When Microsoft proclaimed in 2004 that it was discharging an accounting software wrap up aimed at small business owners, business watchers were unconvinced. Nevertheless, the software massive had tried to split into that market numerous times in the previous decade and botched each time.

But the company had done its homework with Microsoft small business Accounting (SBA). First, it considered the business leader, feel QuickBooks, and its clientele to collect that product's key powers and flaws. Then, as software engineers intended the product, combination with the company's omnipresent Office applications was a key objective.

After SBA was made, Microsoft small business carried out not only a confidential beta-testing program, but also a long-lasting "public beta" trial that expectant real-world possible clientele to use the program and give criticism. That led to the discharge of Microsoft Small Business Accounting 2006 in September of last year, to usually glowing evaluation by press and customers alike.

SBA Gets It Right

planned for businesses with up to 25 employees, SBA's most benefit is its faultless addition with Microsoft Office apps. If you've used Outlook, you'll be well known with SBA's boundary. Certainly, that's what first involved Rob Gorski, owner of JBG General Contractors, LLC. He had endeavored using QuickBooks Pro 2004 in addition to the Premier Contractor Edition to keep the accounting directly for his businesses (as well as the contracting project, he also runs a PC mend company and a digital imaging service).

"Neither creation worked the technique I wanted it to," says Gorski of the feel proffering. He found the QuickBooks boundary too messy and intricate for his liking. So he signed on to be an early on beta tester of SBA. "The user border was well-known," he says. "It has a alike look as Outlook."

The second sketch for Gorski was how fine SBA works with Office. "It was faultless," he informs. "I ported my data over from Excel, and was up and running in an hour." He also likes that SBA comes with Microsoft small business Contact Manager to border with his existing Outlook contact database. Gorski also realizes that he can plan his own documents (invoices, proposals and the like) in Microsoft Word and harbor them to SBA, rather than having to undertake a forms designer applet.

One more feature of SBA that won him above from QuickBooks is that he can purchase one account and have it work for all types of businesses, be it a service-based business, a trade business and so on. "During setup, you just select one, and the program halted a modified bill of accounts tailored to that type of business," Gorski notes.

That said, SBA isn't the just right solution as a minimum not yet. The one thing he's still waiting for is electronic addition with his local bank. While SBA can bring in information in a straight line from most major banks crossways the country, its hold up list still isn't as widespread as QuickBooks. "But I haven't discovered anything that's a deal-breaker," Gorski says of SBA's shortcomings.

Not Everyone's a Fan

several people who have tried SBA in the history year are less excited. The biggest grievance: SBA needs clientele to know more about accounting put into practices than QuickBooks.

As a minimum that's what Paul Gupta, president and CEO of Premier Software Solutions originate. This IT services and solutions supplier has five direct employees and an extra 20 agreement workers. Before entrusting to an accounting wrap up, Gupta was keeping his records in an Excel worksheet, which he would then give up to his CPA. But as his business produced, that work-around was no longer feasible.

So Gupta tried SBA during the free public beta era. He had seen QuickBooks in act, and he anticipated the Microsoft entrance to be much the same. "But as I got into it, I discovered it wasn't as easy to use as I considered it would be," he says of SBA.

He thought it was indistinct how to set up his accounts, and establish he hunting around to discover where to go into data. He also found the payroll unit to be tough sledding. "I had to be a semi-accountant to go into my payroll," he protests.

Consequently after six months, he switched to QuickBooks Online, which he found friendlier. He is particularly grateful for QuickBooks' addition with PayCycle, a user-friendly online payroll service that lets him disburse his distant employees via straight deposit.

Integration is the Key

luckily for Microsoft small business, for every Paul Gupta out there, the business has found exchanges like Konrad and Rob Gorki and Phyllis Haskins. The Haskins left the software business in 2003 to start Teddy Bears BBQ, a sphere seller that markets grill products and connected services, such as catering and cooking classes. The couple found that handling basic business tasks was taking too much instance away from growing the trade. One offender: Poor addition between their Microsoft Office and QuickBooks program. Switching to SBA let them go flawlessly from their Outlook make contact with records to there accounting records as wanted.

"The complexity of assimilate QuickBooks data into our other programs shaped a lot of additional work," says Phyllis Haskins. "We didn't actually have any consolidated client and monetary information."

The couple also wanted to better foresee cyclic sales and cash flows, in addition to recognize their customers' purchasing patterns. Furthermore, there was no automatic method to converse with customers, since invoices and the like existed in QuickBooks, but client information and needs came via the Web and e-mail.

So the couple migrate their business information to SBA and view 2003 with Business Contact Manager. They've not only saved many time on typical business chores (about 80 hours a month, they approximation), with SBA they also gain a "control panel" view into Teddy Bears BBQ that gives a photograph of the company's present financial condition.

"The tight addition of client and monetary data has radically improved the company's aptitude to recognize and examine how the business is doing," says Konrad Haskins. With SBA, they can now watch yearly sales patterns and make use of the built-in forecasting tools to observe month beforehand when extra marketing efforts might be in turn. And the additional time they've increased has allowed the Haskins to produce the business.

Rob Gorski, too, is grateful for the additional time Microsoft Small Business Accounting 2006 has given him. With a baby son at home, every minute is valuable. "It takes me far less time to achieve tasks than it did with QuickBooks," he says. "And for me now, that's invaluable."