Small business financial management ISV Intuit Inc. and digital trust service provider VeriSign Inc. today announced a joint effort to offer advanced Web site services for small businesses.

QuickBooks Web Site Solutions, powered by VeriSign technology and services, will help small businesses easily establish an online presence and more effectively manage and grow their businesses. Expected to launch by the end of this month, the new service will fully replace Intuit's current QuickBooks Site Solutions offering by April 2002.

The alliance leverages VeriSign's expertise in domain names and Web site building tools, as well as Intuit's highly successful QuickBooks small business accounting software -- providing small business users with a premiere-quality online presence to meet their vertical or business-specific needs.

"This collaboration with VeriSign will give our small business customers a more flexible and versatile Web site solution to meet their business needs, with full e-commerce functionality expected to be offered by next fall. It's a perfect example of how Intuit continues to execute against its 'Right For My Business' strategy," said Lorrie Norrington, senior vice president of Intuit's Small Business Division.

QuickBooks Web Site Solutions will be introduced with several new features for small businesses, including customizable pages, Web site hosting, company-branded emails and other options for expanding Web site presence. Intuit also is giving current subscribers the opportunity to get transition help and advice from a professional Web site set-up service, and all customers will have the option to hire Web site consultants who can help them create a new site to their specifications.

Intuit, long a leader in the desktop accounting space, has struggled in the web-based software arena against pure-play competitors like NetLedger, whose web-based business process management solution was tapped earlier this year by Oracle to be sold as the Oracle Small Business Suite.

VeriSign's relationship with Intuit complements its Web Business by VeriSign suite of e-commerce solutions for small businesses. It also provides VeriSign with an opportunity to access QuickBooks' more than 2.5 million small business customers.

"Small businesses want partners they can trust to provide solutions that work and offer value, especially when it comes to technology," said Champ Mitchell, executive vice president of VeriSign's Mass Markets Division. "This alliance with Intuit fits with our core strategy of creating the trusted digital infrastructure for delivering Web services to businesses of all sizes. In the coming months, we will work with Intuit to explore deeper integration between financial management software, back office systems and Web site solutions, which will give small businesses even more tools to create highly profitable and scalable e-businesses."

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