from DSSResources.comBest Software's Timberline(R) Office secures high ratings, increased use for accounting, estimating, and project management in 2004 CFMA Industry surveyBEAVERTON, Ore., June 28, 2004 -- Best Software announced today that Timberline Office accounting, estimating, and project management received high ratings and showed solid gains in use among general contractors, according to results of the Construction Financial Management Association's (CFMA) 2004 Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry. The Timberline Office suite of financial and operations software is developed by Timberline, a Best Software company, part of the Sage Group, plc. Introduced in September 2002, the Timberline Office suite combines Timberline's established leading applications into an integrated end-to-end business system that covers the project lifecycle from concept to occupancy. Designed to measure the use of technology among construction businesses, the CFMA survey was sent in late 2003 to a select list of contractors under the guidance of a subcommittee of CFMA's Technology Committee. Results of the 800 respondents were compiled and analyzed by Moss Adams, LLP.At 17%, Timberline Office Estimating ranked number one in use among all contractors for a dedicated estimating system. For general contractors alone, some 41% of the respondents indicated they were Timberline Office Estimating customers, which increased from 25% of general contractors who reported they used Timberline Office Estimating in CFMA's 2002 survey. Timberline Office also placed number one for the percentage of general contractors (39%) who use an accounting system. The ranking also represents an advance from the 35% of general contractors who reported using Timberline Office Accounting in the 2002 CFMA survey. In addition, this year specialty contractors placed Timberline Office Accounting a solid second in this growing market. In only 21 months since its introduction, Timberline Office Project Management has become the second-most used project management application among specialty contractors and now ranks third among general contractors. In all, 15% of general contractors indicated they were customers of Timberline Office Project Management. "We listened to our customers and created Timberline Office to meet their desire for a single, integrated business system that would handle accounting, estimating, and project management," said Timberline President and General Manager Curtis Peltz. "CFMA's survey results, and Timberline's own tracking, point to a growing trend in the adoption of the Timberline Office concept." In comments made at Best Software's recent Insights business partner conference, Peltz noted that sales to new customers of the complete Timberline Office suite are up 47% over the year prior, and sales of combined project management and accounting applications alone have increased 68% over the same period a year ago. CFMA's survey results also follow a five-star rating of Timberline Office Accounting by The CPA Technology Advisor's annual construction software review. The publication scored vendors' software applications, as reported in its April/May 2004 issue, based on eight evaluation topics including modules, learning curve, integration, support and training, security, customization and productivity, reports, and relative value. Ratings were one through five stars, with five the highest possible score. For more information about Timberline Office, visit http://www.timberline.com or call 1-800-628-6583. About CFMA The Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) is the only non-profit organization dedicated to serving the construction financial professional. Findings are from CFMA's 2004 Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry, fifth edition, and are cited with the permission of the Construction Financial Management Association, Princeton, NJ. CFMA did not evaluate nor rank software in terms of performance. The number of users indicated for any particular software product is not an indication of its superiority over comparable products, rather it is only an indication of its use among respondents. The survey should not be construed as the advice or opinion of CFMA. For survey information, contact Erica O'Grady, CFMA, 609-452-8000. For survey order information, contact CFMA at http://www.cfma.org, infor@cfma, or call 609-452-8000. About Best Software Best Software offers leading business management products and services that give more than 2.3 million small and mid-sized customers in North America the insight for success throughout the lives of their businesses. Its parent company, The Sage Group plc (London: SGE.L), supports 4.3 million customers worldwide. Its first half revenue run rate for FY 2004 was the equivalent of over $1 billion in annual revenues. For more than 25 years, Best Software has delivered easy-to-use, scalable and customizable applications through its portfolio of leading brands, including Abra, ACCPAC, ACT!, BusinessVision, CPASoftware, FAS, MAS 90, MAS 200, MAS 500, MIP, Peachtree, SalesLogix, Timberline, among many others. For more information, please visit the Web site at http://www.bestsoftware.com/moreinfo or call 866-308-BEST. SOURCE Best Software Web Site: http://www.bestsoftware.com |