Exhibit 10 (a)(3)(A)

                               KOGER EQUITY, INC.
                             1996 STOCK OPTION PLAN

1.   PURPOSE

     Koger Equity, Inc. 1996 Stock Option Plan (the "Plan") is hereby adopted by
the  Board of  Directors  of Koger  Equity  Inc.,  (the  "Company"),  a  Florida
corporation  on this 19th day of  November  1996.  The purpose of the Plan is to
provide an  incentive to persons of ability to use their best efforts to promote
the interests of the Company by granting  stock options to certain key employees
of the Company and its  subsidiaries who will have an opportunity to participate
in the increased value of the Company which their efforts, initiative, and skill
will help to produce. The stock options granted under this Plan are not intended
to qualify as incentive  stock options within the meaning of Section 422A of the
Internal  Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"),  and accordingly  shall
not be treated as such.

2.   ADMINISTRATION

     (a) The Plan shall be administered by a Committee (the  "Committee") of the
Board of  Directors  of the  Company  (the  "Board")  as such  Committee  may be
constituted  from time to time. The Committee  shall consist of at least two (2)
members of the Board  selected by the Board,  all of whom shall be  Non-Employee
Directors within the meaning of Rule  16b-3(b)(3)(i) as promulgated  pursuant to
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act").

     (b) A  majority  of the  members of the  Committee  shall  determine  those
employees of the Company who shall be granted stock options under the Plan.

     (c) A majority of the members of the Committee  shall  constitute a quorum.
All  determinations of the Committee shall be made by a majority of its members.
Any  decision  or  determination  reduced  to  writing  and signed by all of the
members of the  Committee  shall be fully  effective as if it has been made by a
majority vote at a meeting duly called and held.

     (d) Subject to the express provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall have
complete authority to interpret the Plan, to grant stock options (the "Options")
to prescribe,  amend and rescind rules and regulations  relating to the Plan, to
make all other  determinations  necessary or advisable for the administration of
the Plan and to discontinue the Plan. The transactions  contemplated by the Plan
are intended to qualify for the exemption  provided in Rule 16b-3 as promulgated
under the Exchange  Act, as amended.  The  Committee  may from time to time make
amendments to the Plan as it, in its sole  discretion,  determines are necessary
in order to preserve such exemption  under such rule or other similar rule which
might be in effect.  The determinations of the Committee on the matters referred
to in this Section 2 shall be final, binding, and conclusive.

3.   ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS AND SHARES SUBJECT TO PLAN

     Options may be granted by the  Company,  by action of the  Committee,  from
time to time to certain key  employees  of the Company and its  affiliates  (the
"Participants") to purchase up to an aggregate of 650,000 shares of common stock
($.01 par value) of the Company (the "Common Stock"),  and such amount of shares
shall be reserved for Options  granted  under the Plan (subject to adjustment as
provided in Section 5(e)).


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     Upon the  expiration or  terminations  of any Option granted under the Plan
which has not been fully exercised,  the number of shares subject to such Option
which have not been exercised shall become available for future grants under the
Plan.  The shares of Common Stock issued upon exercise of Options  granted under
the Plan may be  authorized  and unissued  shares or  previously  issued  shares
reacquired and held by the Company.

4.   GRANT OF OPTIONS

     Subject to the  provisions  of the Plan,  the  Committee  shall in its sole
discretion:  (a) determine and designate from time to time those Participants to
whom  Options are to be granted,  (b)  determine  the number of shares of Common
Stock subject to each Option, (c) determine the time when and the manner in, and
the conditions  under,  which each Option shall be  exercisable,  and (d) if the
shares  of  Common  Stock  issued  upon  the  exercise  of each  Option  are not
registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, determine the time when
Common Stock issued by the Company  pursuant to the exercise of an Option may be
sold by the Participant; provided, however, no Option shall be granted after the
expiration  of ten (10) years from the effective  date of the Plan  specified in
Section 8 below.

5.   TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF OPTIONS

     Each  Option  granted  under  the Plan  shall  be  evidenced  by a  written
agreement, in a form approved by the Committee. Such agreement shall specify the
number of shares of Common  Stock  subject to the Option and shall be subject to
the  following  express  terms  and  conditions  and to  such  other  terms  and
conditions as the Committee may deem appropriate:

     (a)   Option Price

     The Option  price per share of the  Common  Stock of the  Company  shall be
determined  by the  Committee  at the  time the  Option  is  granted;  provided,
however, that in no event shall such Option price per share be less than 100% of
the fair market  value of one share of Common  Stock on the date of the grant of
the Options.  The term "fair market value" shall mean the closing price at which
shares of Common Stock of the Company  shall have been traded as reported by the
American Stock Exchange composite  transaction  listing (or other standard daily
index or trading on such exchange) or, if the Common Stock of the Company is not
so listed,  any other stock exchange on which the Company's  shares are tradable
on the date of grant of such  Option.  In the  event  that any  Option  shall be
granted  on a date on  which  there  were no such  sales  of such  stock on such
exchange,  the fair market value of such stock on such date shall be  determined
by the Committee.  Unless the Committee shall by resolution  otherwise expressly
provide,  the date upon  which  the  Committee  acts to grant an Option  for all
purposes of this Plan, shall be deemed the date on which such Option is granted.
From and after such date the  Participant  to whom such Option is granted  shall
have all rights of an Option holder as provided in this Plan,  without regard to
the date upon which a formal  written  agreement  evidencing  the grant shall be
executed and delivered.

     (b)   Exercise of Option; Payment of Purchase Price Upon Exercise

     (i) An Option  granted  under the Plan shall not be exercised  prior to six
(6) months after the Date of Grant and thereafter shall become  exercisable,  in
whole or in part in accordance with the terms of the Option. Subject to Sections
5(d) and 5(e) below, the Option shall terminate ten (10) years after the date of
grant,  or such  earlier  date as  provided  in the  Plan  or the  stock  option
agreement.


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     (ii) In the event a Participant  dies or becomes totally  disabled,  at any
time after having been granted an Option, the Options granted to the Participant
shall immediately become fully exercisable by the Participant's  estate or heirs
in the case of death for the time period  specified in Section  5(d)(i)(A) below
and by the Participant or the Participant's  legal guardian in the case of total
disability  for the time  period  specified  in the first  paragraph  of Section
5(b)(i) above.

     (iii) A  Participant  shall  exercise  an Option by  written  notice to the
Company, which notice shall specify the number of shares to be purchased and the
date of exercise  (the "Date of  Exercise"),  which shall be not more than seven
(7) days after the date of the mailing of such notice.  On or before the Date of
Exercise, the Participant shall deliver to the Company, at the office designated
in the stock  option  agreement,  a  certified,  cashier's  or such other check,
acceptable to the Company, cash or Common Stock previously acquired at least six
(6) months prior to the Date of Exercise and currently  owned by the Participant
having a total fair market value, as determined as aforesaid,  by the Committee,
equal to the Option price for such shares,  or in combination of cash and Common
Stock  having a total  fair  market  value  equal to the  option  price for such
shares.  The  Participant  shall have no rights in the optioned stock until such
payment  is made.  In the event of any  failure  to pay for the number of shares
specified  in the notice of election  by a  certified,  cashier's  or such other
check,  acceptable  to  the  Company,  cash,  previously  acquired  shares  or a
combination  of  previously  acquired  shares and cash,  the Option shall become
inoperative  and lapse as to such  number of  shares,  but shall  continue  with
respect  to any  remaining  shares  subject  to the  Option  as to which  notice
exercise has not yet been made.

     (iv) Within fifteen (15) days after the Date of Exercise, the Company shall
deliver,  or cause to be delivered to the Participant stock  certificate(s)  for
the number of shares of Common  Stock with  respect to which the Option is being
exercised,  if the Company has received the  certification  described in Section
5(f)  below.  Delivery of the shares may be made at the office of the Company or
at the offices of a transfer  agent  appointed for the transfer of the shares of
Common  Stock of the Company as the Company  shall  determine.  Shares  shall be
registered in the name of the Participant.  A Participant  shall not have any of
the rights of a shareholder until the shares are issued as herein provided.

     Anything  herein  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  if  any  law  or any
regulation of the Securities and Exchange Commission or of any other body having
jurisdiction  shall require the Company or the Participant to take any action in
connection with the shares  specified in a notice of election before such shares
can be  delivered  to such  Participant,  then the date  stated  therein for the
delivery of the shares  shall be  postponed  until the fifth  business  day next
following the completion of such action.

     (c)   Nontransferability of Option

     An Option shall not be assigned, pledged, or hypothecated in any way, shall
not be subject to execution and shall not be transferable by a Participant other
than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution.

     (d)   Termination of Options

     (i)   Exercise in the event of termination  of employment  with the Company
           or with one of its subsidiaries.



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     (A) In the event of termination of the  employment of the  Participant  for
any cause, other than death,  retirement or total disability of the Participant,
whether by reason of  resignation  or  discharge,  this Option  shall  terminate
immediately;  provided,  however, with the consent of the Committee, which shall
be a matter of its sole discretion,  such Participant (if the Participant  shall
voluntarily terminate the Participant's employment with the Company) may; within
the  ninety  (90) days  immediately  following  such  voluntary  termination  of
employment  and subject to the  provisions  of Section 5(b) above,  exercise any
unexercised Option which could have been exercised on the date of such voluntary
termination.

     (B)  This  Option   shall   terminate  12  months  from  the  date  of  the
Participant's  death,  provided the  Participant at the time of his death was in
the employ of the Company or retired from such employment,  either as the result
of age or total  disability,  as  determined by the  Company's  employee  policy
manual,  (notwithstanding  Section 5(b) above). In such event, the Participant's
personal  representative(s)  may  exercise,  to  the  extent  exercisable,   any
unexercised  Option which the Participant held at the time of the  Participant's
death, provided that such exercise must be accomplished pursuant to the terms of
such Option prior to the  expiration  of such Option as provided by section 5(b)
above and within said twelve-month period after the Participant's death.

     (c)  Retirement,  either  as  the  result  of age or  total  disability  as
determined in accordance with the Company's  employee  policy manual,  shall not
cause an early termination of an Option.

     (ii) Exercise in the event of the termination of services by the Company or
by one of its subsidiaries.

     (A) If  one  of  the  employees'  services  to  the  Company  or one of its
subsidiaries  is  terminated,  any such employees who held  outstanding  options
granted  under this Plan shall have the right,  during the period  ending thirty
(30) days after such  termination to exercise any such Option which,  and to the
extent  that it,  could  have been  exercised  on the date of such  termination.
Following  such thirty (30) day period,  any option held by any  employee of the
Company or one of its subsidiaries who is not then an employee of the Company or
one of its subsidiaries shall terminate.

     (e)   Recapitalization and Reorganization

     (i) If any  change is made in the stock  subject  to this Plan by reason of
stock dividends,  stock split-up, reverse stock split, or other recapitalization
or reclassification of the Company's Common Stock, appropriate action consistent
with such change shall be taken by the  Committee as to the number of shares and
price per  share of the stock  subject  to this  Plan or to any  Option  granted
hereunder in order to prevent substantial  dilution or enlargement of the rights
granted to, or available for, Participants in the Plan.

     (ii) In the case of a reorganization,  consolidation,  spin-off,  merger or
other similar corporate  transaction  affecting the Common Stock of the Company,
the Company and the spun-off  corporation or the surviving  corporation,  as the
case  may  be,  shall  assume  without  cost  to  any  Participant  all  Options
outstanding  under  this  Plan  or  issue  equivalent  new  Options  based  upon
consideration  distributed in the  transaction to shareholders of the Company in
respect of the Common  Stock and the Board  shall  take any  appropriate  action
required to effectuate the intent of this Section 5(e)(ii).




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     (iii)  Notwithstanding  the foregoing,  all such Options may be canceled by
the  Company  as of the  effective  date  of any  such  reorganization,  merger,
consolidation or spin-off or of any dissolution or liquidation of the Company by
action of the  Committee,  by giving  notice to each  Participant  or his or her
personal representative(s) or legal guardian(s) of its intention to do so and by
permitting,  during  the  permitting,  during the  thirty  (30) day period  next
preceding the  effective  date of any such event,  the exercise,  in whole or in
part,  of  each  Option  outstanding  under  the  Plan,  without  regard  to any
installment provisions or conditions contained in the Option, but subject to any
other  limitation  on the  exercise  of such  Option  in  effect  on the Date of
Exercise. Appropriate action shall be taken by the Committee as to the number of
shares  and price per share of the Common  Stock  subject to this Plan or to any
Option granted hereunder in order to prevent substantial dilution or enlargement
or the rights granted to, or available for, Participants in the Plan.

     (iv) The Committee may make such  additional  adjustments  in the price and
number of shares subject to Options as it deems  appropriate to prevent dilution
on account of any issuance of shares of the  Company's  Common Stock in a merger
or similar corporate transaction.

     (f)   Securities Registration

     Prior to the delivery of a certificate(s) representing the shares specified
on any notice of  election  to  exercise  any  Option,  the  Participant  or the
Participant's  personal  representative(s) or legal guardian(s) shall certify to
the Company in such form as it shall require that such  Participant  or personal
representative(s)  or legal  guardian(s)  will  receive and hold such shares for
investment and not with a view to resale or distribution  thereof to the public,
if,  in the  opinion  of the  counsel  of the  Company,  such  certification  is
necessary or desirable to comply with federal and/or state securities laws.

     The Company  shall not be  required,  upon the  exercise of any Option,  to
issue or deliver  any  shares of stock  prior to (a) the  authorization  of such
shares for listing on any stock exchange on which the Company's Common Stock may
then  be  listed,   and  (b)  the  completion  of  such  registration  or  other
qualification  as the Company shall determine to be necessary or desirable.  The
Company  may at any time  prepare  and file,  at its own expense and without the
consent of any Participant, a registration statement under the Securities Act of
1933, as amended,  or any similar or superseding  statute or statutes as then in
effect, with respect to all or any shares reserved for or transferred under this
Plan, either separately or together with other Common Stock or securities of the
Company. In such event, any Participant or personal  representative(s)  or legal
guardian(s)  who shall have  given the  certification  referred  to in the first
sentence of this Section shall be determined to be released  therefrom  upon the
effective date of such registration  statement.  Nothing in this Plan shall give
any  Participant  the right to  request  the  Company  to prepare or file such a
registration statement at any time.

     (g)   Withholding

     With respect to any amount,  a Participant  must recognize as  compensation
for income tax  purposes  in  connection  with the  exercise  of an Option,  the
Company or its subsidiaries, as the case may be, will file the necessary payroll
tax returns to  governmental  agencies,  to remit  timely to such  agencies  the
necessary  minimum  payroll taxes and employee  withholding  taxes,  and to file
timely  the  required  calendar  year-end  payroll  information  returns  to the
applicable governmental agencies and the Participant. The Participant must agree
to provide  the  Company  in a timely  manner  the funds  necessary  to meet the



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minimum  withholding  requirements  (including FICA and federal,  state or local
income  taxes or other  taxes  with  respect to the  Option)  of the  applicable
governmental  agencies at the time(s) such taxes must be paid,  as determined by
the Company.

     (h)   No Rights to Continued Employment

     The Plan and any Option  granted  under the Plan shall not confer  upon any
Participant  the right to  continue  in the employ of the  Company or any of its
subsidiaries solely by reason of the grant, acceptance or exercise of any Option
nor shall it  interfere  in any way with the right of the  Company or any of its
subsidiaries to terminate the Participant's employment at any time.

     (i)   Shareholder's Rights

     No  Participant  shall  have any rights of a  shareholder  by virtue of the
grant of an Option except with respect to shares  actually issued to him and the
issuance of shares  shall  confer no  retroactive  right to  dividends  or other
distributions.

6.   COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER LAWS AND REGULATIONS

     The Plan, the grant and exercise of Options  thereunder and the obligations
of the Company to sell and deliver  shares under such Options,  shall be subject
to all  applicable  federal and state laws,  rules and  regulations  and to such
approvals  by any  government,  regulatory  agency or stock  exchange  as may be
required.

7.   AMENDMENT OR TERMINATION OF THE PLAN

     The  Committee  may amend,  suspend,  or  terminate  this Plan at any time,
provided  however,  that no  unexercised  Option  granted under this Plan may be
altered or canceled,  except in accordance with its terms or as provided herein,
without the written  consent of the Participant to whom such Option was granted,
and provided further that no amendment may change (except as provided in Section
5(e)  above)  the  aggregate  number of shares  or Option  price per share  with
respect  to  shares  which  may be  issued  under  the Plan or the  Participants
eligible to receive Options as provided in the Plan.

8.   EFFECTIVE DATE

     The Plan became  effective on November 19, 1996,  with approval  thereof by
the  Company's  Board of Directors and the Plan shall be deemed to be adopted on
the date of such meeting.

9.   TERM

     No Option shall be granted hereunder after the expiration of ten (10) years
from the effective date of the Plan.