Microsoft Offers Small Business Suite Free

Microsoft has turned its accounting suite for small businesses into two separate offerings, one of which users can download for free starting today.

Office Accounting Express 2007, an updated version of Office Small Business Accounting 2006, is now available as a free download at Microsoft's IdeaWins site, said Rajat Taneja, a Microsoft general manager for small business applications and services.

Microsoft also expects to begin offering a slightly higher-end version of the software, Office Accounting Professional 2007, from retailers early in 2007.

The professional edition of the software has more robust features than the free version for handling inventory management, budgeting, cash flow and other tasks mature small businesses require, Taneja said. Office Accounting Express 2007 is aimed more at small businesses that are just getting off the ground and need help starting up.

Revamped Offerings

Microsoft introduced Office Small Business Accounting 2006 last September to help small businesses manage income and expense accounting. The product costs $179, but Microsoft has lowered the pricing for the professional version to $149 in the 2007 edition, Taneja said.

Microsoft also has expanded the Web-based offerings that are available through the software from two to seven. These are services from Microsoft partners--such as eBay's auction and eBay's PayPal payment services, Verisign security services, Automatic Data Processing's payroll service, and Equifax's credit-check service--that small businesses may find useful.

The services cost extra, and range in price depending on the provider and the service, Taneja said. They are available in both the express and professional editions of the software.