We had the opportunity to attend NetSuite’s SuiteWorld event held at the Sands Convention Center in Las Vegas and happening from April 24th till 27th 2017. SuiteWorld was well attended with a new record of over 7000+, good partner representation and influencer selection. It was also the first SuiteWorld in after the Oracle acquisition and in the post Zach Nelson era of NetSuite.
![]()
So take a look at my musings on the event here: (if the video doesn’t show up, check here)
No time to watch – here is the 1-2 slide condensation (if the slide doesn’t show up, check here):
Want to read on?
So take a look at my musings on the event here: (if the video doesn’t show up, check here)
No time to watch – here is the 1-2 slide condensation (if the slide doesn’t show up, check here):
Want to read on?
Here you go: Always tough to pick the takeaways – but here are my Top 3:
Oracle pushes the gas pedal. As usual with acquisitions in the high-tech industry, a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt gets associated with them. In this case, there were irrational (no need to dig into them) and rational questions (product overlap, go to market etc.). Overall Oracle did a good job to address these concerns, as McGeever from NetSuite put it – the ‘elephant’ in the room. Oracle (co) CEO Mark Hurd was at hand to address the concerns with his usual rational, number driven style. He shared that Oracle paid approximately US$ 9.3B for NetSuite. This makes it the 2nd most expensive Oracle acquisition, shy of Peoplesoft (US$ 10.3B) (see a list of them here). Oracle will bring scale to NetSuite, selling the product in more geographies than before, as Hurd put it ‘as fast as Evan [Goldberg] can build [Internationalization], we will sell.’ And Oracle brings more development location, as NetSuite will hire more developers. And lastly Oracle data centers will help NetSuite getting a more global technical footprint. Oracle and Hurd have done a pretty good job to address these concerns, as I could not find a prospect, customer or partner that was really concerned about the new ownership of NetSuite, with a ‘wait and see’ being the most cautionary answer. US customers were not fazed, international customers expect more coverage and support and partners were excited as they expect more revenue to be made going forward. So, a good place for NetSuite and Oracle and the NetSuite customers and ecosystems.
The (Net)Suite is complete with SuitePeople. For a long time, I have been chronicling the ‘slalom’ like NetSuite HCM strategy (see links below). At the end of the day (for now) it seems that the suite / platform argument is winning and with the launch of SuitePeople, NetSuite (finally) makes the suite complete. Except for a few industries, people are the largest expense for enterprises, so not managing the resources, processes and cost was a major gap in the otherwise complete NetSuite portfolio. The announced scope of SuitePeople with HR Core, Payroll and ‘beachheads’ into Talent and Workforce Management is a good start for the product. NetSuite always had a payroll offering, which was running under the Finance umbrella till now. And NetSuite quietly has already started a pilot program with a number customers, many of them at hand and on stage at SuiteWorld to share their (mostly positive) experience so far. And with NetSuite having acquired TribeHR some time ago (read here), and much of that team building SuitePeople, much of the Core HR capability has social elements, including newer concepts like an employee ‘score’. NetSuite’s decision to sell SuitePeople only as part of an overall NetSuite deal is the typical approach all suite vendors take to new products… the product is new, the synergies with the suite need to be leveraged and built and the stand-alone market (not sure if this ever would happen with NetSuite) is much more demanding. So, NetSuite customers looking for HR automation should definitively look at SuitePeople, most likely their account manager will make sure they don’t miss the new capability, too. The question NetSuite customers should ask are the typical ones, in regards of functional maturity, requirements coverage and roadmap compatibility with future demands.
More industry support with SuiteSuccess. Every ERP vendor wants and needs more vertical / industry support, NetSuite’s unveiled SuiteSuccess at SuiteWorld. All vertical offerings stand and fall with the quality of the preconfigured functionality, measured in speed and cost of implementation of the product. The numbers shared at SuiteWorld are pretty positive, so looking at using and adopting SuiteSuccess should be something customers in a supported industry should look into.
More on the positive side, NetSuite has shown that it is pushing overall product progress forward, across the board, but most importantly closes the last horizontal functionality hole with SuitePeople. This is hopefully the last chapter of NetSuite’s winding HCM history (express run through: no HCM, but Payroll, partnership with Oracle, partnership with tons of smaller vendors, acquisition of TribeHR, partnership with NetSuite – now SuitePeople – all in 4 years). Customers seem to be unfazed and focus on the value that NetSuite creates.
On the concern side, acquisitions are never easy. It is one thing to plead support and investment into NetSuite – another thing to execute it. There is a reason there is a chasm between large enterprise and SMB offerings – not only in product, but also go to market. Customer need to listen attentively how this will develop for them in the next quarters, as Oracle has to become a little more ‘un-Oracle’ to succeed in SMB. On the flipside, this is an opportunity for Oracle to sell applications to more customers globally than they could with its existing SaaS application portfolio. But instilling the ‘cloud DNA’ into country organizations that are new to Cloud / SaaS will be a challenging.
But for now, all is well for NetSuite, that will be seen in many more geographies around the world, time for decision makers on ERP in SMBs to pay attention, even if NetSuite was not sold yet in their geographies.
Want to learn more? Checkout the Storify collection below (if it doesn’t show up – check here).
Oracle pushes the gas pedal. As usual with acquisitions in the high-tech industry, a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt gets associated with them. In this case, there were irrational (no need to dig into them) and rational questions (product overlap, go to market etc.). Overall Oracle did a good job to address these concerns, as McGeever from NetSuite put it – the ‘elephant’ in the room. Oracle (co) CEO Mark Hurd was at hand to address the concerns with his usual rational, number driven style. He shared that Oracle paid approximately US$ 9.3B for NetSuite. This makes it the 2nd most expensive Oracle acquisition, shy of Peoplesoft (US$ 10.3B) (see a list of them here). Oracle will bring scale to NetSuite, selling the product in more geographies than before, as Hurd put it ‘as fast as Evan [Goldberg] can build [Internationalization], we will sell.’ And Oracle brings more development location, as NetSuite will hire more developers. And lastly Oracle data centers will help NetSuite getting a more global technical footprint. Oracle and Hurd have done a pretty good job to address these concerns, as I could not find a prospect, customer or partner that was really concerned about the new ownership of NetSuite, with a ‘wait and see’ being the most cautionary answer. US customers were not fazed, international customers expect more coverage and support and partners were excited as they expect more revenue to be made going forward. So, a good place for NetSuite and Oracle and the NetSuite customers and ecosystems.
 |
| Hurd addresses SuiteWorld |
The (Net)Suite is complete with SuitePeople. For a long time, I have been chronicling the ‘slalom’ like NetSuite HCM strategy (see links below). At the end of the day (for now) it seems that the suite / platform argument is winning and with the launch of SuitePeople, NetSuite (finally) makes the suite complete. Except for a few industries, people are the largest expense for enterprises, so not managing the resources, processes and cost was a major gap in the otherwise complete NetSuite portfolio. The announced scope of SuitePeople with HR Core, Payroll and ‘beachheads’ into Talent and Workforce Management is a good start for the product. NetSuite always had a payroll offering, which was running under the Finance umbrella till now. And NetSuite quietly has already started a pilot program with a number customers, many of them at hand and on stage at SuiteWorld to share their (mostly positive) experience so far. And with NetSuite having acquired TribeHR some time ago (read here), and much of that team building SuitePeople, much of the Core HR capability has social elements, including newer concepts like an employee ‘score’. NetSuite’s decision to sell SuitePeople only as part of an overall NetSuite deal is the typical approach all suite vendors take to new products… the product is new, the synergies with the suite need to be leveraged and built and the stand-alone market (not sure if this ever would happen with NetSuite) is much more demanding. So, NetSuite customers looking for HR automation should definitively look at SuitePeople, most likely their account manager will make sure they don’t miss the new capability, too. The question NetSuite customers should ask are the typical ones, in regards of functional maturity, requirements coverage and roadmap compatibility with future demands.
 |
| McGeever unveils SuitePeople |
More industry support with SuiteSuccess. Every ERP vendor wants and needs more vertical / industry support, NetSuite’s unveiled SuiteSuccess at SuiteWorld. All vertical offerings stand and fall with the quality of the preconfigured functionality, measured in speed and cost of implementation of the product. The numbers shared at SuiteWorld are pretty positive, so looking at using and adopting SuiteSuccess should be something customers in a supported industry should look into.
 |
| McGeever on SuiteSuccess Benefits |
MyPOV
A very good SuiteWorld for NetSuite, in the new Oracle era and new digs in Las Vegas (all previous 4 events were in San Jose). Good to see a vendor outgrow a location (from San Jose to Las Vegas), also good to see that Oracle is firmly behind the NetSuite acquisition. Rumors of the end of the NetSuite products were never realistic, and put to bed for good.More on the positive side, NetSuite has shown that it is pushing overall product progress forward, across the board, but most importantly closes the last horizontal functionality hole with SuitePeople. This is hopefully the last chapter of NetSuite’s winding HCM history (express run through: no HCM, but Payroll, partnership with Oracle, partnership with tons of smaller vendors, acquisition of TribeHR, partnership with NetSuite – now SuitePeople – all in 4 years). Customers seem to be unfazed and focus on the value that NetSuite creates.
On the concern side, acquisitions are never easy. It is one thing to plead support and investment into NetSuite – another thing to execute it. There is a reason there is a chasm between large enterprise and SMB offerings – not only in product, but also go to market. Customer need to listen attentively how this will develop for them in the next quarters, as Oracle has to become a little more ‘un-Oracle’ to succeed in SMB. On the flipside, this is an opportunity for Oracle to sell applications to more customers globally than they could with its existing SaaS application portfolio. But instilling the ‘cloud DNA’ into country organizations that are new to Cloud / SaaS will be a challenging.
But for now, all is well for NetSuite, that will be seen in many more geographies around the world, time for decision makers on ERP in SMBs to pay attention, even if NetSuite was not sold yet in their geographies.
Want to learn more? Checkout the Storify collection below (if it doesn’t show up – check here).
More on NetSuite:
- Market Move - Oracle acquires NetSuite - Oddly consolidation means more options for customers - read here
- Event Report - NetSuite SuiteWorld - NetSuite powers on innovates on all layers - read here
- Event Preview - NetSuite Suiteworld 2016 - read here
- News Analysis – NetSuite speaks BeNeLux – expands into Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg - read here
- News Analyis - NetSuite announces Cloud Alliance with Microsoft - read here
- First Take - NetSuite SuiteWorld - Zach Nelson Day #1 Keynote - read here
- First Take - Ultimate Software UltiConnect Day #1 Keynote - read here
- Event Report - Netsuite powers on with targeted innovation - read here
- Why NetSuite acquired TribeHR - read here
- Act III the cloud changes everything - Oracle and NetSuite with a touche of Deloitte - read here
- Act III and final day - A tale of two conferences - Sapphire and SuiteWorld - read here
- The middle day - 2 keynotes and press releases - Sapphire and SuiteWorld - read here
- A tale of 2 keynotes and press releases - Sapphire and SuiteWorld - read here