Sometimes it seems like the old-guard mid-market ERP companies have simply conceded the future to NetSuite. How else do we explain the fact that they let their partners twist in the wind, year after year, without developing a viable cloud computing solution? Nothing else makes sense. Businesses have already demonstrated that they love the cost-effective convenience of the cloud. And NetSuite's rapidly expanding partner ecosystems clearly demonstrate that partners are not just moving, but thriving, in our cloud channel model.
So why do the on-premise developers continue to ignore the realities? Instead of native cloud solutions, they offer their loyal resellers rebranded leftovers of the same old products. Instead of putting the outdated client/server model behind them, they reshuffle management time and time again. Instead of investing in R&D and giving the channel competitive solutions that keep their customers up to date with ever-changing international accounting and regulatory practices, they meekly offer an afterthought of a re-branded, hosted product that doesn't even compete well with their legacy on-premise systems, to say nothing of keeping pace with our market-leading efforts.
Perhaps they are counting on their partners to fear change as much as they do. I understand that, in a way. It's true that NetSuite is different from the old-guard companies. We're aggressive. We didn't wait for anyone to define enterprise cloud computing—we dedicated our entire company, from day one, to creating a vision and executing it. We don't buy up aging products for comfortable legacy revenue streams—we build cloud solutions from the ground up for the future. And we don't dilute our own market with ten overlapping products. Yes, NetSuite is a modular solution that companies can build out over time as they grow in size and complexity, but there are no dead ends or blind alleys in our product lineup.
If you're part of the on-premise ERP channel now, your vendors are hoping you don't notice the success your peers have had moving to the cloud. They don't have a cloud solution of their own, so they want to keep you around to feed them your trusted clients for as long as possible. The next couple of months will give ERP resellers time and opportunity to ask pointed questions of their technology partners. If you don't like the answers they give you, give us a call. We'll be ready to talk, and explain why the NetSuite cloud is where serious business is done.
-Craig West - VP, Channel Sales
