Intuit has not publicly stated what will be revealed at the upcoming QuickBooks Connect conference this month. But at last month's Investor's Day CEO Brad Smith outlined areas that we are likely to see addressed, if not this month, then over the next year, including the development of QuickBooks Online as a platform that connects all applications used by small businesses.

Xero made it clear, following September's sudden departure of North American CEO Peter Karpas, that it was not happy with its leadership in the United States. In a trading update for the first half ended September 30, the New Zealand-based cloud company said it was "Dissatisfied with execution and leadership" in this country and that it also needs to fill product gaps.

Intuit will debut a wide range products for users of its professional tax applications before tax season. The ancillary offerings include an "intelligent digital organizer" to enable tax pros and their clients to know track missing tax documents and due dates. The plans were outlined during this week's Investor's Day by SVP CeCe Morken, who also noted Intuit's development of a global tax engine aimed at expanding tax services internationally.