Our nostalgic cover aside, and despite the fact that the SaaS segment is evolving more rapidly than anyone could have envisioned even five years ago, hosted solutions still represent only a small fraction of the vast quantity of software products on the market.Distilling that vast quantity down to what we feel are the Top 100 Products requires an enormous quantitative and qualitative effort - and we've been doing just that for 15 years.

In addition to those products named in our Top 100 List, each year our editors spotlight a number of products that caught our attention - and deserve yours.* 1040Scan (SurePrep LLC): Scanning software that automatically inputs data from source documents directly into tax software, and also organizes and bookmarks source documents into PDF files.

HIGH-END/ MID-MARKET ACCOUNTINGACCOUNTMATE 7 FOR SQL

In the last year or two, the fog surrounding Sarbanes-Oxley software was finally starting to clear, with a number of vendor offerings focused specifically on compliance, primarily with Sections 302 and 404, on management's responsibility for certifying financial results and internal controls, and with the documentation and testing of internal controls.That split software applications into several basic groups - those that help to document processes and internal controls, software that tests the effectiveness of internal controls, and applications used in the audit test process.

Contact information for the vendors of the Accounting Today 2007 Top 100 Products and Ones to Watch.AccountantsWorld

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Vertex introduced its Vertex O Series Retail Solution, which provides sales tax calculations across various channels, including brick-and-mortar stores, Web sites and catalogs.

The congressional delay on extending provisions of the Alternative Minimum Tax will likely not impede Intuit's ability to get its tax software out on time, according to senior vice president Brad Smith.

NetSuite has kicked off the auction for its initial public offering of 6.2 million shares on the market.

Cosmi Corp. introduced a consumer tax prep package to compete with Intuit's TurboTax and H&R Block's TaxCut, with the help of CCH tax experts providing information and support.

Electronic tax prep provider Orrtax Software Solutions has released its 2007 IntelliTax Program and Setup package for professional tax preparers.

As Washington struggles to fix the alternative minimum tax to prevent it from spreading to an estimated 23 million taxpayers, consumer tax prep software vendor 2nd Story Software is offering a peek at how the AMT would affect tax returns prepared under either scenario with its TaxAct software.

Sage Software said it reached $1.01 billion in revenue in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2007, a 54 percent increase over last year.

MYOB introduced MYOB Premier Accounting 2008, its new small business accounting application for Windows.

Sage is putting its money where its corporate mouth is, and in a way that’s a departure from past practice.

Avalara aims to make the process of calculating sales tax less taxing and more relaxing.The company is so serious about their message that they’ve adopted an island theme for their exhibition booth at technology trade shows, complete with tiki-hut-like decorations and margaritas.

ACCOUNTANTSWORLD BRINGS ACCOUNTING RELIEF TO WEBAccountantsWorld has released its Accounting Relief software with Web 2.0 features that allow accountants to collaborate with small business clients.

Innovation and technology are powerful forces in commoditization. Harvard economist Joseph Schumpeter coined the term “creative destruction,” a process that involves several stages, beginning with emergence and moving on to growth, status, and a depleted industry.It doesn’t take long to think of several industries that have moved through these stages. Some have transformed themselves to stay relevant, while others have expired. The lifecycle is much shorter now, and commoditization is occurring at an increasing rate. The accounting profession is not exempt.

CCH debuted a Web-based tool designed to find local incentives that can reduce income, property, and sales and use taxes, as well as identify enterprise zones and non-tax financial incentives.

The Bonadio Group accounting firm has released a business intelligence and performance management system aimed at CPA firms.