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
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.
