The Linux-based business services ASP NetLedger Inc. announced Friday
(April 20) that the company will extend its flagship accounting
product to include CRM and Web stores, and it is making the entire
integrated suite available in one package with NetLedger 1
System.
“Our vision has always been to be more than accounting,” Stephen
Wolfe, VP product management, told InternetNews. “We’re leveraging
accounting information to deliver things like HR, CRM, e-commerce
and purchasing. These are really just different views of the same
information. By working off of one system, you get the benefit of
seamless integration with the other parts.”
(LinuxToday readers will recall that NetLedger is the world’s
largest Oracle installation running on Linux servers.)
NetLedger 1 System offers one integrated application with all
the services NetLedger now offers separately: accounting, payroll,
online bill paying, Web store, CRM, HR and customer support. By
packaging them all as one service, NetLedger is able to offer 1
System at a considerable discount.
NetLedger CRM, a new feature NetLedger version 6.0, also
released today, includes an integrated contact manager, company
manager, task list and calendar. In addition to storing contact
information and company records, CRM enables businesses to track
the communication and transaction history of their business
relationships through a single screen.
The calendar enables users to schedule events with companies and
contacts with whom they work. Users can create tasks, assign them
to others, set a priority level and monitor the status. The
integration of CRM with NetLedger’s e-commerce and accounting
functionalities empower businesses to manage all aspects of their
prospect, customer and vendor relationships.
NetLedger users can also create a Web site or Web store, which
will be integrated with the accounting system. “If I’m selling
things in a Web store, they’re really just inventory items in my
accounting system,” Wolfe said. “By using one system, I don’t have
to wait days or weeks to import information from one system to
another before I can see a transaction.”
This integrated flow of information can be found between all
parts of 1 System. When an employee enters an expense report, it
automatically flows to his or her supervisor for approval, and to
accounting for processing. Products and services that a user sets
up in accounting can be published to the user’s Web site or Web
store. If a customer registers for information on a NetLedger
user’s Web site, he or she automatically becomes a prospect in CRM
for fast follow-up by the user’s sales department. When a visitor
places an order in a NetLedger user’s Web store, it instantly
creates a sales order and a packing slip so that it can be quickly
shipped, and it also creates a customer record in CRM.
“The idea of one application to run your entire business is not
new,” said Evan Goldberg, president and CEO. “But what is
revolutionary is this power is now within reach of any small and
mid-sized company with NetLedger 1 System.”
Earlier this week, NetLedger launched
its Certified Consultant Program to certify accounting and
other professionals as NetLedger experts. “Accountants are
traditionally very slow to accept new technology, so we thought
we’d see more resistance,” Wolfe admitted. “But when you think
about it, it saves them the time and hassle of having to maintain
the same versions of the software their customers may be using,
allows them to log into their customers’ accounts from anywhere,
and saves them the time they’d spend acting as a consultant to
convince customers to install the latest upgrade.”
NetLedger is a privately held company located in San Mateo,
Calif. Investors include Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, StarVest
Partners L.P., Automatic Data Processing Atlantic Inc. (ADP) and
Painewebber Group Inc.