Avalara Unveils More Microsoft Integration

Avalara, a provider of on-demand sales and use tax services for small and midsized businesses, announced its integration with three additional Microsoft products. Users will now find AvaTax and AutoAddress+ available for Microsoft Business Solutions' Navision, Small Business Financials and CRM. Avalara made the announcement at last week's Convergence 2005, Microsoft's annual user conference. "Both of these solutions - AvaTax ST and AutoAddress+ -- are on-demand Web-based solutions," said Avalara's chief executive officer, Jared Vogt, in a statement. "This approach keeps end users' costs low while ensuring that they are always working with up-to-the minute solutions." AvaTax ST, an online sales and use tax calculation product, will now be available for Microsoft's Navision and Small Business Financials. The application was already integrated with a number of other systems, including MAS 90, 200 and 500, and Accpac, but broke into the Microsoft ERP market by announcing integration with MBS's Great Plains last month. AutoAddress+, Avalara's online address validation service, is now integrated with Microsoft CRM. The online address validation application checks with local post offices over the Internet to ensure that the address provided for the customer is an existing address. Recently, Avalara announced a marketing and technology partnership with STF Services Corp., a provider of electronic forms in the tax industry, to license SuperForm from STF. The licensing allows Avalara to create tax returns on top of their tax calculation products. Christina Opalka, director of marketing communications, who attended the 5,000-attendee Convergence confab, said that the company was looking beyond tax calculation and returns. "We are working to be a customer services provider," said Opalka, who estimated that it would take the company about four to five years before their goal was reached.