DENVER -- To serve even more of the world's manufacturers, QAD Inc. (NASDAQ: QADI), a leading provider of enterprise applications for global manufacturers, is now shipping its flagship ERP software with a Microsoft .NET Framework-based user interface and will offer support for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database technology in the near future. As a result of close collaboration with Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), current and future releases of the QAD software suite will take advantage of the Microsoft platform.

The extension will help manufacturers worldwide make the most of their technology investments, whether they are planning to deploy the latest QAD ERP suite, Global Enterprise Edition, QAD GXE into an IT environment standardized on the Microsoft platform or extending their present QAD implementation to new sites using Microsoft database technology. In both cases, customers can expect seamless operation across sites using a mix of Microsoft and other database and platform technologies.

"Our strategic efforts with QAD will serve manufacturers in established and developing markets," said Robert Bernard, general manager of Global ISV Group, Microsoft. "Mutual customers stand to benefit, as the Microsoft platform is the platform of choice for many companies and gaining ground in emerging manufacturing as across the globe."