NEO3 Business Solutions Takes to the Cloud

CANFIELD, Ohio — The addition of a new product more than four years ago has enabled a local software company to expand its reach high into the cloud.

Cloud computing, that is.

Since NEO3 Business Software Solutions struck up a partnership with business software developer NetSuite nearly five years ago, sales at the small company have increased exponentially, and it expects even more growth this year.

“There’s been quite an evolution here,” says Jim Rosenberg, president and CEO of NEO3.

In the world of software and data, the “cloud” essentially refers to an off-site location where users can store and secure their information, instead of being dependent entirely on their computers’ hard drives. This enables them to access data anywhere they can log in on a computer, laptop, mobile device or tablet.

For company owners and managers, having this information at their fingertips is indispensible in today’s business environmen, Rosenberg says. Moreover, NetSuite has helped NEO3 expand its range of clients from small businesses where 10 to 20 employees use the software to larger firms with 100 or more users. “We were small- and mid-market before,” he notes. “But that’s been driven upmarket to larger companies.”

NetSuite has designed a cloud-based platform that is an all-in-one business software package, Rosenberg says. The software allows users to perform accounting, sales, finance, customer management, payroll, web site development, and a host of e-commerce functions from remote locations. “As of last week, NetSuite had 30,000 companies using their software worldwide,” he reports.

The system provides all of these functions through one database, Rosenberg says. “Just about everyone in the organization could use this software – project managers, sales professionals, CEOs – all would use the same software program,” he says. “It used to be that each function of the business would have its own database. Now, it’s a single database.”

The shift to remote storage and cloud computing is all part of the trend that has come to dominate the software market, Rosenberg says. Most of NEO3 clients – about 80% – are within a 90-mile radius of the Mahoning Valley and many are making the change to software platforms accessed through the cloud.

This trend is also reflected in sales over the last several years, Rosenberg says. “Last year, we experienced a 30% boost in sales and we’re budgeting for between a 30% and 40% increase this year,” he reports. “We had a great year last year and we expect another good year this year.”

The company’s growth has led to the hiring of more employees – NEO3 has seven now – and expects to hire three more by the end of this year, Rosenberg says.

Pat Cioffi, the company’s vice president of sales, says NetSuite has five data centers – three in the United States and two in Europe – capable of connecting with users throughout the world.

“The best thing about NetSuite is that you can access your information from anywhere,” Cioffi says. “I can look at a customer’s past orders, give them a quote and send from wherever I am.”

And the learning curve is not steep, he notes, because the software is built around a “dashboard” design that produces a screen that walks the user through how to use the software.

The transition to this type of fleet-footed business is important, Rosenberg says, especially because a new generation of workers and managers is likely to incorporate this technology into their daily routines.

One client of NEO3, for example, recently underwent a change of leadership where the sons succeeded their father in running the family business. “They converted their entire system to NetSuite,” Rosenberg says.

The more traditional business software packages that are not cloud-based – NEO3 is a Sage 100 reseller – continue to serve an important role in the market.

“We still have customers who use Sage and we sell a lot of that,” Rosenberg says. “There are a lot out who won’t just yet embrace the cloud and we’re not giving up on them.”

Regardless, businesses are transforming into a more mobile world of e-commerce at a pace that continues to accelerate, and Rosenberg says NetSuite helps to open up new selling channels for NEO3’s customers that they might not have today.

“We have an entirely new market,” he says, “and it’s incumbent upon us to make sure our customers know NetSuite can help.”

Pictured: Jim Rosenberg and Pat Cioffi say NetSuite enables their firm to secure new clients.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.