NetSuite Assistants make ERP easy to deploy and complex back-office tasks manageable by mere mortals
LONDON and SAN MATEO, Calif. — June 21, 2007— NetSuite, Inc., the leading on-demand vendor of integrated business management application suites for small and medium-sized businesses, or SMBs, today announced NetSuite Assistants, a key component of NetSuite 2007.0 (please see separate press release: "NetSuite Unveils NetSuite 2007.0"), which addresses the needs of growing and mid-market businesses to perform complex ERP tasks with relative ease — from initial setup to data import to managing multi-dimensional product configuration options to configuring transactional form layouts and Ecommerce operations. NetSuite Assistants offer an organised and guided path through the multiple steps required to complete these powerful but complex tasks, which promise to significantly improve productivity across the business. For more information about NetSuite Assistants, please visit www.netsuite.com/Assistants.
"Until NetSuite 2007.0, ERP systems like SAP generally have been notoriously difficult and cumbersome to use," said Mini Peiris, Vice President of Product Management at NetSuite. "NetSuite Assistants take the complexity out of ERP and remove the need for 'super-human' administrative knowledge, freeing end-users such as warehouse managers and ecommerce site managers to control their own areas of operations rather than waiting on precious IT resources."
NetSuite Assistants give businesses intuitive tools that facilitate easy deployment into the back-office, from initial implementation to setup and ongoing system and content management, reducing the burden of operations and empowering users to self-manage their areas of responsibility:
- Setup Assistant: The Setup Assistant provides simpler initial system setup and on-going maintenance for NetSuite®. It promotes modular implementation during initial startup — starting with key accounting tasks such as General Ledger, then moving into Inventory Management (stock management) and other back-office operations — while facilitating the roll-out of future add-on modules to other areas of the business such as sales and marketing. Guided setup provides at-a-glance navigation of setup tasks. Ease of ongoing maintenance is managed with powerful Setup Search that takes the user directly to the pertinent tasks. Related fields are grouped and clearly identified.
- Data Import Assistant: A guided, step-by-step interface with drag-and-drop field mapping greatly simplifies data import workflow for everything from initial Chart of Accounts setup to customers and product or service catalog imports. The assisted workflow is simple enough for end-users — such as warehouse personnel importing inventory (stock) items, or marketing coordinators importing lead lists — but at the same time it supports powerful multi-file capabilities required by implementers to migrate relational data into NetSuite while retaining complete historical notes. Customer names can be imported along with their addresses, and products can be imported with their price lists in one step, regardless of whether the data is all in a single file or in multiple files. Import maps can be saved and re-used repeatedly, eliminating the need to map similar data structures multiple times. Finally, robust error handling, recovery and character handling are included, making it easier to deal with data cleansing.
- Graphical, Transaction Form Assistant: Graphical, drag-and-drop tools allow users to customise external-facing transaction forms such as quotes, orders and invoices which will be delivered via email or self-service to prospects and customers. A WYSIWYG (what you see if what you get) editor with capabilities such as snap-to-grid makes object alignment simple and lets users easily create dynamic transaction layouts that incorporate corporate branding and industry-specific requirements for placement of form elements.
- Matrix Item Assistant: Complex inventory (stock) management for multi-variant products and inventory, such as fashion items with sizes/colors/fabrics, is made simple with guided steps that simplify the multi-task, complex workflow involved with managing multiple product configuration dimensions. Numerous catalog item options can be created on-the-fly and item specifics can be edited in-place. The result is that complex matrix relationships of product options are managed as a single parent with separate inventory levels for each individual matrix combination.
- Ecommerce Setup and Site Content Assistants: Step-wise guidance makes initial website setup simpler, regardless of whether the goal is to create an informational, corporate site or a dynamic, ecommerce operation complete with secure checkout and credit card processing. The Site Content Assistant provides a "one-stop shop" for managing all ecommerce site content and acts as a complete site map, making it easy to understand exactly how things are organised on the site and clearly labeling any products or services which have not been categorised.
Pricing and Availability: NetSuite Assistants are available in NetSuite 2007.0 with no additional charge and roll out to customers from June to August 2007. NetSuite starts at $499/month and $99 for each user per month.
For more information about NetSuite, visit: www.netsuite.com.