By SWM Staff
More than 6,000 attendees travelled to San Jose, CA’s San Jose Convention Center for an energetic conference of NetSuite executives, partners, users, developers, and press and analysts. SuiteWorld 2014 spanned May 12 to 15, 2014 presenting visitors with creative keynotes, informative breakout sessions, and networking opportunities.
Through its range of cloud-based offerings, NetSuite provides financial/enterprise resource planning (ERP), and omnichannel commerce software solutions that serve a range of industries, including retail and software verticals.
In its fourth year, SuiteWorld is NetSuite’s annual conference, which showcases the full strength of the NetSuite ecosystem to learn and explore, network face-to-face, and help shape the next evolution of cloud computing services.
Proud of the Cloud
The event kicked off with Zach Nelson, CEO, NetSuite, through a keynote titled Cloud ERP: Your Unfair Advantage that focused on the company’s new products, partnerships, and customers. For those that couldn’t attend the live event, a Webcast is available at www.netsuite.com.
Among the announcements, Nelson walked through highlights of its solution’s new user interface (UI), which will roll out with NetSuite’s 2014.2 release—scheduled for later this year.
Another announcement involves the company’s new B2B Customer Center, which enables B2B merchants to deliver a seamless and efficient B2C-like online shopping experience and extend functionally. Nelson pointed out that companies increasingly rely on the cloud to support an omnichannel experience where point of sale, Web site, and mobile experiences can no longer be separate from each other.
The new B2B Customer Center enables B2B merchants to deliver a seamless and efficient online shopping experience and extends robust functionality for B2B buyers to view order status, details and history, track shipments, reorder goods, approve quotes, make payments, manage account information, and request refunds and returns—all in a secure, password-protected environment.
Finally, Nelson addressed the next-generation of NetSuite’s services resource planning (SRP) solution, which the company describes as the first and only cloud site that brings together the strengths of ERP and professional services automation to enable project- and product-based business to run an entire business lifecycle.
The new release enables multi-model billing for service delivery across the services value chain from fixed fee, to milestone, and to time-and-materials. NetSuite SRP also offers mobile and social capabilities that give on-the-go services professionals access to real-time business information anywhere, anytime and better collaboration across the organization.
Breaking “Good”
Day two opened with a playful parody of the popular AMC series, Breaking Bad, with a serious message—NetSuite’s commitment to investing across its suite of products.
In his keynote titled Tomorrow’s Business System Today, Evan Goldberg, CTO, NetSuite, addressed new features coming to NetSuite users and partners.
Goldberg addressed the availability of NetSutie Tribe HR Mobile for Apple iOS, the first human capital management software app built for employees and managers to promote employee engagement and facilitate collaboration in a increasingly mobile workforce.
Plus, the integration of NetSuite TribeHR’s employee data with NetSuite’s customer and financial data means any changes in the mobile app carry through to the NetSuite back-end for joint customers. The app is freely available to existing TribeHR employee, manager, and administrator account users from the TribeHR Web site or the Apple AppStore.
This integration comes only months offer NetSuite’s acquisition of the HCM company, Tribe HR.
Promoting many cheers from the audience, Goldberg also introduced SuiteGL, a new product release dedicated to improving the general ledger component of NetSuite cloud ERP. With SuiteGL, the solution can enable businesses to tailor general ledger processes to their unique business needs.
SuiteGL allows NetSuite customers and solution provider partners to transform the general ledger from a static subsystem into a dynamic business asset that is more adaptable to specific business requirements and changing conditions that automatically carries forward with every upgrade.
Customer Support
Customer engagement and partner support with and for NetSuite was apparent throughout the event. Satisfied customers sang praises and shared case studies of their experiences with the solution.
To close the event, Jim McGeever, COO, NetSuite, starred in a short film titled It’s a Wonderful Cloud—complete with popcorn for the audience—that poked fun at the competition with a parody of the classic film, It’s a Wonderful Life.
McGeever then went on to recognize several customers and their success, including Hortonworks, a company that develops, distributes, and supports open source distribution of Apache Hadoop for the enterprise; Jive, a communication and collaboration platform for modern business; and Medidata, a cloud-based solutions provider for clinical research in life sciences.
The last keynote of SuiteWorld 2014 ended with the event’s annual Transformer Awards, which highlight NetSuite partners and customers that have shown exemplary leadership and results with cloud business management.
Breakout and Learn
In addition to highlighted keynotes each morning, the event featured a vast amount of informative breakout sessions, which were broken up into several tracks, including Customer Relationship Management, Advertising/Media & Publishing/Services Companies, ERP: Financials/One World, ERP: Order Management/Supply Chain; Solution Showcase; SuiteCommerce; Enterprise Business Management; ERP: Billing/Project Management; Manufacturing Industry; Retail Industry; Software Industry; Wholesale Distribution Industry; Open Air; SUITEIdeas Worth Sharing; and a partners only track, Selling NetSuite.
In addition to sessions, an expo floor featured a range of partners, sponsors, and exhibitors where attendees could gather information and view demontration of solutions that can help them succeed. In addition, a little fun and relaxation was thrown in, as NetSuite hosted the SUITElife LOUNGE offering games, prizes, and “Suite’s” for attendees.
It’s a Suite World
SuiteWorld 2014 offered attendees educational and networking opportunities, a sneak peek at future technologies, and some fun for good measure.
In his keynote, McGeever pointed out the success at the event, which has grown from just 2,000 attendees in 2011 to approximately 6,000 in 2014.
SuiteWorld is scheduled from May 4 to 7, 2015 at the San Jose Convention Center in San Jose, CA. SW
May2014, Software Magazine
