For the first time, developers and independent software developers building Web-based business applications have a ground-breaking way to reach potential customers - directly through desktop software.
The new Intuit App Center from Intuit (Nasdaq:INTU) closes the gap between QuickBooks desktop software and cloud computing. With a simple click from the QuickBooks Pro and Premier 2010 toolbar, small businesses can easily find, buy and use Web-based business applications built on or integrated with the Intuit Partner Platform that help boost their bottom line. More than 30 applications created by third-party developers and by Intuit are already available.
Intuit is also making it easier for developers to build data-rich applications by offering more comprehensive integration with QuickBooks data stored on users' desktops. With the new Intuit Partner Platform API, Intuit Data Services, developers can integrate a broader range of QuickBooks data into their applications, including items, jobs, accounts and sales reps. Developers can also include accounts receivable transactions, such as estimates, sales orders, invoices and payments.
"With nearly 25 million potential users within the companies that use QuickBooks and an easily accessible way to discover new apps right within the software they use every day, the opportunity for developers to make money and succeed has never been better," said Alex Chriss, director of the Intuit Partner Platform. "We are fueling innovation by giving developers better tools and more data to create great apps that seamlessly integrate with QuickBooks. And we've made it easy for customers to find and buy the apps that help them do more in less time every day. It's a win-win."
API Enhancements Enable More Integration and Richer Apps
Several new features and enhancements added to the Intuit Partner Platform APIs will help developers build and federate more powerful applications and better manage their usage. Intuit Data Services are a new set of REST-based Web APIs that provide access to shared data in the Intuit cloud.
- Billing Entitlements - Developers now have more pricing options for their applications. Billing entitlements lets developers set prices based on features included in a particular version as well as the number of users associated with their application.
- Self-Serve Google AnalyticsTM - Developers can use the powerful reporting capabilities of Google Analytics to track performance and usage of their applications on the Intuit Partner Platform.
- Intuit Sync Agent - An easy-to-use wizard in QuickBooks 2010 makes the customer setup process easier. Using the sync agent, customers can permit their QuickBooks desktop data to be made securely available to applications in the Intuit cloud. Users need to run the wizard just once when setting up their first Intuit App Center application.
New applications now available in the Intuit AppCenter include: Pixily Document Management, Central Desktop, FuelStation by ClickFuel, Expensify, MyFax and TableTop Dashboards and Reports by DreamFactory.