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AUSTIN, TEXAS - January 18, 2005 - Best Software and Continental Utility Solutions, Inc. (CUSI) today announced they have entered into a strategic agreement to create a seamless integration between Best Software's MIP Fund Accounting product line and CUSI's Continental Billing System for Windows (CBSW) and Utility Management System.net (UMS.Net), providing a complete customer information management solution for state and local government organizations. Additionally, as part of the partnership, CUSI will add the MIP Fund Accounting™ line to its current offerings, so government customers can acquire both integrated products from a single vendor who specializes in their needs.

Although CUSI currently offers an interface-level link between its two utility billing products and MIP Fund Accounting, it will now develop a seamless integration as a new MIP Fund Accounting Software Integrator Program (SIP) member. SIP is an official training and certification program enabling business partners to be recognized as highly proficient developers for the MIP Fund Accounting product line.

"The tighter integration between MIP Fund Accounting and CUSI's utility billing product will increase the flow and accuracy of information between the systems," said Peggy Busch, city secretary of Glen Rose, Texas, a customer of both solutions. "Streamlined processes will help us be more efficient, improve our customer service levels, and complete our reports faster and easier."

Best Software's MIP Fund Accounting product line, including both MIP Government Series and MIP Fund Accounting solutions, are powerful, flexible accounting solutions for nonprofit and government organizations of every size and budget. CUSI's CBSW is a Windows-based customer information and utility billing system for utilities with 50 to 50,000 customers, and UMS.Net is a powerful, Microsoft® .Net™-based utility software solution for utilities with 5,000 to 500,000 customers.

About Continental Utility Solutions, Inc. (CUSI)
For more than 20 years, CUSI has developed and implemented total technology solutions for managing the operations of utilities. Today over 800 water, sewer, gas, electric and waste management companies use CUSI's Windows, SQL and .Net applications for their CIS/Billing Accounting and Operational needs. CUSI creates value by providing the tools to deliver world-class customer service and operational efficiency. For more information visit www.cusi.com or contact the sales department at (800) 240-1420 or sales@cusi.com.

About Best Software
Best Software offers leading business management products and services that give more than 2.3 million small and mid-sized customers in North America the insight for success throughout the lives of their businesses. Its parent company, The Sage Group plc (London: SGE.L), supports 4.4 million customers worldwide. For more than 25 years, Best Software has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable applications through its portfolio of leading brands, including Abra®, ACCPAC®, ACT!®, BusinessVision®, CPASoftware®, FAS®, MAS 90®, MAS 200®, MAS 500®, MIP®, Peachtree®, SalesLogix®, and Timberline® Office, among many others. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.bestsoftware.com/moreinfo or call (866) 308-BEST.

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