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Small and midsize businesses will have more hosted options to choose from this week as Oracle Corp. and development partner NetLedger Inc. jointly roll out enhanced suites.
Oracle, of Redwood Shores, Calif., will release SBS (Small Business Suite) Version 8.0, while NetLedger, of San Mateo, Calif., releases its NetSuite line of applications geared for smaller companies.
Tackling both ends of the small-business spectrum, SBS 8.0 will target businesses with fewer than 100 employees, while NetSuite aims at companies with 100 to 500 employees.
SBS 8.0 is powered by software developed by NetLedger, and the two suites are fully compatible and complementary, NetLedger officials said. Common elements between them include a user interface with drop-down menus and rollover features such as those in Microsoft Corp.s Windows operating system as well as portal views into each suites applications, according to NetLedger President Zach Nelson.
Accounting enhancements in SBS 8.0 include direct deposit, electronic funds transfer and multiple ship-to capabilities. On the sales force automation side, there are additional marketing features.
NetSuite layers a customizable portal user interface over three integrated functional areas—back-office accounting/enterprise resource planning; CRM (customer relationship management); and an area called “Web presence,” which enables users to streamline business processes. In addition, NetSuite features 10 pre-configured portals, called Centers, that are navigated via graphical dashboards to provide summary data.
Business software suites for companies of this size are proliferating. Microsoft, of Redmond, Wash., last month announced a realigned small-business focus in its Business Solutions Group. Separately, SAP AG, of Walldorf, Germany, is due to ship this quarter a retooled version of its TopManage small-business software in an offering called Business One.
