release may contain forward-
looking statements based on current expectations that involve a number of
risks and uncertainties.  The potential risks and uncertainties that could
cause actual results to differ materially include:  component shortages,
delays in the implementation of changes in delivery models, increased
competitive environment and pricing pressures, delays in product rollout
schedules, slow acceptance for new form factors, employee retention,
disruptions related to restructuring actions, the financial condition of
resellers, delays in new systems implementation, operational inefficiencies
related to sales cycles, equity investment volatility, and emerging market
political or economic instability.  Further information on the factors that
could affect Compaq's financial results is included in Compaq's Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including the latest Quarterly Report on
Form 10-Q and the Annual Report on Form 10-K, which will be filed shortly.