Avocent Whitepaper Offers Measurable, High-ROI Methods to Effectively Manage IT in a Difficult Economy

HUNTSVILLE, AL--(Marketwire - March 9, 2009) - Avocent Corporation (NASDAQ: AVCT), a global leader in IT operations management, announced today the availability of a whitepaper, "Managing IT in Tough Economic Climates," which offers advice for IT managers looking to reduce overhead and increase efficiencies in the face of shrinking budgets and dwindling resources. The whitepaper, authored by Avocent CTO Ben Grimes, notes simple, easily implementable ways for businesses to realize greater cost savings, including improving asset lifecycle management, closely monitoring power consumption, and adopting the right mix of automation and people to increase productivity. Grimes stresses the need for greater alignment between IT and business, demonstrating how by staying focused on the three mainstays of the IT organization -- technology, processes and people -- IT decision makers can effectively promote greater efficiency throughout the entire company and even help it to thrive in lean economic times.

"There has never been a more critical time for IT to align itself with the business to aid in streamlining processes and reducing operating expenses," said Avocent CTO Ben Grimes. "In past economic downturns, those companies that focused on cost containment and process improvement emerged victorious. In this current climate, businesses must again look at ways to do more with less and can use the new strategies and tools at their fingertips to help them weather the storm."

The whitepaper goes on to outline critical areas in which IT can make an immediate impact on streamlining business, including:

Power management: A 2008 Avocent survey of 300 data center IT decision makers revealed that energy conservation was considered the most difficult issue to resolve using currently available tools; managing the total cost of power was a close second. Effective new technologies, such as intelligent power distribution devices and power management software, enable effective, granular monitoring of every appliance in the organization and strategic reductions in energy consumption.

Process automation: More than ever, businesses need to ensure they are maximizing staff productivity. In addition to necessary business functions, IT typically manages an enormous volume of unique devices on a day-to-day basis, from employees' PDAs and mobile devices to servers and appliances in the data center. Companies that implement automated management tools can simplify the complexity of managing their IT environments, streamline processes, and improve productivity and customer service. By implementing greater systems management oversight and control, IT managers can substantially increase staff productivity and make sustainable operational gains.

Asset management: Closer management of software and hardware assets throughout their lifecycle is now more essential than ever, given the recent surge in server consolidation. Businesses need to have a sound process for effectively decommissioning servers in place, because managing dormant servers can drive immediate cost savings. In several anecdotal cases, IT shops have stated that 30 percent of servers in large data centers are "dead;" these servers not only take up valuable rack space but also waste precious data center energy in power and cooling.

"Surprisingly, nearly a third of all the IT assets within an organization are unaccounted for, and that can place a financial strain on any business," says Grimes. "Regulatory compliance under HIPAA and SOX, for example, requires that companies be prepared to show that they are not misusing software licenses, and that they are protecting sensitive data and operating in a secure manner. Asset management helps here too."

To learn more, download "Managing IT in Tough Economic Climates" for free at: www.avocent.com

About Avocent Corporation

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.

Forward-looking Statements

This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including the risks associated with the closing of the transactions and the acquisition and subsequent integration of risks associated with general economic conditions, risks attributable to future product demand, sales, and expenses, risks associated with acquisitions and acquisition integration, risks associated with product design efforts and the introduction of new products and technologies, and risks associated with obtaining and protecting intellectual property rights. Other factors that could cause operating and financial results to differ are described in the Avocent annual report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2009. Other risks may be detailed from time to time in reports to be filed with the SEC. Avocent does not undertake any obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements based on events or circumstances after the date hereof.

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