Dell 2008 Annual Report Download - page 54

Table of Contents
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Board of Directors and
Shareholders of Dell Inc.:
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying index present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of
Dell Inc. and its subsidiaries ("Company") at January 30, 2009 and February 1, 2008, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each
of the three years in the period ended January 30, 2009 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
In addition, in our opinion, the financial statement schedule listed in the accompanying index presents fairly, in all material respects, the information
set forth therein when read in conjunction with the related consolidated financial statements. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all
material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 30, 2009, based on criteria established in Internal Control —
Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company's management
is responsible for these financial statements and the financial statement schedule, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting,
and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in Management's Report on Internal Control Over
Financial Reporting appearing under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements, on the financial statement
schedule, and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with
the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to
obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over
financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by
management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an
understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design
and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we
considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
In Fiscal 2008, the Company adopted new accounting standards which changed the manner in which it accounts for uncertain tax positions
(Note 3) and certain hybrid financial instruments (Note 1).
A company's internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial
reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company's
internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable
detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions
are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts
and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and
(iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets
that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any
evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the
degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP
Austin, Texas
March 26, 2009
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