(WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Cloud computing business management software suite vendor NetSuite Inc. (www.netsuite.com) plans to make its cloud computing enterprise resource planning suite available in the Google Apps Marketplace (www.google.com/appsmarketplace), Google’s recently launched online storefront for Google Apps products and services.
According to its Wednesday announcement, NetSuite’s cloud-based ERP suite enables users to run their key back-office operations and financial business processes — including accounting, inventory and supply chain, order management and business intelligence — with a single, comprehensive SaaS application.
“NetSuite is committed to bringing the power of cloud computing to businesses, so integrating with Google Apps is a logical choice for us,” NetSuite chief executive officer Zach Nelson said in a statement. “By adding NetSuite to the Google Apps Marketplace, we plan to make it extremely easy for Google Apps customers to get a powerful cloud computing ERP application that works seamlessly with their technology platforms.”
Google Apps customers integrating with the NetSuite business management software suite will get instant visibility into real-time financial, operational performance and documentation across their entire company securely from any browser-enabled devices. In addition, companies can reduce cost and increase productivity by enabling real-time collaboration on financial data across geographically dispersed teams.
Scott McMullan, head of Google Apps partnerships, said he is excited to soon add NetSuite to the Google Apps Marketplace. “Through the Google Apps Marketplace, software vendors like NetSuite are helping us build a rich ecosystem of integrated business apps that work seamlessly with Google Apps, allowing IT administrators to leverage the benefits of cloud computing and extend Google Apps to meet more of their business needs,” McMullan said.
Launched March 9, 2010, the Google Apps Marketplace provides a central place for more than 2 million Google Apps customers to discover, purchase and deploy integrated business applications and related professional services. By integrating with user account and application data stored in Google Apps, these cloud applications provide a simpler user experience, increase business efficiency, and reduce administrative overhead.
NetSuite’s decision to launch its ERP solution in the Google Apps Marketplace, however, has been met with some skepticism from value-added resellers, according to Ezequiel Steiner, head of competing ERP software developer Acumatica (www.acumatica.com). After years of ignoring the role of VARs in delivering their solutions, Steiner said that while NetSuite is “finally realizing how important the value-added resellers are in in the delivery of ERP to mid-market companies,” the move was “kind of a gimmick,” which many VARs will see through.
“After years of talking about disintermediation, [saying] that the value-added reseller is dead, and boasting about their low value-added reseller share of their revenue (which is something like 10 percent), now they’re trying to convince value-added resellers that they’re back, and I don’t expect them to be very successful — at least, I’ve been talking with value-added resellers and that’s how they see it,” Steiner said.
“It’s good for Acumatica, because it brings up the value of SaaS ERP as part of a complete ERP portfolio. So, we welcome their evangelizing of SaaS ERP among value-added resellers. We think that overall, value-added resellers are smart people and they will quickly realize that there’s nothing to gain there, and they already know how NetSuite works with value-added resellers.”
