Singapore, December 22, 2005 - Azeus Systems Holdings Ltd. ("Azeus"), a provider of IT consultancy services based in Hong Kong, has emerged as the first company outside mainland China to achieve Level 2 of the Computer Information System Integration Qualification Certification ("SI Certification").

This is currently the highest level of certification accredited in Hong Kong under the second phase of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement ("CEPA II"). The Level 2 certification, which denotes capabilities at the provincial/municipal level, was awarded to Azeus by the PRC's Ministry of Information Industry.

The SI Certification, which allows its certified system integrators from Hong Kong to bid for IT services projects in the PRC, is divided into four levels of capability, namely, state level (Level 1), province/municipal level (Level 2), medium enterprise level (Level 3) and small enterprises level (Level 4).

Under the framework of CEPA II, Hong Kong enterprises can apply for the SI Certification as an important step towards penetrating the market in the PRC.

Mr. Lee Wan Lik, Founder and Managing Director of Azeus, said: "We are delighted to be the first company outside mainland China to have obtained this highest level of accreditation, which paves the way for our further expansion into the PRC, as well as enhance technological and business co-operation with our counterparts there.

"This formal recognition of our capability, which also provides us with better market access to the PRC, will serve as an impetus to strengthen our position in Dalian, China. With our reinforced staff strength, established track record of more than 13 years of developing software systems for the Hong Kong government, as well as CMMI-SW Level 5 (highest) accreditation, we are confident of capitalising on China's growth opportunities in our area of expertise."

The SI Certification covers an overall capability to handle computer information system projects involving factors such as technical competence, management capability, service level, quality assurance capability, project performance, staff composition and quality, as well as business turnover and assets profile.

Azeus is now able to independently handle projects at these levels: provincial/ministerial, industry-wide, regional (municipal and lower) and corporate (small, medium and large). Azeus is also able to jointly handle projects at the national level.

Established in 1991, Azeus is a leading provider of IT consultancy services. Headquartered in Hong Kong, Azeus has established offshore software development centres in the Philippines and China. The Group acquired BIGontheNet, an awardwinning provider of eBusiness software solutions based in Singapore, in February 2005.

Besides designing as well as implementing a wide range of IT software and systems to fulfil the outsourcing needs of customers, Azeus also provides maintenance and support services. The Group has won the first and thus far, only business outsourcing project from the Hong Kong government, covering IT consulting, IT maintenance and support, as well as office operations and support services.

Azeus is appraised at the highest level of the CMMI-SW model, endorsing its commitment to delivering high quality work. Its emphasis on consistently high quality solutions has enabled the Group to build a solid track record of over 100 projects for more than 40 government departments and over 15 projects for the commercial sector in Hong Kong.