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Practique announces strategic partnership with OpenSymmetry

London, UK September 11 2008 - Practique, Europe's leading provider of Enterprise Incentive Compensation Management (ICM) software solutions, today signed a strategic alliance with OpenSymmetry, an independent specialist consultancy in all aspects of Sales Performance Management (SPM).  The agreement will serve to strengthen Practique's delivery capability in Europe and North America, reinforcing its commitment to its Partner Network and both companies will benefit from aligning their footprints in the ICM space.

The market for ICM software is growing fast, as companies are placing an increasing emphasis on delivering true value from incentive payments, avoiding overpayments and using well constructed incentive plans to retain staff and attract new talent to the sales force.  Estimates show that companies still overpay 5-12% on annual compensation budgets, which presents a huge opportunity for savings.

"Even in today's economic climate we are seeing a growing demand for specialist ICM software.  This is because the benefits are rapid and tangible," commented Orlando Carugo, Alliances Manager at Practique.

"Typically, ICM software has a proven track record to drive sales and ultimately revenue, increase productivity, motivate staff and provide a competitive business advantage.  In this respect the synergy between Practique and its partners is fundamental.  OpenSymmetry has been at the forefront of Sales Performance Management (SPM) for nearly a decade and as the largest specialist SPM consultancy, they will bring a wealth and depth of knowledge to our customers." Carugo concluded.

"There is a strong appetite for software that makes compensation and sales performance more transparent.  Working alongside Practique means we are able to offer clients a market leading solution which can not only help them achieve considerable savings, but also increase the effectiveness of their compensation plans."  John Stuart, business development director at OpenSymmetry added.

Practique operates in Europe as a wholly owned subsidiary of Merced Systems.  Its flagship ICM software is INCA, which is known as MIM in the United States.  Practique's clients in Europe include, The Carphone Warehouse, Orange, Mazda, Royal Bank of Scotland and O2.

About Practique

Practique, a Merced Systems company, is the leading specialist vendor of Incentive Compensation Management (ICM) software in Europe.

Practique's flagship software, INCA, is a web-based application which automates sales commission and bonus.  INCA has been proven to drive sales performance, motivate employees and positively impact the business bottom line.

INCA is the Incentive Compensation Technology arm of Merced's Sales and Service Performance Management (SSPM) solution - In North America it is called Merced Incentive Management.  Merced's SSPM solution manages Sales force and Service organisation performance across all customer facing operations of the business, ensuring customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention.  SSPM solutions are transparent and proven to change employee behaviour with in-depth coaching and expert analytics. 

INCA perfectly completes Merced's SSPM offering by strategically aligning employee incentives with corporate objectives and influences employee behaviour to achieve these goals.  As a result the business is naturally more agile and able to react swiftly to market changes which in turn drives sales and delivers a rapid return on investment.

Together Practique and Merced offer the most comprehensive Sales and Service Performance Management solution on the market today and work with leading blue chip enterprise customers.  Customers which have already implemented INCA include; The Carphone Warehouse, Orange, O2, BT, Mazda, Royal Bank of Scotland and H3G.

 Practique was founded in 1997 and was acquired in 2008 by Merced Systems.  Practique is headquartered in the UK and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Merced, which is based in California with regional offices across the United States and Canada.

For more information, please visit http://www.practique.co.uk

About OpenSymmetry
OpenSymmetry is a leading independent consulting and integration firm that offers highly specialised services focused on delivering Sales Performance Management (SPM) solutions to clients worldwide.

Through a full range of services, OpenSymmetry enables organisations of all sizes to maximise the value of their SPM solution. Based in Austin, Texas and London, UK, OpenSymmetry is the only independent consulting company with a global network of highly skilled consultants dedicated to SPM.

OpenSymmetry has alliances with leading software vendors including Callidus Software, Varicent, Oracle and Xactly, as well as consulting firms such as Accenture. Clients include Barclays, HSBC, ING, Sybase and Vignette.

For further Practique press information, photography or interviews please contact:
Chatterbox PR - Victoria McQuade
T -  + 44 (0)20 8996 1755
E - victoria.mcquade@chatterboxpr.co.uk

For further OpenSymmetry press information or interviews please contact:
GBC
T -  + 44 (0)20 8322 1922
E - opensymmetry@gbc.co.uk