Business Software

The NetSuite cloud computing portfolio is now being supported by Level Platforms Inc., a global company focused on remote monitoring and management software for solutions providers and managed services providers.

As a result, MSPs and solution providers can now remotely monitor NetSuite's (News - Alert) Business Software Suite alongside customers' on-premise network infrastructure and applications. This approach allows for the rapid remediation of any issues that could impact the customers' end user experience.

Local data, applications and infrastructure are all necessary to deliver the promised experience of reliability and fast response times for most cloud services. Most small and mid-sized businesses rely on external information technology solution providers and MSPs to manage their ongoing information technology needs.

As these applications move from local infrastructure to more complex environments, MSPs need a way to monitor and manage the newly critical part of the extended customer IT environment.

"We believe that this is the year the channel will transition their business model from selling archaic on-premise software to selling cloud-based suites," said NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson (News - Alert). "If traditional VARs don't change to meet the demand for cloud computing solutions, they could go out of business."

As solution providers monitor and manage the health of both local infrastructure and cloud services from one central Web-based console, benefits can include a much faster proactive remediation of customer application; addition revenue sources; and the continued evolution of solution providers' key roles as trusted advisors.

"This is a complete game changer," said Walter Merkas, CEO of Enabled Success, a long time NetSuite solution provider and member of the NetSuite Business Partner Advisory Committee. "Now we can provide ongoing proactive first level customer support ensuring that our customers receive the best possible experience with NetSuite in their operating environment."

Enabled Success is set to be the North American conduit to launch this new capability throughout the NetSuite community for Level Platform services for NetSuite channel partners. By providing this service through partnerships or private labeled collaborative services, Enabled Success can address the needs of smaller NetSuite Partners.

"Monitoring of NetSuite's cloud by MSPs opens up entirely new sales and support channels for NetSuite, adds new services opportunities for existing NetSuite partners, and exposes our traditional infrastructure-focused MSPs to additional incentives to evolve their businesses to embrace the Cloud," said Peter Sandiford, CEO of Level Platforms.

In other NetSuite news, last month Microsoft (News - Alert) tried to lure midsize businesses away from NetSuite back to the reservation, offering "a new incentive to switch from NetSuite to Microsoft Dynamics ERP." The Redmond behemoth is offering companies in the U.S. a credit of up to $850 "for every NetSuite user that switches to either Microsoft Dynamics GP, Microsoft Dynamics NAV or Microsoft Dynamics SL through June 25.

"An internal memo from NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson dismisses Microsoft's bid to attract NetSuite customers as 'the last gasp of a dinosaur trying to protect its Stone Age software products'," CRN reported a few days later.

The company has also announced details of its upcoming partner conference, SuiteCloud 2010 and is scheduled for April 14-16 at the InterContinental Hotel in San Francisco. The event will focus on how the NetSuite cloud ecosystem is designed to power the changing business model for resellers and how it can foster the industry's most sophisticated third-party applications.