IRVINE, CA — Sage North America announced today the availability of Sage Payment Processing Powered by Sage Exchange, a new connected service that provides a secure, Payment Card Industry (PCI) certified, payments platform, now integrated with Sage ERP Accpac. The Sage Payment Processing module helps businesses increase order and payment accuracy while delivering an improved customer experience by providing the convenience of accepting credit card payments.

With businesses under increasing pressure to reduce costs while improving efficiency, seamless integration between payment processes and back-office accounting can improve an organization’s cash flow while eliminating manual data entry and the risk of errors. In addition, the ability to offer customers the option to pay for goods and services with a credit card may help close a sale, especially in the current economic climate. With Sage Exchange, businesses will be able to effectively streamline and manage their payments process, readying them for future growth. Further, with all sensitive credit card information stored securely in the cloud-based Sage Payments Vault, businesses can be confident their information is readily available when they need it yet hidden from those who don’t require access.

"At Sage, our primary goal is to help businesses manage their operations more easily," said Erik Kaas, Sr. Director of Product Management. "With this new module, settlement of payment transactions within 24 to 36 hours means you’re not waiting 30, 60, or 90 days for payment. In today’s economy, having cash flow streamlined, while offering a convenient payment option to customers makes Sage Payment Processing Powered by Sage Exchange a smart investment for business owners."

The Sage Payment Processing Powered by Sage Exchange module also:

• Automatically connects to merchant accounts for credit card authorizations and settlements
• Provides complete, secure, 24/7 online transaction reporting
• Ensures credit card numbers are safely stored in the Sage Payment Solutions Vault
• Supports Credit Verification Value (CVV) which is fully supported to help verify card authenticity
• Is compliant with Visa and MasterCard Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standards
• Has address verification options adding an additional layer of credit card authentication
• The Sage Payment Processing module is available at no cost to customers on a current Sage Business Care plan.

For more information, please visit www.sageaccpac.com.

About Sage North America

Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and related products and services, principally for small to medium-sized businesses. Sage North America employs 3,900 people and supports more than 3 million small and midsized business customers. Formed in 1981, Sage was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989. Sage has more than 6 million customers and 13,600 employees worldwide. We operate in over 24 countries covering the UK, Europe, North America, South Africa, Australia, India and China. For more information, please visit the website at www.sagenorthamerica.com.