Oracle NetSuite, a global provider of cloud-based financials / ERP, HR, Professional Services Automation (PSA) and omnichannel commerce software suites, has announced the expansion of operations in the Middle East to meet the increasing demand for cloud ERP in the market. With the support of Oracle’s global resources, the firm has added a dedicated sales team with new leadership; new solution provider partners to strengthen its existing partner ecosystem; and increased customer adoption of NetSuite OneWorld. Additionally, NetSuite will offer support for the new unified Value Added Tax (VAT) agreement, set to take effect for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) next year with more Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries expected to follow.
“Local and global companies with regional headquarters in the area are already reaping the benefits of cloud ERP,” said Mark Woodhams, Oracle NetSuite vice president, EMEA. “With today’s announcement, we’re signalling our ongoing commitment to the region and the success of our customers and partners here.”
The new VAT will impact every part of a business, including cash flow, pricing of products and services, financial reporting, tax accounting and reporting and technology. NetSuite said it already has a highly flexible in-house tax engine that supports over 110 countries for VAT, both rules and reporting, creating a solid foundation on which to build out functionality specific to the GCC VAT.
NetSuite is extending its focus on the Middle East and the surrounding region with a dedicated sales team, pre-sales, country manager, marketing and other support functions, all operating out of a new Dubai office, which will be the center of East, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa (ECEMEA) operations. The dedicated sales team has been established and trained to address the UAE and Saudi Arabian markets. NetSuite will also continue to recruit local implementation partners with experience in ERP to support continued growth in the region.
The dedicated sales office will be led by Khaled Ismail, vice president, Oracle Digital Application Business, ECEMEA, who will manage sales and marketing strategy for the region. He is also responsible for all the supporting functions for ECEMEA from pre-sales, sales development, marketing and customer success.
“The UAE has been a strong growth engine for NetSuite in recent years,” Ismail said. “Now, with the additional global resources of Oracle, we intend to continue that growth and expand not only our sales operations and partnership, but build out additional functionality specific to the region.”
NetSuite already has a strong partner presence in the region with 16 partners serving customers in the region. In 2017 alone, NetSuite added the following seven businesses to its Solution Provider Programme: Azdan Business Analytics; Trinamix Business Solutions; Wolfrayet Business Consulting; Masterkey Software; Foresee Solutions; UnitedofOQ; and Digital Trends. As part of its expansion in the region, NetSuite will actively be recruiting qualified partners to continue to provide local businesses with a leading cloud ERP solution.
NetSuite OneWorld provides a unified and cloud-based suite of software that is flexible enough to meet the needs of diverse business models, legal structures and geographies. NetSuite OneWorld supports 190 currencies, more than 20 languages, automated tax calculation and reporting in more than 100 countries, and customer transactions in more than 200 countries.
