NetSuite, Exact, Syspro, Accpac, Epicor and Excel ERP Software

NetSuite Exact Syspro Accpac Epicor and Excel ERP system have capabilities to centralize all business process into single database and provide better control. Read brief information about all these enterprise software below:

1. Net suite

Net suite ERP solution is one of its kinds. It is the only on-demand ERP solution which can manage and control back-office operations. It is an all-inclusive business suite that can support operations like financials, order fulfillment, purchasing, inventory, time and billing, payroll, employee self-service, Web presence, etc. It is best suited to diverse enterprises and nonprofit organizations, which need to customize their systems for specific needs. It can be installed immediately.

2. Exact Software

This revolutionary ERP system is best for organizations that crave for impeccable connectivity. Exact Software equally connects both internal and external links and employee of a business. It teams up conventional ERP with a number of operations such as customer relationship management (CRM), business activity monitoring, electronic workflow management, project management and business intelligence. It helps in analyzing and predicting the business operations and the results can be used to formulate future plan of action. Thus, it eliminates complications from the processes.

3. Syspro

Syspro is among the leading enterprise resource planning software vendors. SYSPRO solutions’ enable companies to exercise complete control over different aspects of their workflow by directing planning and management functions. It permits the organizations to create their own exclusive manufacturing process that can successfully meet all their needs and new challenges that arise in the industry.

4. Accpac

The Sage Group has designed Accpac ERP software to suit the business requirements of the small and medium sized enterprises. This software can accomplish tasks like accounting, Customer relationship management and business management. USP of Accpac is that it employs Web Services as basic foundation for operating business applications.

5. Epicor

Epicor is a comprehensive ERP solution providing a number of real-time business utilities. It is targeted to manufacturing, distribution, retail, hospitality and services companies located in U.S. It offers business- specific solutions as it consists of ground-breaking service-oriented architecture (SOA) and Web services technology.

6. Excel ERP

Excel ERP is amongst the most user friendly ERPs. It requires trouble-free, organized and risk free implementation. Moreover, it can be customized as per the short/long term goals and objectives of the company.

So you Think you Know CRM Software?

A year ago if someone asked me if I knew my way around the CRM Software Industry I would have confidently said yes, however, as it turns out the old saying the more you learn the more knowledge you realize you lack, is true. When talking about the CRM Software Industry it is almost impossible to actually say that you know it inside out since there are so many CRM vendors around the world, all developing their technologies at such a rapid pace. As if it wasn’t hard enough for a company to make a decision regarding; what they require, how it can help their business and so on, these technological advancements are always followed with a marketing campaign each speaking of how much this new feature or functionality will help you.

So the question stands at, you think you know CRM Software? This is difficult to answer with all the hype surrounding the industry combined with the relative youth of Web-based CRM and the large number of vendors. It is also difficult to produce a linear comparison since each vendor has their own set of terms and names for features. So where do you begin? You can learn the basics of Web-based CRM Software fairly easily with a quick search on Google, however I would like to mention a few points that are more difficult to uncover; the hidden costs associated with purchasing CRM Software, what to avoid, how your CRM can go beyond simply contact management and where the industry is going.

When a company decides it’s time to make the move to Web-based CRM Software they should first develop a plan on how they expect this new implementation to boost their companies productivity and revenue. The largest roadblock in achieving a fast ROI is all the hidden costs that are not clearly listed on vendor’s web sites. In researching to develop a comparison of some of the major players in the CRM world including Salesforce, Netsuite and Salesboom.com, the majority of my time was spent researching pricing for different platforms, upgrades, implementation, customization and customer support. Salesboom was actually the only one at the time to have a page with their pricing listed clearly.

To just go out and purchase a CRM Edition and think you are done is nowhere near the truth, this is just a base point from which pricing begins. This leads me into what to avoid when seeking your future CRM Software. What you need to look into and ask questions about is; storage limits and the cost of additional storage, maximum number of custom tabs & fields, maximum number of applications you can add, this being particularly relevant for Salesforce, and any other limitation which could later force you to upgrade.

If you have implemented a CRM Software Solution and reached any of these mentioned limitations I’m sure you can vouch for my statement that it comes at a great cost. What is often the case is that the edition a company is currently working with is doing a great job but for example they have reached their storage limits. An edition upgrade for a company with roughly 750 users can amount to around 2 million dollars above what they were already paying. With this upgrade of course comes more features and functionality however they are features and functionality which will not increase your ROI simply because your company doesn’t need them.

Now that the buyers beware and the negatives are out of the way we can focus on the positives. When you implement your new Web-based CRM you have just knocked down all the walls separating your departments or office’s, no matter their location and you did it in real-time. Once up and running your CRM goes far beyond contact management software with vendor’s now integrating front and back office functionality. Netsuite has a strong back office, which makes sense knowing their background in back office ERP solutions; however I find their SFA or front office not to be up to the standards of some others. Salesforce and Salesboom.com both offer a well rounded CRM solution for companies of all sizes, between these two it really comes down to price.

With more than just contact management capabilities CRM Software is a great tool for your; marketing department with in depth campaign and lead management tools, your customer service department since a complete history of all clients and cases are a mouse click away, your back office including inventory, billing & invoicing by taking advantage of real time workflow processes and of course your sales force with features like escalation rules or in more recent times offline and mobile editions.

Today CRM Software vendors are coming out with Offline and Mobile Editions giving new ways to never lose contact with the office. This brings us to the future of Web-based CRM Software, where is it going? Well over the past year we have seen great advancements with the use of AJAX, or as it’s known to the tech world, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. This code underneath your CRM Software eliminates the need for you to refresh your web browser whenever you make a change. This can be seen in some social networking sites, a popular one being facebook. Here AJAX is used to allow for drag and drop customizations to appearance and the arrangement of applications. The idea is the same with CRM Software, a simple down mouse click and drag will allow you to customize the appearance of your dashboard without an IT department, so you can focus on the information most relevant to you.

The other benefit that AJAX will bring us in the future when combined with faster internet speed is the elimination of load time, maybe not completely but at least the majority of it. This sort of functionality is now only seen with On-premise software since all information is stored within your computer or server you don’t need to wait for the internet to download any data. AJAX comes into play here since you don’t require a browser refresh you can continue working while only that portion of the web page is reloaded. I predict that the gap between Web-based and On-premise CRM Software will be much smaller by the end of 2008 and we will see the same trend with businesses leaving their On-premise for Web-based CRM, like was seen in 2007.

Netsuite's Web-based Solution Offers Superior Customer Service Management

For many small- to medium-sized businesses, the key differentiator between their enterprises and those of large companies is their ability to deliver exceptional customer service," says Michael Emaus, CEO of eEnterprise , a division of NetSuite global reseller Skyytek Worldwide. "Yet as those businesses grow, they often find it difficult to maintain the internal communication necessary to successfully serve their customer bases. When the capability for effective customer service management erodes, so does the profitability of the enterprise."

According to Emaus, growing companies can maintain their customer service advantage by implementing an integrated solution like NetSuite, the world's leading on-demand, Web-based business management software. "NetSuite integrates back-office operations with front-office activities, while providing employees with varying levels of access necessary for their job functions," he says. "The information is made available on customer 'dashboards' that can reveal customizable information, such as key performance indicators and report snapshots, which allow managers to gauge the health of any given customer relationship."

Best of all, NetSuite can track all points of contact between a company's sales force and its customers. "This snapshot enables anyone to quickly review the events, tasks, and calls that have taken place and that are scheduled to close a deal," says Emaus. "And, when a sale requires a team effort, the activities of each team member are available to more efficiently and effectively make the sale."

Further, because NetSuite integrates customer transactions native to a company's CRM product, customer service representatives are aided by historic transaction and upsell opportunities. "This functionality encourages the opportunity to support and grow sales through enhanced customer service capabilities," notes Emaus.

While it's inevitable that customer complaints will arise, with an integrated CRM system, those complaints won't fall through the cracks. "NetSuite has a closed-loop process that ensures that problems will be effectively tracked and resolved," says Emaus. "This is light years ahead of manual tracking, and moreover, NetSuite even allows customers to follow the resolution process through a self-service portal."

For many companies, customer service begins with the prospecting phase of sales. NetSuite recognizes this, and has integrated several functions to more quickly turn website visitors into customers. By giving businesses the capability to customize their website's search function and to receive reports on frequent searches and results returned, company owners can keep their fingers on the pulse of their customers and potential customers.

Moreover, with companies increasingly relying on paid search keyword campaigns to market their products and services, it's important for businesses to know which keyword campaigns are generating both leads and revenue. "NetSuite recognizes that more traffic doesn't necessarily mean more sales, and that tracking the effectiveness of keyword campaigns is crucial to the bottom line," says Emaus.

Emaus concludes, "Regardless of the size of an enterprise, fully integrated customer service management is critical to both growth and profitability. NetSuite ensures that CRM is both streamlined and effective."

Netsuite services

Netsuite is business management software that integrates the features of an ERP and CRM software which can perform tasks like accounting, inventory management, customer support and many more.

For the netsuite services to be available easily, you need netsuite experts or netsuite specialists to help clients understand and implement the software successfully. For this purpose treova.com has many value added resellers called the netsuite partners that helps present them globally to provide easy access to netsuite specialists. Netsuite partners provide an interface for the clients who want to implement netsuite and customize it according to their business requirements. This increases productivity by simplifying the complex processes and reduce time as it allows you to manage everything online such as assigning tasks to employees and also keep a watch at the progress.

Treova provides netsuite ERP which is Enterprise resource planning software that provides management support in purchasing, financials, inventory and other back office activities.

Netsuite ERP provides all the information regarding the clients on the system itself. Netsuite ERP integrates the functions of a computer and phone which allows you to call your customers within the netsuite ERP application.

Netsuite services also include cloud computing which is the latest trend in the market as you do not need to own the software to use it, you can do it by renting it from one of the netsuite partners. This saves the expenditure on hardware, software and other supplementary requirements. Netsuite is suitable for all kinds of organisations and the firms that adapt to its technology and benefit from its services.

eEnterprise Integrates NetSuite for Multi-Location Businesses and Franchises

With the global economy pressuring the market to build virtual and instant locations, executives need accurate, real-time, standardized information that is accessible to all levels of management and key employees. "That actionable information is especially crucial for growing a business or a multi-location enterprise," says Michael Emaus, President and CEO of eEnterprise (www.eEnterprise.com), a global integrator of NetSuite, the world's leading on-demand business management software. "Now we are talking about the NetSuite 360-degree view of a business, department, and/or location."

All too often, business teams are hamstrung because they receive untimely information that reports performance rather than actionable metrics. "In a variety of ways, these executives say the same thing: they get balance sheets and profit and loss statements, but they have no way of knowing what's causing the numbers to trend up or down," says Emaus. "Because they don't know the cause of the trend, it is largely unknown whether to focus efforts on certain offices, targeted geographic locations, certain salespeople, specific products, or a particular type of client."

According to Emaus, standard profit and loss (P&L) statements provide historical data, but don't allow executives to correct unfavorable trends, measure results of specific strategies, and/or reward outstanding performance. "A P&L is only a scorecard of what happened in the past," he says. "The actionable information is in the key performance indicators - the metrics of who is doing what with whom, when and how. This is what we call the 360-degree view of a business, department, and/or location."

NetSuite's two primary advantages are ease of integration and information accessibility. NetSuite integrates its four major components - sales (CRM), back office (ERP), support, and eCommerce - and makes them accessible in one system via the Internet, offering a business owner no limits on growth, management, and reach. According to Emaus, "NetSuite provides a true single view of the customer - the lead, the prospect, the product or service, the invoice, and the support. So, when a salesperson needs a history of buying patterns, they see it in real-time. When someone from accounting wants to see which products or services have been invoiced, he or she can reference the same record as the salesperson. And, when the support staff needs to view the knowledge base, they can refer to the same record and attach alerts back to sales."

Because NetSuite is an on-demand solution, it triggers positive payback by eliminating the restraints of the traditional client/server environment. The result enables users to access relevant and timely information from anywhere/anytime.

But Emaus emphasizes that the software alone isn't enough. "Our customers generally understand immediately that an integrated, on-demand Software as a Solution (SaaS) requires business engineers who understand their industries and goals. It requires an understanding in business first, and technology second. Delivering 360-degree collaboration tailored around a variety of industries is the true differentiator for eEnterprise."

Concludes Emaus, "Larry Ellison pioneered the Internet for the Enterprise. Now he and NetSuite are pioneering it for the SMB market. The Internet has been his baby, and for him to acknowledge that the Small-Medium Size Business (SMB) market is where the drive is tells me he hasn't lost his game. We're thankful for that."

Eenterprise: Netsuite Business Management Software

"With the continuing explosive growth of e-commerce, small- and medium-sized businesses that are able to reap actionable information from a rich online platform are uniquely positioned to compete in the online marketplace," says Michael Emaus, President and CEO of eEnterprise (www.eEnterprise.com), a global integrator of NetSuite, the world's leading on-demand, Web-based business management software. "Today, e-commerce demands sophistication, in terms of the online shopping experience, which products are presented to customers, and how sales are tracked."

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, e-commerce sales rose to $25.2 billion during the first quarter of 2006, an increase of more than 25 percent over sales during the first quarter of 2005. Adjusted for seasonal variations, the first quarter 2006 growth of e-commerce over fourth quarter 2005 was more than double that of retail sales overall.

"Although online sales currently represent only about three percent of all retail sales, that number is sure to climb," says Emaus. "It's crucial that online retailers position themselves to take advantage of this trend. NetSuite business management software integrates a flexible e-commerce platform with the critical, real-time information e-tailers need to make sound decisions."

With NetSuite, online retailers can easily increase sales by automating up-sell and cross-sell recommendations on the shopping cart page, as well as by allowing customers to purchase and use gift certificates and coupons online. "Because accounting is integrated into NetSuite's e-commerce solution, a customer can shop with a gift certificate any number of times, until the balance is used," says Emaus. "An e-tailer can even offer downloads for purchase, using NetSuite's ability for password protection and license codes."

Behind the scenes, NetSuite gives a business owner or marketing team real-time, actionable information that they can leverage to increase their exposure to potential customers. "Instead of simply seeing which paid keyword campaigns are driving traffic to the site, an online retailer can see which campaigns are generating the most sales revenue, and make adjustments as necessary," says Emaus.

The same holds true for inventory management, since NetSuite allows just-in-time restocking by dynamically calculating reorders based on seasonal demand or historical sales data. "Successful e-tailers don't have inventory sitting around, nor are they caught with an item out of stock," says Emaus.

He continues, "NetSuite removes the limits imposed by a traditional Web architecture and provides the online retailer with a marketing powerhouse. Small- and medium-sized businesses simply don't have the resources to support the in-house staff necessary to design and maintain the e-commerce solution that NetSuite provides. Best of all, NetSuite is a Web-based application that can 'turn on' fully supported global resources in about five minutes."

With the growth of online sales clearly outpacing traditional retail sales, NetSuite helps small- and medium-sized businesses level the playing field.

NetSuite, Wipro Partner for Cloud Computing Solutions

NetSuite, Inc., a vendor of cloud computing business management software suites, announced that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Wipro Technologies, the global IT services business of Wipro Limited.

According to a release, the partnership aims to set a new standard for cloud solutions specialization that organizations worldwide can rely on for advancing their mission-critical business processes. The current scope of the partnership focuses on the Asia- Pacific market with future expansion planned for North America.

Echoing with current market demands, Wipro said it has been working on a number of strategic initiatives to better its cloud computing capabilities. This new partnership with NetSuite is a part of a broader Wipro-level initiative to build a strong position in providing, implementing and supporting application development on Cloud and SaaS platforms.

"As we progress in an era of virtualization, where the emphasis is on helping companies achieve the most efficient and lowest cost infrastructure, cloud computing resounds as an inevitable and highly attractive option," said Sangita Singh, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Application Services, Wipro Technologies. "This partnership, which combines Wipro's IT and business process expertise with NetSuite's deep functionality in cloud business applications, has the potential to be a game-changer for organizations that demand guaranteed customer satisfaction when it comes to mission-critical business functionality in the cloud."

"As large organizations move mission-critical business processes to the cloud, partnerships between global IT services leaders like Wipro and technology leaders such as NetSuite are essential," said Zach Nelson, NetSuite CEO. "This landmark partnership shows the unstoppable momentum of IT infrastructure moving to the cloud."

NetSuite Takes 3 CODiE Awards

NetSuite, Inc., a vendor of cloud computing business management software suites, said that it has won three CODiE awards for 2010.

These awards were bestowed to NetSuite by The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA). NetSuite OneWorld for global financial consolidation and management was named Best Business Software Solution; NetSuite CRM was recognized as Best Relationship Management Solution and SuiteCloud was honored as Best Cloud Infrastructure Software.

Now in its 25th year, the CODiE Awards continue to recognize those companies providing the best new technology products and services across a broad array of industries," said SIIA President Ken Wasch. "Its winners are a prolific testament to the power of technology to deliver innovative solutions to businesses and consumers. SIIA warmly congratulates all of the winners and nominees of the CODiE Awards, whose innovation is essential for continuing America's leadership in the global knowledge economy."

The CODiE Awards represent the software industry's only peer- reviewed awards program, with contestants subjected to rigorous testing by delegates from the software and information industry trade press, mainstream technology writers, analysts, consultants, and subject-matter specialists. In all, 188 products from 136 companies were selected as finalists from more than 785 nominations submitted by 374 companies.

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade association for the software and digital content industry.

NetSuite Brings Leading Cloud-Based Services Automation Software to United Kingdom and European Marketplace

LONDON and SAN MATEO, Calif., July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NetSuite Inc. (NYSE: N), the industry's leading provider of cloud-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) / financial suites, today unveiled NetSuite OpenAir, new professional services automation (PSA) and services resource planning (SRP) software for the UK and European marketplace specifically designed to help global professional services organisations automate and manage key aspects of their business - from marketing to project management, service delivery, billing, revenue management and driving repeat business from existing clients.NetSuite OpenAir addresses the unique and demanding needs of international mid-size and enterprise-class services organizations that need local, in-country control over key business processes, functions and workflows, as well as real-time global visibility across their entire business. This powerful capability enables services organizations to replace their current hairball of disparate, costly and often poorly integrated applications with an integrated suite that unifies project and resource management, project tracking and accounting, time and expense management, customer relationship management (CRM) and full enterprise resource planning (ERP) functionality.

NetSuite OpenAir for international companies is a powerful solution that has the potential to do for services businesses what SAP's R/3 software did for the manufacturing industry in the early 1990s with its pioneering work in establishing best practices for ERP.

"NetSuite OpenAir is a must have for any professional services organization trying to operate and compete on a global scale," said Zach Nelson, CEO of NetSuite. "It's a critical solution designed specifically to help international services businesses meet the challenges of global services delivery while maximizing resource utilization, operational efficiency and project profitability."

The PSA/SRP Market Opportunity in EMEA

According to IDC Research, uptake in SRP will grow rapidly, with more than a 10 percent annual growth every year through 2013. By then, the global SRP market will exceed US$3 billion. NetSuite's established customer base and value added reseller (VAR) footprint in Europe indicate a strong regional demand for cloud computing professional services solutions.

Services organisations today contend with fierce competition, global expansion challenges, intense cost reduction pressures and ever growing demands for better services from clients. In order to survive and thrive, especially in today's economic environment, services organisations have to find ways to improve productivity and efficiency, provide better services to clients, gain more agility and stay nimble while reducing costs.

"Economic and competitive pressures make SRP a must for companies with significant services revenue," said Mike Fauscette, Group Vice President of Software Business Solutions at IDC. "Siloed resources and administrative overhead are profitability killers, and SRP solutions provide the kind of proven, repeatable practices that can streamline a services organisation of virtually any size."

NetSuite's PSA and SRP solutions provide services organisations with end-to-end, automated management of the entire services lifecycle allowing them to quickly realise benefits by abandoning archaic software systems, ad hoc spreadsheets and email lists to manage critical client projects. For the first time services companies can fully take advantage of the dramatic cost savings, service delivery improvement and productivity benefits of cloud computing.

NetSuite and Google Chrome support

Google Chrome will work with NetSuite's online accounting and customer-relations software, the company said Friday.

Elements of the company's online tools, including editing text and drag-and-drop operations, benefit from Chrome's fast JavaScript, NetSuite said. However, Google's assertions of compatibility with Apple Safarinotwithstanding, NetSuite said it will gradually extend support to its customers, finishing by mid-October.

The company boasted it's the first online business application to support Chrome, just as it was the first with native support for the iPhone's version of Safari and the new Firefox 3.0.

But that sort of support seems more like a reasonably clever attempt to capitalize on the Chrome buzz than anything customers truly are clamoring for.

After all, NetSuite is geared toward businesses that typically are the kinds of conservative and technologically unadventurous customers who aren't first in line to try the latest beta version of a Web browser. One of the reasons Microsoft won't frog-march us all to Internet Explorer 7, much less IE 8, is that many businesses have set up operations using IE 6, even though it was introduced in 2001.

NetSuite for IPO

NetSuite, an on-demand applications company controlled by Oracle's Larry Ellison, has filed for an auction-style initial public offering, according to a Monday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company, which hopes to raise $75 million based on its registration filing fee, is currently controlled by Tako Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lawrence Investments that is owned by Larry Ellison, Oracle founder and chief executive.

Ellison affiliates and family members, which hold a 74 percent stake in the company, are expected to retain control of the company post-IPO, raising questions about whether that control would dampen investor enthusiasm.

Under Ellison's controlling interest, a future buyout of the company could be nixed, even if NetSuite's management and other investors deem it in their best interest. Also, a controlling interest of 50 percent or more makes NetSuite exempt from having to adhere to certain corporate governance standards imposed by Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange.

Nonetheless, the timing may be good for an IPO.

The second quarter has been one of the biggest for IPOs since 2004, based on number of offerings, said Matt Toole, an analyst at Thomson Financial. Of the 26 public offerings in the second quarter, 13 were tech-related.

NetSuite provides hosted customer relationship management, or CRM, software and is viewed as a competitor to Salesforce.com. It also offers software for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and e-commerce.

Last year, the company generated $67.2 million in revenue, up 84.6 percent from the previous year. In quarter ended March 31, the company raised $23.2 million in revenue, up 71.8 percent, according to company's SEC filing.

But the company has suffered a history of losses, running into the red to the tune of $23.4 million last year. And in the March quarter, it sustained a net loss of $3.7 million. NetSuite has accumulated a deficit of $193 million, as of the March quarter, according to the filing.

NetSuite, which has yet to set the number of shares it will sell or the price range for those shares, plans to use the proceeds not only to create working capital, but also to repay the outstanding balance on its $20 million secured line of credit with Ellison's Tako Ventures. As of March, NetSuite owed Tako $7.5 million on the line of credit.

NetSuite and Oracle have managed to do a few deals as well. In 2005, NetSuite signed a $2.5 million deal for a perpetual license for some of Oracle's software and services. And last year, NetSuite, in an arm's-length deal, provided $542,000 of software to sailboat-racing syndicate Oracle Racing, in exchange for marketing and promotion as an official supplier.

NetSuite's CEO vs. Microsoft

Microsoft's move toward the on-demand CRM software sector doesn't worry the CEO of NetSuite, who adds that other companies remain friendly rivals until the old guard--namely Siebel--has been overthrown.

Zach Nelson says he accepts that Salesforce.com and RightNow--immediate competitors also touting on-demand models for customer relationship management (CRM) software--have made the right bet and believes the market will be large enough to support all three.

Speaking to Silicon.com, Nelson said: "NetSuite, RightNow, Salesforce.com--that's where all the new contract growth is. Siebel's growth is just maintenance."

However, despite such acclaimed growth, Nelson said there won't be an influx of vendors into the market because any other player is already too far behind the curve.

"It's no coincidence that NetSuite, RightNow and Salesforce.com were all founded in 1998. We all had to walk through the valley of death and we've come out the other side. You aren't now going to see 20 vendors enter this market."

And while money talks in technology, even the richest company can't bend time.

"Microsoft has the money but it doesn't have the time. This isn't something that you can just throw developers at."

And in a "build, partner or buy" environment, Nelson said he believes Microsoft only has one option.

"Even with all their money they're going to find they still have to build," said Nelson. "They aren't going to be able to buy any of us."

"I certainly don't think we'd get sold to Microsoft. I could ask our owner but I don't think he'd go for it," said Nelson of major shareholder and renowned Microsoft agitator Larry Ellison, who still holds more than 50 percent of NetSuite's stock.

Nelson added that his closest rivals also would be unlikely to accept Microsoft's dollar, especially given the fact that there is a strong ex-Oracle presence within Salesforce.com.

"And how long is it going to take Microsoft to build anything? What are we talking--2012? Where are we going to be in 2012?" said Nelson. "Hopefully I'll be retired."

The only major CRM vendor thought to be looking for a buyer is Siebel, but Nelson believes few firms would consider gambling on a company he sees as "a dead man walking."

"Siebel has done a lot of things right. They were very vertically focused and knew the markets they were selling to," said Nelson, perhaps deliberately slipping into the past-tense. "The problem wasn't with their knowledge, the problem was with their product. They built a giant hairball of a product."

He also had few kind words for SAP.

"I've heard a lot of mumblings about a product coming out of SAP but I've no idea what it is. I think it could just be a case of them putting lipstick on the pig."

NetSuite revamps hosted tools

Hosted-applications provider NetSuite launched the latest version of its online business automation and customer relationship management tools on Thursday.

Labeled as NetSuite 10.6, the set of enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications promises significant upgrades in areas including browser-based dashboard controls, system customization capabilities and the addition of tighter integration with Microsoft's widely used Office package.

NetSuite, based in San Mateo, Calif., charges its customers a fee to access its applications, which are delivered online via the software as a service model. The company competes with fellow hosted rivals such as Salesforce.com as well as with more-traditional enterprise software makers including SAP and Siebel Systems. Both Siebel and SAP are increasingly moving into the hosted space, however.

Executives at NetSuite identified the addition of more-powerful browser controls as the most significant step forward in the new product. According to Chief Technology Officer Evan Goldberg, NetSuite's move to bring Asynchronous JavaScript and XML ( AJAX) technology into its dashboard, through which people access the software, is something he expects customers to respond to favorably.

"Customers asking for features that make it easier to get information into and out of the system--it always comes down to these same issues with these kinds of business applications," said Goldberg. "We've always felt that a big part of our success is built on leveraging powerful capabilities built into browser technologies, and customers wanted us to have AJAX capabilities in the dashboards."

By adding together JavaScript and XML, two well-known programming tools, along with other technologies, IT developers maintain that AJAX-based applications can help Web sites and Web-based tools such as NetSuite to process user requests faster and more effectively. Using traditional Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) file transfers requires more time to update Web pages.

For instance, NetSuite's AJAX capabilities allow customers to drag and drop various types of data in the system without needing to refresh a Web page to keep those changes.

In expanding the customization aspects of its software, NetSuite said it has made it easier for customers to build and manage their own applications within the system, echoing some of the similar features recently launched by rival Salesforce.com.

Related to integration with Microsoft products, NetSuite said it has improved product ties to the Web query function in the software giant's Excel spreadsheets to improve data transfer and analysis capabilities. The company said it has also increased integration with Microsoft's Outlook e-mail software.

NetSuite's Goldberg said that unlike Salesforce.com, his company is not actively trying to increase its presence in the enterprise customer space, and he indicated that small and medium-size businesses continue to make up the software maker's core audience.

Even with business software behemoths like Siebel and SAP increasingly moving into the hosted-applications space, the executive said his company is still best suited to serve those kinds of customers.

Siebel has already introduced its own hosted CRM offering, and SAP is rumored to be preparing a similar product for introduction in the coming months. SAP's integrated applications approach, which mates back-end business technologies like ERP and front office CRM software will likely promise the same benefits as NetSuite's services. However, Goldberg said it will be hard for SAP to replicate the maturity of his company's tools, at least for the time being.

"To the degree to which SAP delivers an integrated solution that ties together front and back office capabilities, we'd agree with that approach," Goldberg said. "But it's not viable to take an offering like SAP's standard products for huge corporations and scale that down into something useful for smaller businesses online; what we're releasing today indicates how critical it is that the applications are easy to use and learn, with a minimal amount of training."

NetSuite files for IPO

NetSuite, an on-demand applications company controlled by Oracle's Larry Ellison, has filed for an auction-style initial public offering, according to a Monday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company, which hopes to raise $75 million based on its registration filing fee, is currently controlled by Tako Ventures, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lawrence Investments that is owned by Larry Ellison, Oracle founder and chief executive.
Ellison affiliates and family members, which hold a 74 percent stake in the company, are expected to retain control of the company post-IPO, raising questions about whether that control would dampen investor enthusiasm.
Under Ellison's controlling interest, a future buyout of the company could be nixed, even if NetSuite's management and other investors deem it in their best interest. Also, a controlling interest of 50 percent or more makes NetSuite exempt from having to adhere to certain corporate governance standards imposed by Nasdaq and the New York Stock Exchange.
Nonetheless, the timing may be good for an IPO.
The second quarter has been one of the biggest for IPOs since 2004, based on number of offerings, said Matt Toole, an analyst at Thomson Financial. Of the 26 public offerings in the second quarter, 13 were tech-related.
NetSuite provides hosted customer relationship management, or CRM, software and is viewed as a competitor to Salesforce.com. It also offers software for enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and e-commerce.
Last year, the company generated $67.2 million in revenue, up 84.6 percent from the previous year. In quarter ended March 31, the company raised $23.2 million in revenue, up 71.8 percent, according to company's SEC filing.
But the company has suffered a history of losses, running into the red to the tune of $23.4 million last year. And in the March quarter, it sustained a net loss of $3.7 million. NetSuite has accumulated a deficit of $193 million, as of the March quarter, according to the filing.
NetSuite, which has yet to set the number of shares it will sell or the price range for those shares, plans to use the proceeds not only to create working capital, but also to repay the outstanding balance on its $20 million secured line of credit with Ellison's Tako Ventures. As of March, NetSuite owed Tako $7.5 million on the line of credit.
NetSuite and Oracle have managed to do a few deals as well. In 2005, NetSuite signed a $2.5 million deal for a perpetual license for some of Oracle's software and services. And last year, NetSuite, in an arm's-length deal, provided $542,000 of software to sailboat-racing syndicate Oracle Racing, in exchange for marketing and promotion as an official supplier.

Netsuite partners

Finding the right Netsuite partner to help you make your site perform at its optimal best is essential to the success of your online business.

When evaluating NetSuite consultants in your search for a partner try to find one that is single-focused. By that I mean one that only handles Netsuite; one that is expert in all aspects of the software. This is especially true if your intention is to set up an e-commerce site.

Here are some things you should expect from your Netsuite partner:

Provision of well-organized website designs; designs that are clean and have a crispness that can almost be tastes. Your partner should also have experience in e-commerce, so they have a complete understanding of what is needed to operate a successful online business.

If you have a current design that you are happy with and are not looking to revamp that design, make sure you Netsuite partner has the expertise to migrate your site into the Netsuite system. The result should be a website that is easy to administer and works seamlessly with the Netsuite software.

Innovation is another quality you should demand from your partner. Look for one who has developers on site that have expanded the capabilities of Netsuite through the creation of addons to the software. These addons should include:

• Guided navigation so you customers can easily find what they are looking for.
• Product reviews that are SEO-friendly and that can easily be controlled by you.
• A store locator, if needed, that uses Google Maps.
• A customer wish list so customers can keep track of what they may want to order in the future.
• An automatic reordering system.

Your Netsuite partner should provide search engine optimization specifically designed for your NetSuite site. Your potential customers should be able to easily find you.

Now that you know what to look for, go out and find that perfect Netsuite partner.