May 20, 2010 - Ottawa, Canada - The Utility Company, a leading provider of virtual IT service and support, today announced a strategic partnership with the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) becoming the Exclusive Preferred Supplier of Managed IT Services to the Canadian legal community for the next 3 years.

With 37,500 members, the CBA is the voice of the legal profession in Canada. Over the past decade, the CBA has been developing long standing and mutually beneficial corporate partnerships as part of its Preferred Supplier Program. This program has been designed to bring relevant knowledge and innovative resources to the CBA members under advantageous terms that enhance their professional and personal competitiveness.

“We are obviously pleased to be selected by the Canadian Bar Association as their Exclusive Preferred Supplier for Managed IT Services for the next 3 years,” stated Mark Scott, president of The Utility Company.  “We look forward to working with the CBA to educate the legal community in Canada on the importance of technology and its strategic value for law firms, along with 21st century IT service and support models.”

The Utility Affinity Program (www.theutilitycompany.com/affinity) provides national and regional industry associations in the US and Canada with the tools to educate its members on managed services and virtual IT, including:

1. Exclusive Member Benefits - a partnership with one of the leading national managed service providers with members receiving specialized programs and discounts.
2. Industry-specific Solutions for knowledge-based verticals that are reliant on technology and the security of data. Example of co-branded services developed for the Canadian Bar Association:
   • Remote technology support on-demand – www.1866MyUtility.com/cba
   • Managed IT service program – www.theutilitycompany.com/cba
3. Comprehensive Marketing – integrated initial and top-of-mind awareness campaigns supported by digital, print and event marketing.
4. Education – ongoing education through Utility 360 webinars and participation in various association online and live events.
5. Service Coverage – Connected Office services are delivered 95% remote and 100% proactive; supported by franchise network across North America.

“We went through a competitive bid process and evaluation of several national providers over the past 6 months,” stated John Hoyles, CEO of The Canadian Bar Association.  “The Utility Company is a very different type of technology services firm built from the ground-up to deliver and manage IT in a remote, proactive and virtual service model.  This, coupled with the fact they had developed a Connected Office for Legal program specifically for our vertical market, put them in another category for CBA.”

“Few professionals rely more on technology than lawyers do,” added Scott. “The CBA is a thought-leader delivering true value to its members by introducing them to managed IT services.  We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership in the years ahead.”

For more information on the CBA program please visit http://www.cba.org/CBA/membersavings/main/tuc.aspx.  This program is available only to lawyers who are CBA members.  The national launch of the program will be at the upcoming CBA Canadian Legal Conference & Expo on August 15-17 at Niagara Falls, Ontario.