NetSuite Redefines Web-Based Business

摘要

NetSuite's claims for its eponymous product seemed a stretch, even by the standards of an industry notorious for its hype. Could a single Web application integrate all business functions for a company with up to 1,000 employees, at a total cost of ownership 90 percent less than that of comparable products? To find out, I put NetSuite 9.5 to the test. By simulating business transactions involving several company departments, I examined the product's cross-organizational integration and reporting capabilities. To my delight, most of the vendor's assertions proved true. However, NetSuite's one-size-fits-all approach is a double-edged sword. The product's feature sets―account-ing, customer service, e-commerce, inventory management and sales-force management―lack the advanced customization of specialized business applications like Microsoft's Great Plains and Remedy's ARS. But its highly integrated modules easily enable enterprisewide data reporting in real time.