R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Awards EDS Information Technology Services Contract

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Awards EDS Information Technology Services
Contract

PLANO, Texas, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EDS and R.J. Reynolds
Tobacco Company have signed a new services contract under which EDS will
manage the company's information technology (IT) infrastructure environment.
The contract was signed in the fourth quarter of 2007 and financial terms of
the agreement are not being disclosed.
Beginning in August 2008, EDS will manage R.J. Reynolds' IT infrastructure
environment, including mainframes, mid-range servers, databases and data
centers all housed at R.J. Reynolds' facilities in North Carolina. EDS will
also provide field-level and help-desk support for the R.J. Reynolds network
and computing environment, which includes WAN/LAN, video conferencing,
telephones, PCs and laptops for its employees nationwide.
"EDS has a strong foundation of proven tools, processes and people. This
partnership will enable us to leverage speed, flexibility and effectiveness in
technology to support our business growth strategies in the tobacco
marketplace," said Donald I. Lamonds, executive vice president and CIO of R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company. "This will give us a strong platform to support our
systems and applications, such as SAP."
EDS' extensive portfolio of business and IT solutions will expand R. J.
Reynolds' access to a broad range of technology platforms, provide resources
that can flex based on demand along with the ability to ramp up quickly for
new projects or system needs. R.J. Reynolds will also benefit from EDS'
leading-edge expertise in system security and economies of scale in meeting
technology needs.
"EDS assists many companies like R.J. Reynolds in transforming their IT
environments to a more cost-effective and flexible model," said Mike Klaus,
EDS vice president, Global Consumer and Retail Industries. "We will leverage
our IT industry expertise and practical innovation to maintain a reliable and
secure infrastructure for R.J. Reynolds, so the company can continue to focus
on its core business and strengthen its leadership position in the tobacco
industry."
EDS serves more than 200 consumer and retail industry clients. As a
leading provider in the consumer and retail industries, EDS focuses on a
variety of market segments including food/beverage, apparel/footwear, consumer
products and retail outlets including restaurants, mass/department, grocery,
drug, convenience, online/catalog and specialty.
About R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, an indirect subsidiary of Reynolds American
Inc. (NYSE: RAI), is the second-largest tobacco company in the United States,
manufacturing about one of every three cigarettes sold in the country. The
company's brands include six of the 10 best-selling U.S. cigarette brands:
Camel, Kool, Pall Mall, Winston, Salem and Doral. For more information, visit
http://www.RJRT.com.
About EDS
EDS (NYSE: EDS) is a leading global technology services company delivering
business solutions to its clients. EDS founded the information technology
outsourcing industry 45 years ago. Today, EDS delivers a broad portfolio of
information technology and business process outsourcing services to clients in
the manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, communications, energy,
transportation, and consumer and retail industries and to governments around
the world. Learn more at http://www.eds.com.
The statements in this news release that are not historical statements,
including statements regarding the amount of new contract values and the
impact of outsourcing on R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's business, are
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws.
These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of
which are beyond the control of EDS and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, which
could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements. For
information concerning risks and uncertainties regarding forward-looking
statements, see EDS' most recent Form 10-K and Reynolds American Inc.'s SEC
filings. EDS, Reynolds American and R.J. Reynolds disclaim any intention or
obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
CONTACT:
Julie Basa
EDS
972 605 1862
julie.basa@eds.com

Jan Smith
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
336 741 6995
SMITHJ15@rjrt.com

SOURCE Electronic Data Systems Corporation

Julie Basa of EDS, +1-972-605-1862, julie.basa@eds.com; or Jan Smith of R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company, +1-336-741-6995, SMITHJ15@rjrt.com