ACCPAC Launches New Bilingual Simply Accounting 2004

rtical Industry Support, Enhanced Interface, New Reporting Options and Small Business Services

PLEASANTON, Calif., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ACCPAC International, Inc., a subsidiary of Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA - News), announced today the release of Simply Accounting® 2004 Basic and Simply Accounting 2004 PRO, new versions of the award winning accounting program used by more than 400,000 small businesses worldwide. Simply Accounting 2004 Basic gives small businesses a complete accounting system, including payroll and e-commerce features, for as little as $49 (USD). Simply Accounting 2004 PRO provides these same business management features and adds multi-user, multi-currency, time and billing, and a range of other advanced capabilities for as little as $99 (USD).

Simply Accounting, awarded "World Class: Best of 2003 - Business Accounting Software" by PC World magazine, is the only bilingual Spanish/English small business accounting software in the United States. It offers greater business flexibility by eliminating language barriers for the millions of Hispanic-owned small businesses throughout the U.S. who may prefer to conduct their accounting in Spanish. With Simply Accounting they can easily take greater control of their business with access to all screens, menus, reports, invoices, and training documentation for their accounting system in both English and Spanish. The choice of either language is easily accessible, and users can switch back and forth, at the simple click of a mouse.

A major upgrade from previous versions, Simply Accounting 2004 builds even further on the product's strengths in vertical industry support, usability, reporting, and small business services. Among the dozens of new features and enhancements in Simply Accounting 2004 are:

* Industry-specific productivity tips, with expert tips and advice from
professional accountants for using Simply Accounting 2004 in a range of
vertical industries;

* Enhanced Interface and other time-saving usability features including
powerful new search capabilities and simpler account reconciliation
features;

* New functionality throughout the product, including handling prepaid
orders, more credit card options, and support for multiple price lists
(PRO version);

* New reporting and information management features including more
flexibility in generating aging and inventory reports, tighter
integration with Microsoft(R) Excel, and improved on-screen report
presentation;

* New Direct Deposit Payroll Service;

* Free 30-day setup support for new users provided by phone and online
(PRO version).

"With Simply Accounting 2004, we've continued to tackle the issues that small businesses and the accounting community have told us are most important to them -- continuing ease of use especially for the beginning user, more powerful functionality, and a sharp focus on the power of Simply Accounting to more closely meet the needs of vertical industries," said Scott Garell, Senior Vice President, ACCPAC Small Business Group. "The continued emphasis on these issues, along with our value pricing, superior reviews over QuickBooks®, and the market-leading ability to operate in both Spanish and English, make Simply Accounting the best accounting software value for small businesses."

Industry-Specific Productivity

In addition to the product's over 100 chart of accounts templates for different business types, Simply Accounting 2004 now provides expert tips and advice from professional accountants for using Simply Accounting 2004 in the following business categories: Agriculture; Construction/Contracting; Food and Beverage; Manufacturing; Medical/Dental; Not-for-Profit; Personal Services; Professional Services; Real Estate/Property Management; and Retail. Companies in these industries can easily set up Simply Accounting 2004 for the unique attributes of their industry without the need for more expensive specialty software. For example, construction companies can track job costs, prepare estimates, issue progress billings, manage deposits and holdbacks, track the cost of partner and owner time in projects, and create custom reports specific to their needs -- all using Simply Accounting 2004.

Friendlier, Enhanced Interface

Usability continues to be a key strength of Simply Accounting and the new 2004 versions offer enhancements throughout that make everyday accounting tasks even easier and faster to manage.

The enhanced interface now offers a unique "second layer," providing users with two distinct views to the accounting system. The new interface layer is designed especially for new users, further simplifying navigation by providing quick access to common functions such as sales quotes, sales orders, sales invoices, and receipts, as well as a new "How Do I?" help section for quick self-service support. Users can easily switch between the two available interfaces and operate with either depending on their personal preference.

In addition, data search enhancements now make it easier to find critical information such as invoice numbers, check numbers, and customer information. Other usability enhancements include a redesigned Account Reconciliation process with streamlined setup, the ability to "lock" fiscal periods to prevent transactions from being erroneously applied, and new auto-download options to simplify product and payroll tax table updates.

New Functional enhancements including unlimited price lists

Simply Accounting 2004 PRO handles an unlimited number of price lists enabling businesses to easily maintain separate pricing for preferred customers and create special "sale" price lists. In both the Basic and PRO versions, prepaid sales orders can now be accepted, and credit cards can be accepted for receipts. The popular Automatic Adjusting Entries feature has been expanded and is now available in the Payments and Receipts journals, enabling users to quickly make changes to data while the software does all the proper accounting entries in the background.

New reporting and information management features

Reporting in Simply Accounting 2004 has been updated to give users tighter integration of financial reports with MS-Excel, more options to access data, and overall refinements to on-screen presentation. For example, financial statements can now be "dropped" into Excel, with formulas and calculations included, with a single mouse click on the Simply Accounting toolbar. More date selection options are available for aging and inventory reports enabling users to report on more granular data. All reports also benefit from redesigned on-screen presentation.

New Direct Deposit Payroll Service

Simply Accounting 2004 has been enhanced with a new Direct Deposit Payroll service that is launched from within Simply Accounting, providing fast access to this new electronic employee pay option. The service interfaces with any bank in North America that accepts Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions. It doesn't require a minimum number of deposits or employees and can be accessed whenever the user requires. For even greater convenience, automatic deposits can be scheduled. The Direct Deposit Payroll Service is available for a $79 (USD) setup fee plus $1.50 (USD) per transaction.

Direct Deposit payroll adds to the existing small business services in Simply Accounting, which include Data Backup and Credit Card Services. Simply Accounting users can also access integrated, full service payroll through Paychex, Inc. (PAYX: NASDAQ).

Free Setup Support for Simply Accounting 2004 PRO

To help new users get up and running with confidence, free setup support is provided for new users of Simply Accounting 2004 PRO. Free setup options include 30-day setup technical telephone support, and a free online learning seminar. A free QuickBooks data conversion utility is provided with the software.

Pricing and Availability

Simply Accounting 2004 Basic and Simply Accounting 2004 PRO are available in the United States for $49 (USD) and $99 (USD), respectively. Both products are available directly from ACCPAC by calling 1-800-773-5445 or by visiting www.simplyaccounting.com, and will be available in January, 2004 at software retailers including Best Buy, CompUSA, Office Depot, Office Max, Micro Center, and Fry's. For more information, visit www.simplyaccounting.com.

About ACCPAC

ACCPAC International, Inc., a subsidiary of Computer Associates International, Inc. (NYSE: CA - News), provides small and mid-size businesses a broad range of end-to-end business management applications designed to enhance customers' competitive advantage. Product lines include ACCPAC CRM(TM), ACCPAC CRM SalesTeam(TM), ACCPAC Advantage Series(TM), ACCPAC Pro Series(TM), ACCPAC HR Series(TM), ACCPAC Business Analysis Suite(TM), ACCPAC eTransact®, ACCPAC Exchange(TM), ACCPAC Warehouse Management System(TM), ACCPAC epos(TM), ACCPAC Insight(TM), Simply Accounting®, Simply Accounting Payroll(TM), FAXserve® and ACCPAC Messenger(TM).

Based in Pleasanton, Calif., USA, with offices in Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, the Middle East, the Netherlands, South Africa, Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom, ACCPAC has more than 500,000 customers and more than 7,000 channel partners in more than 130 countries worldwide. For more information about ACCPAC and our products, call 1-800-945-8007 in North America, or visit ACCPAC at www.accpac.com.

2003 ACCPAC International, Inc. All rights reserved. ACCPAC, the ACCPAC logo, Simply Accounting, and the ACCPAC product names set forth above are registered trademarks or trademarks of ACCPAC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other marks are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective companies.

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Source: ACCPAC International, Inc.

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