NetSuite hitches wagon to Google

Beverley Head
Saturday, 13 March 2010 10:16

Business IT - Networking

SME cloud computing specialist NetSuite has announced its intent to hook up with Google and offer its enterprise resource planning suite through the Google Apps marketplace – however it hasn’t said when the service might be available.

NetSuite has carefully hedged its announcement – probably to keep the listed company out of regulatory hot water. In a statement released in Australia this morning the company notes that there remains “the risk that NetSuite and Google do not reach a final agreement regarding NetSuite’s availability on the Google Apps Marketplace.”

It also acknowledged that either party could still decide not to proceed with the project, and noted that the application integration had yet to be completed.

Assuming that the plan is more than mere vapourware, it seems canny as it will introduce existing users of Google Apps to the NetSuite tools. Google claims 2 million businesses use its Apps, where NetSuite has just 6,600 customers at present – the Google move should improve its marketing leverage.

NetSuite has used this strategy before - last year it announced that people could download an application from the iTunes Appstore which allows them to access NetSuite information via an iPhone or iPod touch. 

According to Zach Nelson, CEO of NetSuite; "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."