NetSuite execs on how economic uncertainty is a boon for them

Vendor launches new SuiteLife partner training initiative

NetSuite is growing faster now than it had prior to its acquisition by Oracle and is not experiencing any slowdown despite global uncertainty, according to EMEA boss Nicky Tozer.

Speaking to press during its SuiteConnect partner event in London, Tozer said that its partner base has grown 30 per cent in the region in the last year and this is down to demand from customers for its ERP offerings.

"Even though we might perceive this to be a time when people are backing off it is always completely opposite so we're still growing faster now than we were pre-acquisition," she said.

"In these uncertain times, what we're actually seeing is customers asking for help on how to make themselves ready for whatever the outcome might be.

"In some ways the more uncertainty there is, whether you are in EMEA or elsewhere in the world, it will make people want to have more visibility over their business and to be more agile so that when whatever it does happen, they can adapt to it faster than they would typically."

Pressed on whether the scope of its partner profile has changed based on this expanded partner base, Tozer said that it is more about regional growth rather than vertical growth, explaining that it has come about from establishing more partners in EMEA territories.

"When we look at the whole landscape in whatever country or region we might be looking at we want to make sure that the ecosystem is balanced across partners and our direct teams to show that there are not too many people in the market trying to talk about NetSuite," she said.

"Most of that growth is going to come from country growth by putting more channel partners in more countries. And while we're doing that, we're trying to separate them a little bit by perhaps having different vertical targets so teams aren't tripping over each other in the region."

NetSuite announced the full rollout across EMEA of its SuiteLife partner initiative at the event, claiming it to be the biggest investment it has ever made in its partner ecosystem.

The programme is based on its SuiteSuccess industry business management solution, offering a set of resources, certified training and tools to partners to develop expertise in specific business functions, product areas and sectors.

The vendor claims that it could aid new partners in potentially selling and delivering NetSuite in 90 days.

Evan Goldberg (pictured), founder and EVP, said that the initiative is part of the vendor's desire not just to work closely with partners but also to exploit its own processes when it sells direct to assist partners in winning more business.

"Partners play an incredibly important role, especially as we move into more narrow verticals because we're not going to do them all and they bring in some tremendous expertise in particular verticals," he explained.

"So working with them to figure out how they can do a SuiteSuccess-like approach with their customers in a vertical that they're in is going to be incredibly important.

"As long as we are communicating them really effectively and helping them learn, make sure they understand all the things that are coming, and how it might apply to their customers and their vertical.

"We have a blended strategy; I always say the partners are going to be incredibly important to our strategy all over the world. So, being in sync and emulate some of the things that we're doing when we go direct that can make partners become more successful."