Tax software leader Intuit taps Hara for environmental software, Minnesota picks EarthSoft

Yes, the race is definitely on among all the environmental software players to sign up marquee customers. Here are just two items that have crossed my inbox since the new year (aside from those I've already reported on!)

1. Targeting an overall carbon footprint reduction of 15 percent by 2010 (off a 2007 baseline), Intuit has just contracted to use environmental monitoring and management software from Hara. The company will use Hara Environmental and Energy Management software to track energy and emissions information related to its facilities and data centers worldwide. Intuit is in good company: Other high-profile users of Hara's application include The Coca-Cola Co. and News Corp. as well as the California cities of Palo Alto and San Jose.
2. EarthSoft, which got my attention because it is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, also boasts some pretty big names among its client roster, including Booz Allen Hamilton and the City of New York. One of its flagship software offerings is called EQuIS (which standards for Environmental Quality Information System), and it works with SQL Server and Oracle databases to analyze and visualize data related to water, air, geotechnical and other data. It counts a number of states among its biggest users, including its latest client win, the Minnesoft Pollution Control Agency.