Channel partner programs, Midmarket

Oracle, NetSuite: PSA Strategy, Integration Moves Coming

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Oracle is set to announce a NetSuite integration strategy on Thursday, December 1. No doubt, much of the discussion will involve NetSuite's SaaS-based ERP (enterprise resource planning) platform. But we're also keeping a close eye on NetSuite's PSA (professional services automation) efforts.

Oracle announced plans to acquire NetSuite for $9.3 billion in July 2016. The deal initially faced some shareholder pushback but was finalized in early November 2016. So what's next? A strategy announcement is coming December 31, Oracle and NetSuite officials confirm. Among the participants:

  • Mark Hurd, CEO, Oracle 
  • Steve Miranda, EVP, Applications Development, Oracle
  • Evan Goldberg, founder and chief technology officer, NetSuite
  • Jim McGeever, president and COO, NetSuite

Curiously, NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson was not mentioned as a potential participant to ChannelE2E. I don't know if Nelson had planned to stick around post-acquisition.

NetSuite Channel Partner Strategy

Craig West, vice president of channel sales and alliances, NetSuite
Craig West

NetSuite was one of the first SaaS companies to develop a channel partner program. In a rather amazing career run, Senior VP Craig West has led the partner program effort since 2002. The effort has included a range of consulting, influencer and recurring revenue models for partners.

Most NetSuite headlines involve cloud-based ERP software. But the company also offers OpenAir -- a PSA platform that's popular with midmaket customers. Some of those customers are IT consulting shops and MSPs. OpenAir frequently competes with Salesforce.com-based PSA platforms like FinancialForce and Krow, among many other PSA options.

We'll be listening to learn how OpenAir will potentially evolve under Oracle's ownership.

 

Joe Panettieri

Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.