NetLedger Teams with Open Orchard to Enter British Market

Teaming with the London-based Open Orchard, NetLedger is targeting overseas markets by bringing its online business management services to the United Kingdom. Operating out of San Mateo, CA, NetLedger is hoping to attract the millions of businesses in the U.K. by exporting its online CRM services across the Atlantic. Partnering with Open Orchard, a new British Telecom--backed software solutions provider, the companies are focused on the small to mid-tier business market. NetLedger is introducing two new services to the U.K.: NetSuite and NetCRM. NetSuite is a business application designed to manage financials, CRM, purchasing, and e-commerce. NetCRM is built to integrate complete sales force automation, marketing management, and customer support into a single online offering. Though both companies are hoping to cash in on what they consider to be a market rich with potential, the services aren't slated to be available until January 2003. Billed as a marriage of NetLedger's application services and Open Orchard's distribution strength, the partnership should offer each company deeper penetration into the small to mid-range market. Though Open Orchard is less than a year old, NetLedger appears more than happy with their new partner's model for providing software solutions to small businesses. Zach Nelson, president of NetLedger, says that both companies share a common belief that the best-of-breed business application to run small and midsize companies is an integrated suite. According to Open Orchard CEO Yvonne Thomas, NetLedger's suite of software--and reputation--makes it an ideal partner for expanding further into the mid-tier business market.