Sage Advances Productivity in the Construction Industry With the Introduction of Sage Project Lifecycle Management

BEAVERTON, OR--(Marketwire - September 30, 2009) - As increased economic pressures and more complicated construction projects lead construction industry professionals to drive greater efficiency into the business, productivity and collaboration have become cornerstone issues for contractors, designers, architects and other construction project teams. Today, Sage North America is providing the industry with a proven way to improve efficiency and productivity with the launch of Sage Project Lifecycle Management (PLM). Sage North America provides business management software and services to more than 2.9 million small and midsize businesses in Canada and the United States.

Sage Project Lifecycle Management is a web-based collaborative project management service platform that simplifies an organization's workflow by making all project-related information and documentation available online in a secure, centralized location. Sage Project Lifecycle Management was developed through a partnership with BIW® Technologies, a global leader in web-based business applications.

"Historically, low productivity has been a chronic, widespread problem in the construction industry, due in part, to the inefficient and error-prone methods of sharing information via faxes, word of mouth and email," said John Geffel, senior vice president and general manager, Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions. "With Sage Project Lifecycle Management, the construction industry can now focus on increasing productivity, collaboration and accountability among all parties by integrating vendors and suppliers directly into the project, which allows for overall cost savings and on-time delivery of projects."

Sage Project Lifecycle Management is Web-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) that supports seamless communication with customers and vendors throughout the supply chain. Sage Project Lifecycle Management allows users to easily customize a project based on a company's needs and allows for quick implementation without additional hardware requirements.

"In an industry where delays and errors can be devastating to the bottom line, effective collaboration can make the difference between success and failure. Team collaboration solutions such as Sage Project Lifecycle Management get everyone on the same page, helping them to get things done better, faster and more efficiently," said Laurie McCabe, partner, Hurwitz & Associates.

Sage Project Lifecycle Management helps construction project teams increase productivity through:

--  24/7 online workspace that is project-centric, secure, simple-to-use,
    cost-effective, scalable, and reduces risk.
--  Improved project team collaboration enabling teams in multiple
    locations to collaborate online, real time, across the building design,
    construction and occupancy phases.
--  Reduced project costs with online document management and visual
    drawing that significantly reduces printing, reproduction, distribution,
    storage and retrieval costs associated with the many drawings and documents
    produced during typical projects.
--  Improved internal security with a full audit trail ensuring all user
    transactions are time and date stamped, retaining a full record of who
    changed what and when. All data is hosted on secure servers, monitored
    24/7, with regular system and data back-ups to ensure constant availability
    of the latest data.
--  Improved asset management through the ability to view the entire
    history of a built asset.
--  Integrated communication with Microsoft Office Outlook including a
    Sage PLM launch point within Outlook which can link directly to project
    folders.
    

Sage Project Lifecycle Management marries Sage's expertise in construction accounting technology with project collaboration technology from BIW to offer a total solution that improves key project delivery processes throughout the global supply-chain. Sage PLM provides greater project insight which enables users to quickly monitor and control key project metrics, such as time, cost and quality. The offering also allows users access to information for regulatory, legal and other compliance requirements.

Availability

Sage Construction and Real Estate products are sold in North America exclusively through a network of authorized Sage Business partners that consists of highly qualified industry experts. They are dedicated to the concerns and requirements of small and midsized construction and real estate management companies. To find a business partner in your area, please contact one of our representatives at 800-726-6278 or e-mail: productinfo.cre@sage.com.

About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,100 people and supports nearly 2.9 million small and medium-size business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 14,500 people and supports 5.8 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com.

Contact Information: Press Contact: Monisha Khanna Sage 604.207.8676 Monisha.Khanna@sage.com