Accenture Honored as Microsoft’s 2004 Global Services Partner of the Year

NEW YORK; July 14, 2004 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has been honored by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) with its 2004 Global Enterprise Services and Technology Partner of the Year Special Recognition Award. The award was announced earlier this week at the annual Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference in Toronto. Accenture is the only Microsoft partner that has won the award twice.

Microsoft selected Accenture for the award because of demonstrated leadership in developing and delivering enterprise-class solutions based on the Microsoft platform. The recipient of Microsoft’s award is chosen based on positive feedback from Microsoft worldwide field staff.

In April 2000, Microsoft and Accenture saw demand for deep technical expertise on the Microsoft platform and as a result, jointly formed an independent private business called Avanade in April 2000. Both Accenture and Microsoft support Avanade’s operations, enabling an important component of joint delivery capabilities. Avanade has served more than 1,300 customers since its inception.

Together Accenture, Microsoft and Avanade have successfully completed more than 900 projects for businesses and government organizations worldwide to help them improve their performance and achieve value through solutions built on the Microsoft platform. To date, the three companies have brought to market more than 50 solutions that address cross-industry as well as industry-specific needs, all based on the Microsoft platform.

"We are honored to receive this award from Microsoft, as it represents the strength of the partnership we have established across our companies,” said Ellen Balaguer, global managing partner of Accenture’s Microsoft alliance. “The award is a testament to the efforts of our partners and employees in developing powerful solutions that deliver high performance for our clients on Microsoft’s platform."

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. Committed to delivering innovation, Accenture collaborates with its clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. With deep industry and business process expertise, broad global resources and a proven track record, Accenture can mobilize the right people, skills and technologies to help clients improve their performance. With approximately 95,000 people in 48 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$11.8 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2003. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About Avanade
Avanade is the leading technology integrator specializing in the Microsoft enterprise platform. Our people help customers around the world maximize their IT investment and create comprehensive solutions that drive business results. Additional information can be found at www.avanade.com.

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Alex Pachetti

+1 (917) 452 5519

alex.pachetti@accenture.com