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NEWS
May 16th 2000: A common standard for exchanging business information between online application providers came a step closer yesterday with NetLedger's announcement of SMBXML - the first set of XML definitions specifically designed for use between ASPs addressing the small business market. San Mateo-based NetLedger is publishing the full SMBXML specification to encourage providers and users to adopt it as a standard for linking and integrating online small business application services. "There are no restrictions on who gets to see what the standard is," NetLedger president and CEO Bill Mirbach told ASPnews.com. SMBXML includes elements that describe purchasing, selling, banking and accounting, each in sufficient detail to meet the needs of small to medium sized businesses, but without the complexity of high-end enterprise systems. NetLedger has published the version 1.0 specification in full at www.smbxml.org, a new site hosted and operated by the ASP. NetLedger is already working with the XMBSML to integrate its small business accounting solution with online services and applications from partners including Red Gorilla (online time and billing), RecoverDebt.com (online accounts receivable management and outsourcing), Freeworks (online business services and office automation), OneCore.com (online financial services) and CyberBills (online bill management). Broad adoption of SMBXML as a standard could significantly ease the task of building complete, integrated solutions out of multiple applications from different providers. Currently, users have to manually re-enter data if they want to use the same information in different providers' applications. The only way to avoid this time-consuming duplication of effort is to use specialist ASP aggregators to access multiple services, but this option adds cost, and locks users into a proprietary environment. NetLedger intends to exchange XML data with partners and users by streaming it over the Web's HTTPS protocol. It will provide a self-service interface that users will be able to use to upload or download information, or to transfer it to a third party. There will be no limit on the number of rows of data that can be sent in a single transmission. Mirbach said that publishing SMBXML as an open standard will significantly advance and strengthen the small business ASP market as a whole, allowing it to deliver more complete e-commerce solutions through strategic technology and business partnerships. It may also enable business users to bypass proprietary business exchanges, allowing for direct business-to-business transactions, he added. An open standard also makes it easier for users to switch between ASPs, Mirbach added. "The development of this standard allows somebody to export data out of NetLedger if we don't do a good job," he said. At the same time as the XML announcement, NetLedger upgraded its online accounting solution (see separate asp-news story at internetnews.com, NetLedger Releases Version 3.0, New Set of XML Standards). NetLedger 3.0 adds new accounting and business management functionality, such as custom forms, employee expense reporting, and integrated credit card payment processing through a newly-announced partnership with payment processing provider Innovative Merchant Solutions. In a major boost to ease of use, NetLedger has redesigned its forms into HTML format, rather than the PDF format previously used, which required a separate download before viewing or printing. The extended range of form templates allows for customisation down to individual fields and columns. Additional reporting by Denise D'Onofrio
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ANALYSIS
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