Sage Reinforces Global and Local Leadership Positions With Worldwide Recognition and Regional Award

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - October 26, 2009) - Sage North America announced today two company recognitions, the first being ranked 35th globally in the "Software 500" and the second being the recipient of the "Business Excellence Award" from the British American Business Council. Sage provides business management software and services to 2.9 million small and midsize businesses in the US and Canada, and 5.8 million worldwide.

Software Magazine's prestigious Software 500 ranks Sage the 35th largest software vendor in its worldwide rankings by revenue. The publication's annual list shows that among the top 35 Sage is one of only two vendors focused on ERP (enterprise resource planning) solutions and the only vendor exclusively serving the SMB (small to midsize business) market. Recognition from Software Magazine further demonstrates Sage's growing global impact, which includes market leadership rankings from analyst firms. IDC ranks Sage number one globally for financial applications vendors serving companies with fewer than 500 employees* and Gartner identifies Sage number one globally for ERP vendors serving the lower midmarket.**

Sage North America recently received the Business Excellence Award from the Orange County, California Chapter of the British American Business Council. The Business Excellence Award honors business excellence and contributions to the business community throughout the county. Sage is also recognized by the Orange County Business Journal as the second largest software vendor in Orange County.

"These accolades are recognition of the ability of Sage employees, both locally and around the world, to serve customers in the SMB market," said Sue Swenson, CEO of Sage North America. "The global strength of our Sage brand combined with the unparalleled understanding of our customers enables us to be a recognized leader in the small to midsized business market."

The "Software 500"

The Software 500 is a revenue-based ranking of the world's largest software and services suppliers targeting medium to large enterprises, their IT professionals, software developers and business managers involved in software and services purchasing. The ranking is based on total worldwide software and services revenue for 2008. Some 44 percent of the 2009 Software 500 companies are privately held.

To view a list of the 2009 Software 500, please visit www.softwaremag.com.

About Digital Software Magazine, the Software Decision Journal, and Softwaremag.com

Digital Software Magazine, the Software Decision Journal, has been a brand name in the high-tech industry for 30 years. Softwaremag.com, its Web counterpart, is the online catalog to enterprise software and the home of the Software 500 ranking of the world's largest software and services companies. Software Magazine and Softwaremag.com are owned and operated by King Content Co.

About BABC-OC

BABC-OC is the Orange County chapter of the British American Business Council (BABC), the largest transatlantic business organization with 25 chapters and 3,000 member companies based in major business centers throughout North America and the United Kingdom. The Orange County chapter provides strategic benefits to its members through outstanding educational business programs alongside business and social networking events, all featuring internationally prominent guests from the business, policy and political sectors. Working to support and foster transatlantic business as well as establish Orange County as a business center for foreign-based businesses, BABC-OC's membership represents some of Orange County's most elite companies.

About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,100 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 14,500 people and supports 5.8 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com or call 866-308-2378.

* IDC #203672, Volume 1, October 2006.

** Gartner Dataquest Insight: ERP Suite Leaders, Trends and Characteristics in the North American SMB Market, 2008. Oct. 2008.

© 2009 Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, Sage Software, Sage logos and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc. or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Stephen Moore Sage North America (949) 790-2040 stephen.moore@sage.com