- Microsoft to cease distribution of Office Accounting from 16 November
- Use Excel templates instead, Microsoft suggested
- Mamut takes over responsibility for supporting 100,000 UK users
“The world overtook them. When it comes to accounting software, small companies and start-ups look online,” commented UK Business Forums member and Kashflow founder Duane Jackson as Microsoft announced its retreat from the accounting software market this week.
“It’s a good indication that desktop software is old fashioned. If Microsoft, the poster boy for old style software, pulls out of the accounting software market, I expect we’ll see more desktop apps being abandoned,” added the Kashflow founder to add to Microsoft’s embarrassment.
Microsoft Office Accounting has a long and tortured history that has been tracked by our sister site AccountingWEB since the program was first talked about more than five years ago. Designed primarily for the US market, it reached the UK in 2007, two years after it was launched across the Atlantic.
When it finally did arrive, the program looked very stylish and integrated with Microsoft Outlook, but the developer had overlooked the rapid rise of online software as a service (SaaS) providers such as Kashflow.
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