Gains membership of Microsoft's GISV programme

AIM: KBT

K3 BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY GROUP PLC

("K3" or "the Group" or "the Company")

K3 gains membership of

Microsoft's Global Independent Software Vendor programme

K3, which provides and supports Enterprise Resource Planning software, is delighted to announce that it has been accredited with membership of Microsoft's Global Independent Software Vendor ("GISV") programme. This makes K3 the first Microsoft Dynamics AX GISV partner for the fashion retail sector and one of only 25 companies globally to be included in this programme.

Membership of the GISV programme is by invitation only and requires high-level Microsoft approval. The prestigious accreditation reflects Microsoft's support for K3's major software development programme to tailor Microsoft's Dynamics AX solution for needs of the retail sector, and the global potential for K3's product. As previously reported, K3's solution, "ax|is fashion", which has been enriched with K3 authored intellectual property ("IP"), was launched at Microsoft's Convergence conference in Barcelona in November 2013, and K3 has already secured orders from a number of high profile retailers.

Microsoft's GISV programme is designed to provide key partners with extensive technical, sales and marketing support, including early insight into the future Microsoft Dynamics AX roadmap and marketing funding. In addition, there are many intangible benefits, including recognition as being Microsoft's preferred partner for the fashion vertical by prospective customers and global systems integrators (SI's) as well as Microsoft executive sponsorship.

K3 is targeting the fashion sector, the second largest sector in retail after food, with its initial solution, "ax|is fashion". It plans to develop further enriched solutions for other retail market segments where it already has significant expertise. As part of its growth strategy for the new K3 Dynamics AX offering, K3 is also developing broader channels to market.

David Bolton, CEO of K3, said,

"We are delighted to have been chosen by Microsoft as part of their Global Independent Software Vendor programme. 

We believe there is significant growth potential for K3's "ax|is" solutions. We are currently investing in additional resource to capture this opportunity and are broadening our international channels to market. The announcement demonstrates the strength of our strategic relationship with Microsoft and underlines the long term potential of our product."

Pat Fitzhenry, Director Global ISV Partners Microsoft Corporation, said,

"K3 is a longstanding Microsoft partner and we are very pleased to be able to take our relationship to this next level. K3's time and effort developing "ax|is fashion" has resulted in a solution that not only addresses the everyday challenges of this very important market, but also can work across various elements of the value chain from product development all the way to the end consumer. We are very pleased to be working with K3 to bring this robust, fit-for-purpose solution to the market."

Enquiries:

About Micosoft's GISV programme

Extract from the Microsoft News Center, 8 July 2013 -

"When it comes to business software, there really is no better winning strategy than having deeply relevant industry solutions that differ from country to country and adapt to local regulations and requirements. That's why Microsoft has long partnered with a network of global independent software vendors (GISVs) to get the job done. 

The GISV program offers special partner agreements between select solution providers and Microsoft that help companies with deep industry expertise tailor software solutions and offer exactly the right fit for customers. This also provides customers with specialized industry software built on a platform that has a proven success record in different industries."

The link below provides access to the full news article:

http://news.microsoft.com/2013/07/08/microsoft-dynamics-partners-go-global-with-gisv-program/