Microsoft Office Accounting Offers New Financial Management Solutions for the Diverse Small-Business Market

Editor’s note, Nov. 14, 2007 –
A

Spanish version of the press release

is also available.

REDMOND, Wash. — Nov. 14, 2007 — Microsoft Office Accounting 2008, an enhanced version of the well-received 2007 financial management software for small businesses, is now available. In addition to new features and tools, Office Accounting 2008 has expanded its market distribution to include a bilingual Spanish-English version for the U.S.-based Hispanic market as well as a new product for the United Kingdom.

To meet the financial management needs of small businesses of all sizes, from sole proprietors to businesses with up to 25 employees, Office Accounting is currently available in two editions: Office Accounting Professional, ERP $199.95 (U.S.),* for established small businesses, and Office Accounting Express, free, for startups and home-based businesses. Both editions are available for download in English (http://www.ideawins.com) and Spanish (http://www.ideawins.com/espanol) in the United States. The U.K. version is available for download from http://www.msofficeaccounting.co.uk. A 60-day free trial of Office Accounting Professional is also available for download.

“Small businesses, no matter their size, recognize that managing their finances is a vital task, yet the complexity can be overwhelming,” said Rajat Taneja, general manager of small business applications and services at Microsoft Corp. “Office Accounting 2008 helps small businesses by offering easy and comprehensive solutions to effectively perform everyday financial tasks.”

Nearly 2 million people downloaded Office Accounting 2007 in the past year, and the feedback provided by these customers helped influence the new version. Office Accounting 2008 offers many new innovative features to help manage a small business, including these:

  • Resource Center. The Resource Center brings together educational resources in one easily accessible location. Users can read articles on a broad range of topics, participate in online product trainings and even find a local CPA.

  • Simplified company creation. It is now easier than ever to set up a company. By selecting from a variety of customizable business templates, users can customize Office Accounting to their specific industry and get started in three easy steps.

  • Budgeting. Customers can create budgets and track how they compare with actual results for better control over their finances.

  • Universal transaction import. Users can import financial data including transactions into Office Accounting from virtually any accounting package or line-of-business software via Excel or comma-separated value (CSV) files.

  • Easy conversion from sales order to purchase order. Users can now create a purchase order from inventory on a sales order to save time.

  • Enhanced bulk e-mail invoicing. Customers can now send bulk invoices in Word or PDF formats with just a few clicks.

  • Streamlined online banking. Office Accounting now offers easier setup of online banking and supports more financial institutions than before.

Office Accounting Now Available in Spanish for the U.S. Market

For the first time, bilingual Spanish-English versions of Office Accounting Express and Professional are available in the United States. This bilingual functionality makes Office Accounting 2008 truly unique in the market.

Microsoft Office Accounting 2008 Spanish Language Edition will have the same features and functionalities of the English versions, but will allow Hispanic small businesses to manage their finances and communicate with customers and accountants in both Spanish and English depending on their preference.

“We know that the U.S. small-business market is very diverse, and we want to make sure that Office Accounting 2008 meets the needs of all small businesses in the U.S. That is why we now offer the product in a different language Spanish to help the nearly 2 million Hispanic small businesses here in the U.S.,” Taneja said.**

Office Accounting 2008 Is Available in the U.K.

Office Accounting is also debuting internationally in the United Kingdom, where it has been in limited beta since spring 2007. Office integration, ease of use and strict adherence to the U.K. accounting rules enable customers to effectively manage their business finances. In addition, features such as multicurrency support make Office Accounting 2008 stand out from the competition.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

* Estimated retail price. Prices vary by reseller.

** U.S. Census Bureau, May 2005

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