Microsoft and CODA Form Strategic Alliance to Optimize CODA Financial Applications on Microsoft .NET

REDMOND, Wash., and HARROGATE, England, March 1, 2005 — Microsoft Corp. and CODA Group Holdings Ltd. today announced a multiyear alliance intended to enable CODA to deliver a range of financial accounting, management, analysis and control solutions that take full advantage of the Microsoft
® platform. In addition to CODA’s existing line of financial management products for the Microsoft platform, versions of the company’s next generation of analysis and process control solutions — including CODA-Analytics, CODA-Control and CODA-Intelligence — will be built using Microsoft technology, including the Microsoft .NET Framework, SQL Server (TM) 2005 Integration Services and Analysis Services, Microsoft Office System, Windows Server (TM) 2003, and Microsoft SharePoint®
Products and Technologies. The alliance will help CODA deliver solutions that allow enterprises to analyze, control and exploit changing business dynamics and realize greater value from their financial investments.

CODA’s solutions deliver strategic financial intelligence to management at all levels of medium-sized and large enterprises, allowing them to monitor and control their businesses better and drive performance through improved efficiency and decision-making abilities. By building on the Microsoft platform, CODA will deliver greater customer value with solutions that are easy to use, deploy and maintain, and help reduce ownership and integration costs.

“Microsoft is excited to be working with CODA to deliver added value to its business and customers through the use of Microsoft technologies,” said Mark Young, general manager of Developer and Platform Evangelism at Microsoft. “The powerful combination of the Microsoft platform and CODA’s financial intelligence software promises to deliver strategic insights to our mutual customers around the world.”

The alliance builds on a recent announcement that highlighted CODA’s support for the new Microsoft Development Center in Denmark. CODA was the first Microsoft ISV to take advantage of the center to design, develop and improve solutions that utilize the latest advancements to the Microsoft platform. Using BizTalk®
Server 2004, Microsoft Office Information Bridge Framework, and single sign-on technology, CODA designed and architected the next generation of CODA-Control applications.

CODA views Microsoft technology as its primary development platform for financial management applications such as CODA-Control, which helps organizations manage and improve complex business processes such as those geared to enable compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2003 and facilitate month-end closing. The first new product resulting from the alliance is due for general release in the second half of 2005.

“As the fastest-growing platform for CODA deployments, Microsoft has proved its commitment to supporting CODA technologies,” said Jeremy Roche, CEO of CODA Group. “Our common vision for how financial applications are evolving to meet market demand has resulted in products that address specific customer ‘pain points,’ particularly in the area of regulatory compliance. The Microsoft-CODA alliance continues to build on platform advances that deliver an increasing competitive advantage to our enterprise customers.”

William Cunningham, vice president and controller at LIN TV Corp., said, “LIN TV runs its CODA financial applications using the Microsoft operating and database systems. CODA’s decision to design the CODA-Control application using the Microsoft SharePoint Products and Technologies platform was a key factor in LIN’s decision to purchase CODA-Control. This product alliance provides a cost-effective solution for us to reduce our Sarbanes-Oxley related audit costs while greatly enhancing our internal control program.”

CODA’s leading financial and compliance solutions include CODA-Control for month-end closing, compliance and corporate social responsibility; CODA-Analytics for corporate performance management; and the award-winning CODA-Financials for general financial management.

About CODA

CODA provides best-of-class, finance-based management information solutions. These include award-winning accounting and procurement systems linked to a suite of complementary applications that support finance, reporting and analytic processes across the organization. A range of powerful new collaborative process control applications streamline and automate key business processes — such as regulatory compliance, financial period-end close or corporate responsibility programs.

These analysis and collaborative solutions integrate seamlessly both with CODA applications and other leading operational systems to capitalize on customers’ existing IT investments. CODA’s product offerings are all underpinned by expert consultancy, education and support services, and delivered by teams of experienced accountants and technology specialists.

Founded in the United Kingdom in 1979, the CODA Group now employs more than 550 people around the world and delivers global sales, service and support through its own offices, together with a carefully selected network of partners. Its customers include over 2,500 medium-sized and large user organizations — worldwide and across all industry sectors.

For more information about CODA, please visit http://www.coda.com .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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