NetSuite Inc., a vendor of on-demand, integrated business management application suites that provide ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and e-commerce functionality for small and medium-sized businesses and divisions of large companies, today announced SuitePhone, a capability that allows NetSuite customers to run business operations using the Apple iPhone.
The new SuitePhone capability provides native support for Safari, the iPhone and Mac browser — allowing NetSuite’s advanced, AJAX-based user interface technologies such as drop-down menus, drag-and drop portlets, and in-line editing, to be supported. In addition, the ERP, CRM and e-commerce functionality of NetSuite is now also available to Apple users, bringing them an on-demand, integrated business management application designed for the Apple platform.
When users log into their NetSuite accounts on iPhones, they can manage their businesses while they are away from their offices. The functionality of NetSuite — an SAP-like, integrated application used by thousands of companies to manage their businesses — runs on the iPhone. Using SuitePhone, back-office users can use their iPhone to remotely access their financial functionality such as invoicing, accounts receivable, and payroll. CRM users can enter leads, file expense reports, view contacts, and even place quotes and orders. E-commerce operations can also be readily managed through the iPhone and NetSuite’s role-based dashboards provide a bird’s eye view of a business in real-time.
“With my new iPhone I have so much of the functionality of NetSuite right in my pocket — with no additional cost, other than Internet access time, and without having to install any additional layers,” said Brian Keare, COO of Circle of Friends, in the press release. “I am particularly impressed with the ability to dynamically resize web pages and use dropdowns. I have already used it successfully to enter and approve sales orders, make deposits, and check inventory. Especially while traveling or on vacation, the iPhone and SuitePhone allow me to keep in touch with my business through NetSuite at no additional charge.”
“With the iPhone, I have access to all my critical business information in my NetSuite account just as if I were at my computer,” said Mort O’Sullivan, president of ArcaTech Systems, in the press release. “I have tried other mobile solutions in the past and been frustrated. The iPhone is the first device that has a user interface that makes it a pleasure to work with web pages as sophisticated as NetSuite’s.”
“It’s such a pleasant surprise to see my NetSuite dashboard on my iPhone,” said Brad Kugler, CEO of Distribution Video and Audio, Inc., in the press release. “As the CEO of my company, having visibility into my business in real-time is critical. With my iPhone, I can see and act on key business information such as financial reporting, sales, orders, invoices, receivables and payables.”
As a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider, NetSuite was founded with the vision of delivering a complete, single on-demand suite to manage the core business operations of small and medium-sized businesses. NetSuite enables business data to be accessed readily across departments without the maintenance pain associated with on-premise, non-Internet-based applications such as SAP or Microsoft Great Plains.
With the new NetSuite release, Apple Mac users have access to a feature-rich application, helping to enable the use of Apple systems to expand from the graphics departments of midsized companies to core front-office CRM and back-office ERP users.
“Apple has traditionally lacked the software applications required to address the needs of running a sophisticated business. Our new SuitePhone capability addresses this need, and makes the iPhone, in combination with NetSuite, one of the more useful and effective tools currently available to manage small and medium-size businesses,” said Zach Nelson, CEO of NetSuite, in the press release.
The new SuitePhone capability and native Safari Browser support are available at no additional charge in NetSuite’s new NetSuite 2007.0 release which is currently rolling out to existing customers. It will be available to new customers in August 2007.
For more information, visit http://www.netsuite.com/suitephone/
Note to IT fossils worldwide: ‘Tis fruitless to attempt to stem the tide.
