NetSuite has a ERP Consultant Certification program. In reviewing the announcement it struck me they are doing customers so much better than their on-premise peers have done for the previous generation of ERP customers.
a) They are recognizing integrators are more about specific qualifications and talent versus good old relationship selling and paper based RFP responses . “Unlike the word-of-mouth and phone call processes of yesteryear, prospective clients today typically evaluate service and solution providers over the web by such measures as certification, demonstrable expertise, recommendations, thought leadership and brand or personal image—all before making a phone call.”
b) They are bringing to their customers a wide choice in VARs and accounting firms and big outsourcers. The certification program leveraged “Accenture, Aminian Business Services, Deloitte, Demand Solutions Group, ERP Guru, Explore Consulting, First Hosted, TrueCloud, McGladrey, Ncompass Business Solutions, NetSoft, NXTurn, Sixred and The New Office.”
c) The biggest impact they (and other SaaS) providers have brought to services is in massive multi-tenant, shared services through hosting, application management and tuning and upgrade services – all provided by NetSuite rather than to one customer at a time in the previous model.
