Best Software Brings 'Winds of Change' to Museum of Science & Industry.

Business Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 27, 2001

Award-Winning Abra Suite Allows Easy Payroll and Business

Management Process Integration for MOSI's Multiple Departments

Best Software, Inc., developer of Abra(R) HR/payroll solutions, is helping the Tampa-based Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) to reduce its payroll processing time by more than 50 percent.

Since 1982, MOSI has been one of the most popular educational destinations in the Southeast, housing some of the most innovative exhibits in the country, including "Disasterville," an interactive look at how earthquakes affect building design.

The museum has more than 200 full-time and seasonal employees working across 27 departments, each requiring payroll, human resources and budgeting allocations to operate as independent entities, according to Jeanette Baker, CFO for MOSI.

The museum's complete payroll cycle used to involve entering and manually verifying timecard information, taking nearly three days. With Abra Payroll(R), MOSI now collects and analyzes departmental data, integrates that information into a corporate system and then generates financial and analytic reports in less than two days.

"While HR and payroll managers have become increasingly essential contributors to setting corporate growth strategy, they remain burdened with overly-cumbersome analysis and reporting functions," said Tom Tillman, director of Abra product marketing. "Web-enabled applications lift these burdens and allow CFOs and HR managers to focus on intellectual capital and longer-range strategic issues, bringing increased revenues and improved bottom-lines."

In March, MOSI selected the Tampa-based Caisson Group, a leading Best Software reseller, to install Abra Payroll. Together with MOSI's HR and IT personnel, The Caisson Group converted MOSI to a fully-functional payroll system in less than four weeks, without any downtime.

"Abra Payroll is the complete solution," said Baker. "With the click of a button, my team can process payroll and generate the reports I need for our executive board. Now, I have the time to devote to other larger strategic issues at hand, and they have the reports and analysis to ensure MOSI remains a profitable and successful organization."

MOSI plans to install Best Software's Abra HR(R) module by the end of 2001, providing additional integration within the organization's overall business management system. Abra HR will enable MOSI to better analyze its staff productivity and increase its hiring, training and retention levels.

About MOSI

MOSI is a not-for-profit, community-based institution and educational resource that is dedicated to advancing public interest, knowledge, and understanding of science, industry, and technology. MOSI's core ideology is to make a difference in people's lives by making science real for people of all ages and backgrounds. For more information, please visit MOSI at www.mosi.org.

About Abra Suite

More than 15,000 mid-market companies in a variety of industries, including financial services, healthcare and manufacturing, among many others, use Abra solutions. Abra Suite's e-capabilities enable companies to more efficiently manage their workforce through two powerful main components: Abra HR(R) and Abra Payroll(R). In addition to these essential solutions, Abra Suite also offers a number of modules to help companies better understand and fully utilize their workforce's collective skills, talents, and experiences. These products include Abra Train(R), Abra Recruiting Solution(TM), Abra OrgChart(TM), Abra Attendance(R), Abra Employee Self Service(TM) and Abra Alerts(TM).

About Best Software

Best Software, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Sage Group plc, is a leading provider of solutions which help organizations transform the way they manage their human capital and fixed assets. With more than 50,000 customers throughout North America, it develops scalable, cost-effective solutions which complement core financial management systems and support the full spectrum of Microsoft platforms, including Windows(R) 95, Windows(R) 98, Windows NT(a) and BackOffice(R). For further information, call 800/368-2499, send an email to [e-mail], or access our web site at www.bestsoftware.com.

(a) Best, Best Software, the Best logo, Abra, Abra HR and Abra Payroll are registered trademarks of Best Software. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.