CARY, North Carolina — April 11, 2006 — Ultimus, the leading provider of Business Process Management (BPM), Workflow Automation software and services that enable the shortest time to value, today announced that it has attained Gold Certified status in the Microsoft Partner Program with competencies in Business Process and Integration Solutions and ISV/Software Solutions, underscoring Ultimus’ expertise and total impact in the technology marketplace. As a Gold Certified partner, Ultimus has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customers’ needs. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, giving them a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Ultimus helps companies and government agencies automate thousands of processes, resulting in reduced cycle times, lower costs, improved productivity and higher customer satisfaction. The Ultimus BPM Suite delivers strong ROI through a programming-free process modeling and development environment, flexible integration, workflow capabilities, powerful management tools and easy to use Web interfaces for process participants. The software allows processes to be adapted in real-time by process experts to address changing business conditions quickly and easily.

“Choosing new software vendors can be a daunting task,” said Jeff Smith, Chief Process Officer for Ultimus Inc. “Our customers now have the added assurance from a trusted third-party of our performance and commitment to excellence. We are proud to join this elite class of vendors recognized by Microsoft as the leaders in our field.”

“Customers are looking for partner companies that can bridge the gap between their business demands and technology capabilities. They need to trust in someone that can act as an expert adviser for their long-term strategic technology plans. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, which have certified expertise and direct training and support from Microsoft, can build a positive customer experience with our technologies,” said Allison Watson, vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft Corp. “Today, Microsoft recognizes Ultimus as a new Microsoft Gold Certified Partner for demonstrating its expertise in providing customer satisfaction with Microsoft products and technology.”

As one of the requirements for attaining Gold Certified Status, Ultimus had to declare Microsoft Competencies. Microsoft Competencies are designed to help differentiate a partner’s capabilities with specific Microsoft technologies to customers looking for a particular type of solution. Each competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the technology industry.

The Microsoft Business Process and Integration Solutions and ISV/Software Solutions Competencies recognize the skill and focus partners bring to particular solution sets. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners that have obtained these competencies have a successful record of developing and marketing software based on Microsoft technologies.

“Solutions Competencies are an important way for Microsoft to better enable ISVs to meet customer needs,” said Sanjay Parthasarathy, corporate vice president of the Platform Strategy & Partner Group at Microsoft. “They allow ISVs to keep and win customers with their deep knowledge of solutions-based Microsoft platform technologies. Microsoft has a long history of working closely with ISV partners to help deliver compelling solutions and applications to our mutual customers, and the Solutions Competencies are an important step in continuing to enhance vital relationships with ISVs worldwide.”

The Microsoft Partner Program was launched in December 2003 and represents Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide. The program offers a single, integrated partnering framework that recognizes partner expertise, rewards the total impact that partners have in the technology marketplace, and delivers more value to help partners’ businesses be successful.

About Ultimus
A pioneer in human-centric Business Process Management, workflow automation and faster time to value, Ultimus is a global software company that enables enterprises worldwide to increase their profits by modeling, automating, managing and optimizing every business process. Headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, the company has business operations throughout North America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Ultimus has more than 60 partners and more than 1,500 customers, including Grupo Financiero Uno, Cable & Wireless Panama, Rexam, Carnival and McKesson Corporation.