Partners Mobilize NetSuite ERP

NetSuite's hosted ERP service is now accessible via popular mobile devices including the ubiquitous Blackberry thanks to three NetSuite partners.

NetSuite, which is expected to launch its long-awaited IPO within weeks, offers its own SuiteFlex development environment to third parties, and will rely on partners—ISVs, VARs and others—to extend its hosted service, executives have said.

In this case, Antenna Software, Explore Mobile, and iEnterprises used SuiteFlex to build their own take mobile connections to NetSuite's hosted ERP.

All three vendors support RIM's popular Blackberry devices, and they all also offer their own unique mobility take depending on customer needs.

Antenna's AMPower for NetSuite can access and update customer and order data in real-time via BlackBerry, Palm Treo and Windows Mobile devices.

Explore Mobile's Explore Order Entry lets users (typically sales people) retrieve, update and enter orders . Explore also offers its own Advanced Price List (APL) service that lets sales people to extract complete price lists and e-mail them from mobile devices.

iEnterprises' Mobile Edge For NetSuite lets BlackBerry and Windows Mobile users access and use NetSuite ERP and CRM functions .

NetSuite will rely on partners to fill in functionalities it will not field itself, said Mini Peiris, vice president of product management for the San Mateo, Calif.-based vendor.

NetSuite already offered wireless access for dashboard alerts and notifications "but this is full business process functionality like placing orders," Peiris told CRN.

NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson said the new offerings are a response to customer request and "I'm one of the customers who requested it."

Nelson said the beauty of SuiteFlex is that NetSuite partners can use the same toolset the company itself does. ." It was our partners using SuiteFlex who developed [these mobile options.]. Antenna is an ISV, Explorer is a traditional reseller. It shows that there's opportunity for different types of partners. We have no intention of building out the whole thing [ecosystem] ourselves," Nelson said.