NetSuite heads for iPhone

NetSuite has announced that the latest version of its software-as-a-service platform, 2007.0, will function through Apple's Safari browser, making it usable on the iPhone handset.

This capability is called SuitePhone. Although the iPhone is yet to appear outside the US, it is expected to arrive in the UK by Christmas and NetSuite has confirmed that UK customers will be able to take advantage of the compatibility.

NetSuite has made use of the Ajax web application support built into the iPhone's version of Safari, according to the company. Apple claims that developers can create web applications using 'web 2.0' standards that will work just as well as applications that have been written natively for the iPhone.

The NetSuite services that will become usable through the SuitePhone application include enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM) and e-commerce functionality. NetSuite 2007.0 is currently being rolled out to existing customers and will be made available to new customers in August.

NetSuite CEO Zach Nelson said on Thursday: "Apple has traditionally lacked the software applications required to address the needs of running a sophisticated business. Our new SuitePhone capability addresses this need and makes the iPhone, in combination with NetSuite, one of the more useful and effective tools currently available to manage small- and medium-sized businesses."

NetSuite is not the only enterprise application company to have started targeting iPhone users - Zimbra, makers of a messaging and collaboration suite, recently announced iZimbra, a version of their client which can run on Apple's mobile handset.

David Meyer writes for ZDNet UK