Force 9 Business Solutions Joins Epicor® Partners for Growth Program

Specialist Value-Added Reseller Offers Migration Path for MAX ERP Users

BRACKNELL, Berkshire – July 12, 2006 — Force 9 Business Solutions Ltd has joined the Partners for Growth Program of Epicor Software Corporation (NASDAQ: EPIC), a leading provider of enterprise business software solutions for the global midmarket, as its newest value-added reseller (VAR). Force 9 has one of the largest team of MAX consultants in the UK; all with at least 10 years experience of helping companies implement and use enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems effectively.

The Force 9 team at Epicor European HQ, with Harry Mowat, Mark Hughes and Kevin Hewett of Epicor“Since SSA Global announced in 2005 that it would no longer be developing the MAX ERP solution, we decided to look at a viable migration option for existing users,” said Derek Sanderson, managing director of Force 9 Business Solutions Ltd. “As a company, we have an in depth knowledge of the MAX product and in late 2005 we started evaluating a number of possible ERP systems that would offer the community a solid migration path.”

Force 9 Business Solutions was formed in 2005 by a group of Independent MAX consultants. Many of the Force 9 team worked directly for MAX International prior to its acquisition by SSA in 2001 including projects for several high profile MAX customers including TRW Steering Systems and Cadbury Trebor Bassett. According to Sanderson, MAX has approximately 50-60 customers in the UK, most with a turnover of £10-50 million with a further 300-400 customers around the world.

“We looked at a considerable number of alternative vendors and products and found that the Epicor Vantage manufacturing solution offered the ‘best fit’ in terms of functionality and suitability for the MAX user community,” Sanderson added. “Other important factors were the stability of the vendor, the flexibility provided by the advanced technology used, and the vision and commitment Epicor demonstrated in its Vantage product roadmap.”

Force 9 is currently developing Migration tools to help MAX users move across to Vantage and is in discussion with a number of prospective clients.

“We are pleased to welcome Force 9 into our partner program,” said Harry Mowat, director of channel sales for Epicor in EMEA “The team at Force 9 has a comprehensive knowledge of the MAX ERP software which will be invaluable in helping customers transition to Vantage which delivers a true Service-Oriented Architecture suited to manufacturing operations of all types.”

Manufacturers around the world rely on Vantage, a complete end-to-end manufacturing system that addresses the core business needs of make-to-order and mixed-mode manufacturers. The modular suite has built-in workflows managing the entire order cycle including Marketing, Sales, Production and Planning, Sourcing and Procurement, Installation and Service, through to financial recognition.

About Epicor Software Corporation

Epicor is a global leader dedicated to providing integrated enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), supply chain management (SCM) and professional service automation (PSA) software solutions to midmarket companies and divisions of the Global 1000. Founded in 1984, Epicor serves over 20,000 customers in more than 140 countries, providing solutions in over 30 languages. Employing innovative service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web services technology, Epicor delivers end-to-end, industry-specific solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and services that enable companies to drive increased efficiency, improve performance and build competitive advantage. Epicor solutions provide the scalability and flexibility to meet today's business challenges, while empowering enterprises for even greater success tomorrow. Epicor offers a comprehensive range of services with its solutions, providing a single point of accountability to promote rapid return on investment and low total cost of ownership. Epicor’s worldwide headquarters are located in Irvine, California with offices and affiliates around the world. For more information, visit www.epicor.com.