Welcome !
On Sept 7th, 2005, Bill Gates, chairman and chief Software Architect, Microsoft Corporation announced general availability of Microsoft Office Small Business Accounting 2006 along with a brand new edition of Office for small businesses called Office Small Business Management Edition . These newest member of the Microsoft Office System of products are now available in over 5,000 retail stores, through PC OEM manufacturers like Dell, Gateway, HP and through Microsoft’s vast network of resellers across the USA. SBA along with Microsoft’s Outlook with business contact manager (BCM) represents the most significant innovation in the small business application space in the last 15 years. It is for the first time, a small business will be able to seamlessly automate processes across their sales, marketing, service and financial functions, providing their employees with the information they need, when they need it and where they need it. Approximately 300 dedicated R&D professionals built these products over the last 4 years with a shared passion to serve small businesses and a singular belief that software can truly help its users realize their potential. As we celebrate this important release, I am reminded of the words of Winston Churchill, that “this is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, this my friends is simply the end of the beginning”. Work on the next versions of these products is well underway and there are significant features and innovations that are in the pipeline that will continue to benefit our customers and partners as they use these products.
Welcome to my blog. My name is Rajat Taneja and I am responsible for Microsoft’s small business applications and online services organization. The portfolio of products we develop in the team includes a suite of hosted online services (e-marketing, e-commerce, search services, online scheduling, banner advertising, customer management and web site analytics), Business Contact Manager for Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2003, Microsoft Retail Management System, Microsoft Point of Sale software and the recently released Microsoft® Office Small Business Accounting 2006 product line. I have been with the company for nearly 10 years and have had the privilege of leading Microsoft’s efforts in the small business application area for the last 5 years. I am delighted to publish this blog to establish a more direct connection with our customers and partners and periodically share news about our upcoming innovations and also various tips around maximizing the use and benefit of our product line. I also eagerly look forward to comments and feedback on our small business products and services. In order to give different view points and perspectives, I will also from time to time invite guest writers to publish thoughts and comments on the blog.
I look forward to this direct dialog with our customers and partners and welcome comments and suggestions on both my postings and recommendations for other topics that you would like me to write about. I will definitely attempt to do so if I can add value.
