Adds resources, continues GCC expansion drive

Manama, Bahrain, 22 May 2007: Sage Software, one of the world's leading vendors of ERP, CRM and HRM solutions to medium and large organizations, has announced the opening of its office in Bahrain, to act as a sales hub for the Middle East, in addition to the company's regional headquarters in Dubai Internet City. The investment in Bahrain includes a technical support desk to serve customers locally and regionally. Sage had announced earlier plans to open offices across the region, starting with the recently set up Saudi operation,  to get closer to its customers and partners and capture a bigger share of the opportunities in the market.

"We've been looking at setting up a local presence in Bahrain for a while, as we were seeing the Kingdom's business environment grow and develop very fast, thereby creating increased opportunities. Having signed the Free Trade Agreement last year, Bahrain today is one of the most promising Gulf economies, scoring 80% on Business Freedom*. In a fast-developing market, Bahraini organisations are becoming increasingly aware of the significance of business management solutions such as ERP, CRM and HRM and for this they require reliable partnerships with international vendors, "said Marc Van Der Ven, Managing Director, Sage Software Middle East. "Sage Software has been operational in Bahrain working closely with local partners, but we have now added dedicated resources to support our customers and channel alike. As well as leverage our resources in Bahrain to cover neighboring territories such as the Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia."

The Sage team in Bahrain currently consists of five people, working across sales and support. Sage has the widest range of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions to help local businesses become more competitive and identify and leverage potentially lucrative opportunities.

Among Sage's clients in Bahrain is Al-Mahroos Group, one of the biggest suppliers of construction equipment. "We have over 100 Sage Accpac ERP users in our company, relying hugely on the data provided through the system to make critical day to day decisions," said Hassan Al Mahroos, managing director of M.H. Al Mahrous Group. "We're a rapidly growing business and having a reliable business solution in place enables us to focus on our core operations. Working with Sage software has had a very positive impact on our business and its move to establish a bigger presence in Bahrain further strengthens our confidence in its people and products." Other Sage customers in Bahrain include A.J.M. Kooheji, Shaheen Group, Kalaam Telecom and the Bhatia Group.

Van der Ven added: "The government of Bahrain has taken a number of steps in the right direction, to encourage investments and help local businesses grow. This increasing investment will create the need for more regulation, more human resources and hence a solid information infrastructure. Sage is working closely with its partners in Bahrain to identify areas where our products can help organisations compete and grow."

Sage had recently also set up operations in Saudi Arabia, in addition to the regional head office based in Dubai Internet City. Sage today has over 45 skilled partners, 1,500 customers and 10,000 users in the Middle East region.

*from the US-based Heritage Foundation's 2007 Index of Economic Freedom

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About Sage Software ME:
Sage Software offers leading business management software and services that support the needs and challenges of medium sized organisations. Its parent company, The Sage Group plc (London: SGE.L), supports 5 million customers worldwide. For more than 25 years, Sage Software has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable software for enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management and human resources. Its products are used by a range of industries including Manufacturing, Wholesale Distribution, Trading, Banking & Financial Services, Transportation & Logistics, Telecommunications, Oil & Gas, Healthcare, Chemicals, Consumer Products, Defense & Security, High Tech, Government / Non-profit, Services, Retail, Utilities, Construction/ Real Estate and Education.

For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sage.com

© Press Release 2007