Web accounting system

What do you get when leaders of software and Web kingdoms battle to serve small businesses? Unexpected bedfellows can be the result, as with today"s Google-Intuit alliance. The search king is partnering with the maker of QuickBooks, the most popular small-business finance software, to allow small companies to manage their funds and product publicity in one place. You"ll see the logos for Google and QuickBooks cozy up to serve online marketing for modest-sized businesses of up to a few hundred employees--a base of customers that has been slow to embrace a Web presence. The announcement pits the Google-Intuit duo against Microsoft, which revealed last week that its Office Accounting 2007 app will integrate with eBay, so you"ll be able to manage auctions without opening a Web browser. ***

A team of researchers at software maker SAP is studying how to make the company's line of business applications easier to use and modify, an effort within the company known by the code name Project Vienna. Project Vienna is one of the driving forces behind many technology initiatives, including a new software architecture dubbed NetWeaver, that the company has launched over the past year or so, SAP spokesman Bill Wohl said on Friday. The research project has been underway for more than a year, and the work coming out of it should find its way into SAP's software products this year, Wohl said. He remained vague about what it actually plans to deliver and when, but said Web services technology will figure prominently. ***

German software maker SAP patted itself on the back as its e-business conference got under way Wednesday by unveiling a grab bag of customer deals and product announcements. The e-business software company officially launched something it calls xApps--for "cross applications"--which will be built by SAP and consulting firm Accenture. The xApps are intended to build on existing software, connect multiple applications from different suppliers, and use information from multiple companies. SAP also made the following moves: • Touted its SAP Business One, a package of tools for accounting, logistics, and sales force automation that is aimed at small and midsized businesses. SAP had announced the product in March and said Wednesday that the software will be introduced globally in stages. It will begin with Germany in the third quarter and move to the United States in the fourth quarter. ***