Michigan Department of Human Services Wins Award from National Association of State Chief Information Officers

Business Objects Customer Honored for use of Business Intelligence to Reduce Fraud and Maximize Resources

SAN JOSE, Calif. and PARIS - Dec. 15, 2006 - The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has selected Business Objects customer, Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS), as a winner of their 2006 Recognition Awards. Michigan DHS won in the "Information Communications Technology (ICT) Innovations" category for its fraud detection capabilities, which have saved Michigan taxpayers millions of dollars while ensuring that services are delivered only to qualified, needy state citizens. Business intelligence solutions from Business Objects are the foundation of this program.

"To deliver top-notch health services in a tightly-controlled fiscal environment, we must maximize each dollar spent and identify areas where we can save," said George Noonan, manager of the central data unit at Michigan DHS. "Business Objects has helped the Michigan DHS establish a national model for pin-pointing and battling service fraud. For example, during 2005, Business Objects helped us identify more than $9.2 million in documented day care program fraud to be recovered, almost tripling the amount of savings realized in 2004."

NASCIO honored 12 state IT initiatives in 10 categories with the 2006 Recognition Awards for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Information Technology in State Government. In its 18th consecutive year, the NASCIO's Recognition Awards Program reflects the wide range of IT projects currently under development within state governments. Emphasis was placed on recognizing programs that exemplify best practices, support the public policy goals of state leaders, assist government officials to execute their duties, and provide cost-effective services to citizens.

Michigan DHS manages approximately $4 billion in funds for many of Michigan's critical welfare programs. More than 1.2 million Michigan residents depend on these programs, including child day care, food assistance, and the federal TANF grant, for everyday necessities. In an effort to maximize program budget allocations, the Michigan DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), in partnership with the Department of Information Technology, implemented cutting-edge fraud detection methods by using enterprise information management (EIM) and business intelligence solutions from Business Objects.

To combat fraud, DHS links provider and recipient data with wage and national food assistance data. In fiscal year 2005, the efforts identified more than $9.2 million in documented day care fraud to be recovered. This was up from $3.3 million in 2004, the first year of the data match. In addition, DHS identified Food Assistance savings of $3.2 million.

"Business Objects understands that public agencies need to be constantly vigilant against fraud," said Jay Johnson, vice president of Government at Business Objects. "That's why we work closely with our customers to develop business intelligence strategies that help monitor resource usage in welfare programs. In the end, everyone benefits - the state agencies, the tax payers and, most importantly, the people who rely every day on health and human services."

For more information on Business Objects solutions for federal, state, and local governments, please visit http://www.businessobjects.com/government. For additional details on the NASCIO Recognition Awards, please visit http://www.nascio.org/awards.

About Michigan Department of Human Services
The Michigan Department of Human Services administers the federal TANF grant and Food Assistance Program and is the state's child and family services welfare department. The Office of Inspector General in Michigan's DHS is a national leader in using decision support and analytics to combat fraud in the day care, cash and food assistance arena. For more information on the Department of Human Services go to www.michigan.gov/dhs.

About Business Objects, an SAP company

Business Objects has been a pioneer in business intelligence (BI) since the dawn of the category. Today, as the world's leading BI software company, Business Objects transforms the way the world works through intelligent information. The company helps illuminate understanding and decision-making at more than 46,000 organizations around the globe. Through a combination of innovative technology, global consulting and education services, and the industry's strongest and most diverse partner network, Business Objects enables companies of all sizes to make transformative business decisions based on intelligent, accurate, and timely information.

Business Objects has dual headquarters in San Jose, Calif., and Paris, France. The company's stock is traded on both the Nasdaq (BOBJ) and Euronext Paris (ISIN: FR0004026250 - BOB) stock exchanges. More information about Business Objects can be found at www.businessobjects.com.

Business Objects and the Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects and Crystal Reports are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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The Business Objects logo, BusinessObjects, Crystal Reports, Intelligent Question, and Xcelsius are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. All other names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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