Microsoft launches Office Small Business Accounting 2006

Microsoft launches Office Small Business Accounting 2006

Microsoft is continuing its assault in the small business segment and is now targeting the popular Intuit products, which targets the same market. The company has traditionally suffered in this market and is now making up for the lost time and efforts. Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer had more news for the interested customers when he said that the company was planning to launch Internet-based versions of some of its business programs, such as its software for managing customer relationships.

This can be bad news for the smaller players in the market with a reputed brand like Microsoft entering the market. The Microsoft Business Solutions division is one of the least productive segments for the company, which generated an operating loss of $201 million in the company’s most recent fiscal year. This should change in the times to come.

With their latest product Office Small Business Accounting 2006, Microsoft is targeting medium-sized companies with around 50 to 1,000 employees. One of the major strategies to make their software attractive to these firms is the impressive integration with their Office Suite, which is already the most used application in its category in the world.

Microsoft is playing safe with their entry into the segment and claims that their competitors would in fact benefit from their entry considering it would increase the awareness amongst the potential clients that there are customized software made for their requirement available in the market. Chris Alliegro, an analyst at research firm Directions on Microsoft said in a statement about their plans: “Microsoft essentially is acknowledging that the hosted model makes sense to some customers, and it isn’t something that they can ignore.”