Of course we know the iPhone to be an ultra fashionable device with multimedia and Internet-enabled quad-band GSM EDGE-supported mobile phone developed and marketed by Apply and many young people are going gaga over it…blah blah.
But an iPhone for an ERP? Sounds like a far fetched idea! But then again, with information technology, there is disparity which cannot be merged together. If oil and water were digital stuff, definitely, there would be an easy method to get them together the IT way.
A couple of weeks ago, Netsuite, a business solutions / ERP vendor, introduced a mobile application access interface that it calls SuitePhone. The SuitePhone can allows users of the iPhone a link up to information which stored in the latest version of Netsuite's software, the NetSuite 2007.
The synchronization offered SuitePhone takes advantage of the many functionalities available with the iPhone.
According to Malin Huffman, senior manager of product management at NetSuite:
"Traditionally in a mobile environment business applications provide a scope of functionality that is limited—typically customer relationship management or access to the back office, but it's a defined set of capabilities. With iPhone, all of NetSuite's CRM, all of enterprise resource planning is available—even the ability to manage e-commerce activities."
Netsuite has been a provider of integrated on-demand CRM and ERP and has been on-going in its deepening support for Apple's Safari browser as well as intensifying its use of AJAX technology. And this all makes sense: AJAX as open standard and Safari as Apple's browser can surely optimize and expose the many features of the iPhone!
Developments like this are just exciting and for sure many businessmen are enthused about accessing enterprise while being in remote places with only their phones. Well, there is the laptop but that is different thing. A laptop is heavier and bulkier and needs an internet service provider. With the iPhone, there is nothing to add except the SuitePhone software. Enterprise data consumer from CEO down to admin staff can remotely access financial data functionalities such as invoicing, accounts
receivable and payroll.
As of the moment, there are still certain limitations. This is of course a natural thing since the technology is still new. As Huffman said: "There are things like printing that just aren't supported yet. This is really about accessing information in NetSuite and entering new information. We're expecting people to check dashboards or run an income statement. We don't really think people are going to spend 8 hours a day on the iPhone".
For sure this software and the Netsuite – iPhone partnership, like all other things in information technology, will evolve fast. For now, I want to imagine myself listening to my favorite music or watching my favorite video on my iPhonewhile on a remote island. And while doing all that, I can still get my financial alerts. Wow, the beauty of being a mobile worker!
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