Microsoft Renames Accounting Software, Adds Online Capabilitites

Microsoft announced the beta version of Small Business Accounting (now called Office Accounting) last week and added integration with PayPal (online payment), eBay (online selling) and Equifax (credit checking). Additional features of the new software include Accountant Navigator (client management), Payroll Center for Accountants (manage multiple company payrolls from a single dashboard), as well as fixed asset management and security features. A future feature will be a foreign currency transaction exchange rate calculation. Reviewer Richard Morochove believed that while the PayPal connection would be the selling point, the best actual feature would be interface with Microsoft Office. He was somewhat critical of performance for the online connectivity applications but felt that the beta version is an upgrade over its predecessor.

Given the enthusiasm that many practitioners have for Quick Books, I am not holding my breath that this edition of "Office Accounting" will be a big hit. I guess, though, that I should be cautious of underestimating Microsoft's marketing prowess.