NetSuite SuiteFlex Delivers Ultimate Platform for Business Process Customization and New Vertical Applications

October 26, 2006; 08:26 AM

NetSuite, Inc., the leader in on-demand business management software, today announced SuiteFlex, a new application development platform that enables the creation of third-party vertical applications within NetSuite, as well as end-to-end business process customization for any end-user company. SuiteFlex includes several industry "first and only" breakthroughs including additions to SuiteScript -- the world's first on-demand programming language. As a part of SuiteScript, NetSuite introduced Suitelets and SuiteScript UI Objects. Together, Suitelets and SuiteScript UI Objects enable customers and third-party developers to build new workflows and applications that look and operate as if NetSuite's own developers wrote them.

In addition, SuiteFlex introduces a dramatic new concept for the Software as a Service market -- "Service as Software" (see accompanying release). Third-parties can use one of SuiteFlex's key components, SuiteBundler, to deliver new integrated vertical solutions by packaging their Suitelets and other extensions with NetSuite's core ERP/CRM/Ecommerce application. SuiteBundler's new capabilities allow solution providers to embed their industry-best practices, knowledge and applications -- traditionally delivered as one-off services -- into the actual NetSuite application.

Finally, NetSuite announced that SuiteFlex application and process customizations can be shared as Open Source. More than 100 SuiteFlex extensions are already available at SuiteSource. The Open Source SuiteFlex components were contributed by NetSuite, and by NetSuite customers and NetSuite partners including Explore Consulting, IT-Ration Consulting, Epiphany, Inc., Skyytek Worldwide, Demand Solutions Group and Ncompass Business Solutions. For more information about SuiteFlex and other announcements made today, please go to www.netsuite.com/suiteflex .

"While thousands of companies have standardized on NetSuite as their system of record, these new technologies allow companies of all sizes and industries to run their entire business on-demand," said Zach Nelson, CEO, NetSuite. "SuiteFlex enables in-house developers to extend NetSuite's embedded business processes to the specifics of their industry. In addition, SuiteFlex will enable an entirely new concept of 'Service as Software' by enabling resellers and system integrators to productize and embed their industry expertise directly in the NetSuite application."

Mid-sized businesses face enormous challenges in automating their business. Among the biggest challenges is tailoring the software to support specific company and industry business practices. On-premise software requires significant technical knowledge and expense for companies to manage business process customization and integration. Once customized, on-premise software typically doesn't carry forward those customizations with package upgrades, presenting even further constraints.

While on-demand software has solved the customization migration issue, most solutions are departmentally focused, forcing companies to tie together multiple, incompatible software packages to run their core business operations, including back-office applications like ERP. When cobbled together to form "composite applications," this mish-mash of software falls far short of the goal of seamless, end-to-end business process management.

NetSuite and SuiteFlex address these challenges. NetSuite's integrated ERP/CRM/Ecommerce functionality already provides a core of end-to-end business processes including lead-to-order, order-to-cash, order-to-delivery, procure- to-pay. And now SuiteFlex enables in-house developers and systems integrators to extend these capabilities by developing entirely new workflows and applications that meet the needs of specific industry segments. For partners building such extensions to NetSuite, the new SuiteBundler enables them to package the custom applications and workflows for a vertical market, and sell them over and over again.

    SuiteFlex functionality includes three core technologies:
    -- SuiteScript -- a JavaScript-based programming language for new
       functional processes and entire applications to be built and hosted
       within NetSuite. SuiteScript applications can be scheduled, or user
       event driven. The new SuiteScript Suitelet and SuiteScript UI Objects
       features announced today, for the first time, enable entire
       applications to be written and hosted in a SaaS application --
       including full control over the user interface, and front- and back-end
       processing.
    -- SuiteTalk -- use Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP), standards-based
       Web service APIs to extend NetSuite to other systems and third-party
       vertical applications, or build add-on capabilities. SuiteTalk provides
       the ability to use any programming language or platform that supports
       the SOAP standard in order to generate NetSuite business objects in
       that language, such as Java or Microsoft .NET.  In-depth ERP objects
       are now exposed in addition to CRM. This facilitates fulfillment,
       invoicing, billing, purchasing and point-of-sale integrations.
    -- SuiteBuilder -- easy-to-use, point-and-click tools provide unlimited
       personalization, configuration, and vertical tailoring, all managed
       in-system. NetSuite is a pioneer of point-and-click customization for
       on-demand applications, with custom fields, custom records, custom
       forms, custom tabs. Furthermore, entire point-and-click custom
       "centers" for new role-based UIs into NetSuite are now available. New
       inline HTML fields enable in-record, embedded, dynamic mashups from
       public Web services, HTML content or Flash content.

    Pricing and Availability:

The SuiteFlex platform is immediately available and is included with the NetSuite subscription at no additional charge. Suitelets and SuiteScript UI Objects are currently available in Beta for application developers. They will be generally available, along with SuiteBundler, in Q2 2007.

About NetSuite

NetSuite, Inc. is the leader in on-demand business software suites and has been named the fastest-growing software company in North America (source: Deloitte Fast 500 study). NetSuite enables companies to manage all key business operations in a single system, which includes accounting/Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Ecommerce. NetSuite is delivered as an on-demand service, so there is no hardware to procure, no large, up-front license fee, and no complex set-ups. Finally, NetSuite's patent-pending "real-time dashboard" technology provides an easy-to-use view into role-specific business information that is always up-to-date. For more information about NetSuite, visit: www.netsuite.com .