FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Microsoft Business Solutions' .NET Strategy

September 1, 2002
Providing applications and services that solve the problems of businesses today and into the future remains one of Microsoft® Business Solutions' goals. Microsoft Business Solutions is committed to providing its partners and customers with the best business solutions based on the best technology - Microsoft .NET.

Microsoft Business Solutions' Development Investment
Microsoft Business Solutions has chosen to develop its next generation of applications on the Microsoft NET development framework, bringing substantial advantages to its existing and future customers.

• The .NET development architecture allows Microsoft Business Solutions to build new applications that deeply integrate with existing business applications from Microsoft. As a result, Microsoft Business Solutions will be able to offer new functionality to users of existing products, offering an evolutionary path to the future.
• .NET allows Microsoft Business Solutions to set a new bar for business application interconnections, making it possible for existing and future Microsoft applications to interconnect with one another, and with suppliers, customers and employees.
• .NET will pave the way for future platforms, offering dramatic improvements for customers wanting to customize their solutions.

Below is Microsoft Business Solutions' development strategy and how it relates to the .NET-connected revolution that's underway.

This investment strategy is threefold:

• Expand and enhance today's solutions
• Surround solutions with new product offerings
• Deliver a unified global solution built on the Microsoft Business Framework

This investment strategy is backed by significant industry research and development (R&D) resources, both in people and financial investments. As one of the top five R&D teams in the industry, Microsoft Business Solutions can execute on this strategy.

Expand and Enhance Today's Solutions
Microsoft Business Solutions recognizes and values the investment its customers make when selecting a business solution. It also realizes that its customers will embrace the .NET-connected concept at their own pace, and Microsoft Business Solutions will provide the solutions they want and need on their timeline. Microsoft Business Solutions witnessed this during the transition from MS-DOS® to Windows®. It continued to add value to its MS-DOS-based applications for many years after the Windows-based solutions were available. In short, Microsoft Business Solutions' heritage of customer service and customer commitment is long and true and remains at the heart of its mission: "To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential."

Microsoft Business Solutions also realizes that customers' timelines for adapting and incorporating the benefits of .NET into specific business processes vary. For that reason, Microsoft Business Solutions is committed to continuing to invest in and enhance all editions of the Microsoft Business Solutions product family including Solomon®, Attain®, Great Plains®, and Axapta®.

Surround Solutions With New Product Offerings
Microsoft Business Solutions' second investment is to surround its current applications with solutions that provide new capabilities, as well as solutions that offer .NET connectivity. These applications will address cross-industry needs - such as Microsoft Customer Relationship Management - as well as industry-focused needs such as Microsoft Retail Management System and Microsoft Business Solutions Professional Services Automation. Microsoft Business Solutions will provide key sets of business functionality that will "surround" its traditional enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions and enable its customers to begin realizing the benefits of .NET-connected applications immediately. This strategy enables Microsoft Business Solutions' customers to extend and enhance their existing applications with surrounding industry-specific and .NET-connected solutions, allowing them to embrace .NET at their own pace. This model of value-based adoption has been used with previous successful technology shifts.

Deliver a Unified Global Solution Built on the Microsoft Business Framework
Concurrent with Microsoft Business Solutions' efforts in extending and enhancing its current solutions and surrounding them with complementary offerings, it will build its next generation of solutions from the ground up on the Microsoft Business Framework. The Microsoft Business Framework is the enabling platform designed specifically for the next generation of interconnected global business solutions. Microsoft Business Solutions' customers will be able to move to this unified solution when it makes sense for them to do so. This means that their investments made today and yesterday are even more valuable, because they enable the customers to manage their businesses now, while helping them prepare for the expanded benefits delivered over the coming months and years driven by .NET deliverables.

Microsoft Business Solutions has made the following statement of commitment to its customers:

If you currently license Great Plains, Solomon, Attain or Axapta and if you stay current on the Microsoft Business Solutions Enhancement Program/Upgrade Program, you will be able to move to the Microsoft Business Solutions .NET solution without having to repurchase the functionality you already license. Any functionality equivalents between current solutions and the .NET solution are included as part of the Enhancement Program/Upgrade Program. Hardware upgrades or modifications and/or consulting and tools fees needed or desired to take advantage of the .NET solution are not included as part of the Enhancement Program/Upgrade Program. To take advantage of this option, you will have to be licensed for a Great Plains, Solomon, Attain and/or Axapta solution on Microsoft SQL ServerTM at the date of moving to Microsoft Business Solutions .NET solution.

Conclusion
As one of the top five R&D resources in the industry, Microsoft Business Solutions wants to continue to add value to its existing solutions and its ability to deliver. Microsoft Business Solutions' threefold strategy ensures that it is maximizing and protecting its customers' return on investments today and tomorrow. The solutions Microsoft Business Solutions provides today enable its customer's to manage their businesses now, and by delivering surround applications, Microsoft Business Solutions is delivering the expanded benefits of .NET connected solutions.

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Microsoft, Great Plains, Solomon, MS-DOS and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Great Plains Software Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. Axapta and Attain are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Navision Software A/S in the United States and/or other countries. Navision Software A/S is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

For additional information, please contact:
Jon Buschlen, Marketing Manager
(407) 660-0059 x135
info@ssyh.com