NetSuite and HP

Will you NetSuite take this partner from HP into prospects.....

I took a call Monday from representatives of NetSuite and HP. The two firms had just announced a partnership and were kind enough to brief me. Unfortunately, I had to do the call at a boarding gate at Logan so my apologies in advance to both firms if I jotted something down incorrectly.

Here we go:

NetSuite is now able to tap into HP’s ecosystem of 15,000 resellers. These resellers will get referral monies for recommending NetSuite’s SaaS (software as a service) solution. NetSuite is planning on using these new channel partners to propel sales of its CRM solution.

HP has a number of programs that help simplify and reduce the operational cost of SMB data operations. HP likes this deal as it provides additional credibility for the ‘flexibility’ program they are pitching to SMBs. HP is also looking for ways to keep their resellers market relevant in a tech world moving more to SaaS.

HP is also providing the hardware and much of the systems hardware that is powering NetSuite’s SaaS solutions today.

I briefly wondered why NetSuite chose HP for this. Google’s cloud computing environment utilizes low cost computers, open source utilities, etc. While Google may possess a cost advantage, HP clearly has a material advantage with its partner reseller ecosystem. This network puts NetSuite into a potential sales situation in thousands of prospects annually.

This program will succeed if NetSuite can quickly inform and equip the HP channel partners while supporting the onslaught of pre- and post-sales support calls they will likely get. Time will tell.