Amicus, Inc. Alliance with Mistral IT Delivers Online Managed Backup for Broker-Dealer Industry

Austin, TX Amicus Inc., friend of the financial services industry, and Mistral IT, a division of Mistral Internet (UK), announced today the introduction of Amicus(R) Backup (www.amicusbackup.com) providing financial advisors with an extremely easy process for handling the backup of their critical business data.

Austin, TX February 10, 2004 -- Amicus Inc., friend of the financial services industry, and Mistral IT, a division of Mistral Internet (UK), announced today the introduction of Amicus (R)Backup (www.amicusbackup.com) providing financial advisors with an extremely easy process for handling the backup of their critical business data.

Amicus (R) Backup powered by Mistral IT provides a managed online backup service that allows financial advisors to perform unattended backups of their data files at a frequency they designate, typically hourly or daily. The system is completely secure because the data is encrypted before it ever leaves the machine on which it resides. Once encrypted, the data is sent to a secure data center in Dallas, TX and is replicated to a second secure data center in London. Finally, tape backups are made and sent to a third secure offsite facility. After the initial backup, the ongoing backups are very fast because only changes are sent to the server. This includes changes inside a file, i.e. just those data elements that have changed in a Financial Plan are sent and not the whole file. This means little extra space is used to maintain a complete version history. This also allows the advisor to restore multiple files or any single file from a backup. Additionally, any individual version of a file saved within the last 30 days may also be restored.

"In an age of increasingly malicious viruses, and the ever growing number of other threats to day-to-day operations in our financial industry, the new partnership between Amicus and Mistral IT is a boon to financial representatives. Amicus has built a strong reputation as a firm dedicated to the independent broker/dealer community's need for tailored solutions. Partnering with an innovative firm like Mistral IT that offers technology that makes the almost continuous backup of critical client data a seamless and painless process to multiple off-site locations is a natural extension of their commitment to the industry and to the automation of both broker/dealer's and rep's operations, stated Bill Floyd, President of Sanders, Morris, Harris Partners.

Amicus is also bundling a Disaster Recovery and Business Continuation Plan template with the backup service. This tool will allow the financial advisor to develop and document the steps taken to ensure that the fiduciary duties and responsibilities to their clients are met.

When financial advisors take a look at Amicus Backup they will see that it passes the three Es test: Easy to set up, Easy to maintain, and it is very Economical, said Marshall Huwe, President and CEO of Amicus, Inc.

The Amicus Backup user now has a mission-critical data backup solution that is less expensive than traditional tape backup systems, and features standards of quality and redundancy that impact directly on the day-to-day security of their business, said Will Baccich, CEO of Mistral IT.

About Amicus, Inc.
Founded in 1996, Amicus offers a full range of solutions for the financial services industry that strengthen customer relationships, streamline business processes, reduce costs, and enhance compliance and supervisory oversight. Working directly with its financial services customers and strategic business partners, Amicus helps them become more competitive through the innovative and rapid deployment of solutions that increase flexibility, scalability and efficiency while differentiating themselves in the marketplace. Amicus' products are utilized by more than 30,000 financial planning professionals. For more information about Amicus visit www.amicus.com.

About Mistral IT
Mistral IT is a division of Mistral Internet UK and provides managed online backup services, disaster recovery services, and data storage solutions throughout North America. With worldwide headquarters in Southampton, England and U.S. headquarters in Dallas, Texas, Mistral IT has established a global network of secure data centers providing security and reliability to companies worldwide. Visit Mistral IT at www.mistralbackup.com.

# # #