SAP intends to increase the number of women in its management ranks at all levels to 25 percent by 2017 and reduce its carbon emissions to 2000 levels by 2020. The software giant recently discussed such plans during its Social Responsibility Initiative. SAP made it clear it sees such planning as something a modern business should do. "Engaging our employees and reducing emissions can no longer be seen as a nice to have," CFO Luca Mucic said during the webcast.

Avalara has hired Michael J. Turner as its first chief marketing officer. The Bainbridge Island, Wash.-based sales tax vendor said Turner was most recently CEO and president of 1-800-DENTIST and served there from July 2010 through February this year. He was CMO at LegalZoom from 2005 through 2010 and EVP of Teleflora's consumer business from 2001 through 2010. Avalara noted the growth in its executive ranks reflects the course of its business.

Xero has more than 200,000 paying customers in Australia, the New Zealand-based cloud company said recently. That is up from 109,000 a year ago. Australia is Xero's largest market and this item came to mind because that was announced the same week Australia accounting software company, MYOB, announced an IPO to return to being publicly held after several years as a private company. In September, MYOB said it had 100,000 subscribers for its AccountRight cloud product. Unlike Xero, whose applications are all Internet-based, MYOB has on-premise products.

DSD Business Systems has acquired Sage 100 enhancements from Accounting Systems Inc., which is based in Columbia, S.C. San Diego, Calif.-based DSD said this week it acquired seven products, which will remain on the market. Jon Reiter, DSD's chief software engineer, said the applications work with Sage 100 ERP versions 4.50, 2013, 2014 and 2015 The enhancements include Service Center, which the parties described as the only Sage 100 product designed for service centers and depot repair shops.