Charlotte, NC — February 3, 2009 — Mariner has announced, for the sixth consecutive year, its Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program with competencies in Business Intelligences, Performance Management and Data Management Solutions. In retaining this coveted position, Mariner is recognized for its knowledge and leadership in three complementary sectors of Microsoft’s broad set of product offerings. As a Gold Certified Partner, Mariner consistently demonstrates its expertise with Microsoft technologies and its ability to use Microsoft’s rich Gold Certified Partner benefits to assist customers in capturing and analyzing business data more quickly and efficiently.

To earn a Microsoft certification, partners must have Microsoft Certified Professionals and completed customer reference projects in the competency. Additionally, partners must participate in customer satisfaction surveys. Mariner meets the qualifications for each competency area and therefore earns its certifications consistently. Mariner’s record for excellence has also earned them an impressive 96% customer loyalty rating for the third year in a row.

“Our triple specialization provides customers with powerful options that help them identify revenue-increasing and cost-reducing opportunities. By helping them leverage their investments in Microsoft technology, we can increase their ability to overcome the challenges of today’s difficult economic climate,” commented Philip Morris, Mariner CEO and Co-founder.

Mariner specializes in business intelligence, data warehousing, enterprise reporting, analytics, business scorecards and performance dashboards that help clients improve productivity and decision making in a variety of industries include education, utility and healthcare. Mariner, a Microsoft partner since its inception in 1998, has maintained Gold status since 2003 and was named worldwide Microsoft Partner of the Year for Performance Management in 2008.

The Microsoft Partner Program, launched in October 2003, represents Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide by offering a single, integrated partnering framework that recognizes partner expertise, rewards the total impact that partners have in the technology marketplace, and delivers more value to help partners’ businesses be successful.