OPEN SYSTEMS STARTS REFERRAL PROGRAMS: Open Systems has launched three new channel programs that will enable CPAs and other financial professionals who don’t want to be software resellers to be involved with the company’s mid-market software.
The company now offers consultant, referral partner, and business analyst partner programs. Professionals who join can receive training, free marketing materials, not-for-resale versions of its two software lines — Open Systems Accounting Software and Traverse — and referral fees of up to 10 percent of the sales amount. They will also have an account manager.
“I believe the whole CPA community is moving away from reselling and consulting,” says Rita Strauss, the company’s director of business development. Open Systems will help develop relationships between non-selling professional advisors, including accountants, and its resellers.
“If they want to partner with a reseller, we’ll help them locally,” said Strauss. “They can define the relationship in terms of how much they want the reseller to do and how much they want to do themselves.”
Participants also can receive technical support and access to eVAR, the resellers’ section of the Open Systems Web site, along with the ability to attend reseller forums.
— Robert W. Scott
NETSUITE LAUNCHES SMALL BUSINESS OFFERING: Online applications provider NetSuite Inc. has unveiled NetSuite Small Business, an upgraded suite that replaces its Oracle Small Business Suite and allows end users to integrate sales, contacts, financials and e-commerce in a single system.
According to the company, the new small business application supports an unlimited number of users and transactions, while the integrated system eliminates redundancies in data entry, finance, sales, warehouse management customer support and e-commerce.
NetSuite said that the product — which targets users of rival QuickBooks — contains usability features and data migration tools that speed the transition to the company’s mid-market offerings, such as NetERP, NetCRM and NetCommerce.
NetSuite Small Business also includes customer and user dashboards that allow access to real-time information, and a data migration wizard that eases the transition from other applications, such as QuickBooks.
Available immediately, pricing for NetSuite Small Business starts at $99 per month for the first user and $49 for each additional user per month.
INTUIT TO SHED FUNDWARE: Financial and accounting software provider Intuit Inc. said that it would put its underperforming FundWare division on the sale block after acquiring the nonprofit software brand just two years ago.
“Over the past several years, we’ve made a number of changes to our portfolio — acquiring or developing businesses that fit our growth criteria and exiting those that don’t,” said Intuit president and chief executive Steve Bennett. “A combination of industry dynamics, our competitive position and our other opportunities make this the right decision for Intuit.”
Intuit said that Denver-based FundWare chipped in roughly $13 million toward fiscal 2004 revenue.
KUPPERMAN JOINS IMMEDIATECH AS VP: Document management services provider Immediatech Corp. appointed former J.H. Cohn consultant Adam Kupperman as vice president of the New Jersey-based concern. In his new role at Immediatech, Kupperman will oversee business development.
Kupperman comes aboard after working as director of document services for Cohn Consulting, where he was responsible for marketing and implementing Immediatech’s flagship GoFileRoom solution. “After working with Immediatech and its GoFileRoom solution for nearly two years, I am looking forward to contributing to the success Immediatech has achieved as the leading provider of document management to CPA firms,” said Kupperman in a statement.
