NetSuite urged to join online software group
19 Mar 2009, Rachael Singh, AccountancyAge
http://www.accountancyage.com/aa/news/1783408/netsuite-urged-join-online-software
Talks are under way to persuade the UK’s biggest provider of web-based accountancy software to join a new industry group campaigning to promote the service.
NetSuite has so far remained absent from meetings of the new group set up at Intellect, the software trade body, to the confusion of other software suppliers already signed up to the project.
Observers have expressed puzzlement over NetSuite’s absence.
John Oates, partner at Baker Tilly IT advisory services, said: ‘Because NetSuite are perceived as the market leaders they may think that they don’t want to give credibility to their competitors. They may even choose to set something up in competition.’
David Turner, group marketing director at Coda, said: ‘They were obviously invited to attend. I can’t think why they wouldn’t want to be involved. If they think they are too big that they don’t need to be, they are mistaken’ he added. ‘It is a shame they are not involved.’
Carrie Hartnell, a spokesperson for Intellect, said: ‘If they [NetSuite] are that big then we need to make sure that they want to be involved’.
A spokesman from NetSuite said the ‘company is in discussions with Intellect’. They declined to comment as to why it did not attend the first meeting and why it is not attending a second meeting on 24 March.
The committee was spearheaded by Coda, Xero, KashFlow and e-conomic.
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Visitor comments
Why the NetSuite focus?
I think most observers will be very puzzled by the angle you are taking here on the SaaS accounting market in the UK. John Oates says "because NetSuite are perceived as the market leaders" - that's his opinion. If you talked to a selection of accounting practices of varying sizes who are considering online accounting as a way of collaborating with their customers, NetSuite would not be on many of their lists for consideration. I've been involved in the committee, on behalf of Twinfield, from the start about a year ago when Hamish Edwards of Xero instigated what has become the SaaS group. I can also say that I know my colleagues at e-conomic, Kashflow, CODA and Xero don't compete very often with NetSuite in this space. If you were talking about CRM or ERP, they would be on the radar. You should also look at their actual numbers in the UK. Dennis Howlett has seen your article and asks the same question, but has done his homework on the available numbers:
http://www.accmanpro.com/2009/03/19/some-strange-thinking-about-netsuite/
I think it would be great for NetSuite, or Saleforce or any of the SaaS application providers in the UK to join our group. It's just that I really don't see NetSuite as the market leader in the UK, and a lot of people will agree with me.
David Terrar
Twinfield UK
Posted by: David Terrar , 19 Mar 2009 | 00:00
With or without Netsuite!
Further to my comments in the article - the group will continue with or without Netsuite, and I didn't mean to imply they are 'so big' that they are 'too important not to have in the group'.
No single player is particularly large in the SaaS space, since it's a very new market with many vendors. The objective of the group as I see it is to raise the profile of SaaS, overcome any fears organisations may have about this relatively new technology and highlight the benefits it can bring to customers.
If Netsuite joins, that's great. If they don't, it doesn't matter - we have plenty of interested parties, large and small, and I believe there's enough momentum to achieve our objectives.
Posted by: David Turner , 19 Mar 2009 | 00:00
To What End?
What is the aim of the working group? Marketing or real deliverables?
Meanwhile Netsuite and Saasu just get on with the real work.
Cheers, Peter.
Posted by: Peter J Cooper , 23 Mar 2009 | 00:00