Though NetSuite’s iPhone application was officially announced two weeks ago, it has been available at the iTunes App Store for about a month, and in that time has been downloaded over 1,000 times and received positive reviews.

The application is targeted at salespeople and managers, and has been praised for its user interface—even customizations made to a user’s desktop NetSuite account will translate. Currently, the biggest issue with the app is that it is only for viewing and not for editing—users can accept and decline events, but lead data and other information cannot be added via mobile. To allow editing capabilities, businesses with on-premise ERP and CRM solutions need middleware to synchronize data added by mobile with their backend servers. This synchronization is currently unavailable for the iPhone app. However, it’s worth noting that NetSuite already has mobile applications for the BlackBerry and Google-based smartphones that do have this functionality, so the editing issue will probably be resolved when the next edition is released.

Synchronization headaches aside, the app is fast becoming an asset to NetSuite, and is the first SaaS ERP application for the iPhone. In addition, its release and reception indicate the iPhone is getting more widespread use within the business world.

Maximizer Executive Explains Why “Laptops are Old School”

Earlier this month, Maximizer CRM submitted a video on YouTube, called “Laptops are Old School”, to promote their mobile CRM product.  I found this video to be clever, hilarious, and a “must-see” – and apparently, thousands of other viewers had the same response.  I interviewed Angie Hirata, Worldwide Director of Marketing and Business Development for Maximizer, about the popular video and Maximizer’s mobile CRM product.  Read more »

From CRM Daily.com, April 18,2008

NetSuite OneWorld, is a cloud computing solution which enables multi-national and multi-subsidiary companies to manage their global business operations in real-time.

NetSuite OneWorld is the first CRM company to announced an on-demand system that delivers real-time subsidiary management and business consolidation capabilities to mid-market companies for front-office , back-office and ecommerce operations. Prior to NetSuite OneWorld, only large enterprise companies with very deep pockets could approach such levels of business integration.

Bruce Richardson, Chief Research Officer of AMR Research calls NetSuite OneWorld a “bold move.”

“NetSuite is the first company to deliver a real-time multi-company, multi-national business system built on a Software as a Service platform that gives mid-market companies local and global visibility across front office and back office operations in real-time. This is a bold move.”

NetSuite OneWorld is available as a simple add-on capability to NetSuite for $1,999 per month.

NetSuite Introduces NetSuite OneWorld >>>

From SearchCRM.com, June 11, 2008

Sales Prospector, an on-demand sales collaboration tool from Oracle, is the latest of a number of social CRM applications Oracle has been demonstrating at events like OpenWorld and Collaborate.

“While CRM applications have traditionally been designed for management and reporting, the new applications will serve the sales end user, said Mark Woollen, vice president of CRM product strategy at Oracle. That requires a shift in the historical approach of Oracle.

Industry analytsts are asking if Oracle a traditional “top down” enterprise application company can shift to a “bottom up” technology.  

“They’re trying to change,” said Sheryl Kingstone, director of customer-centric strategies for Boston-based Yankee Group. “Oracle has in the past been one of those behemoths. Now they own so much of the market they’re trying to reinvigorate. They’ve really bought into the Web.”

Can Oracle be Social with CRM? >>>