As the lure of Cloud applications continues to capture the imagination and budgets of enterprise software buyers, one of the key enablers for enterprise software sellers could lie in leveraging their existing ecosystem.
For example, AppExchange, the business app marketplace from Salesforce.com, now has more than 2,600 applications. Another ecosystem worth watching is SuiteCloud from NetSuite, which has attracted more than 300 applications.
Epiphany is one of those companies riding high on the SuiteCloud platform after securing more than 100 customers via a two part ERP reseller business teamed with their own custom-built suite of Cloud applications for HR administration and talent management, plus a range of field services automation capabilities. Specifically, the company’s R&D group has been busy building out 135 capabilities for HCM and Field Services based on the NetSuite ERP backbone.
At a recent roadshow in Boston, the Houston-based Epiphany outlined its expansion plans including the creation of a new entity called Elysian Field Software to address the unmet needs of both NetSuite customers as well as those of other ERP vendors, especially those that cater to the small to midsized business market.
Elysian Field, whose name has a touch of Greek mythology for “SaaS Paradise Found,” will have two business units. The first will focus on a line of independent Cloud-based applications under the umbrella of Elysian Field Services with such modules as Core HR, applicant tracking, field service automation and revenue management for maintenance and warranty contracts. These will work with any ERP backbone. The second unit will cover the original Epiphany operation responsible for reselling and implementing NetSuite applications, plus the HR/HCM and Field Services suite of products that are natively built on NetSuite’s architectural backbone.
Adding another twist to Elysian Field Services is a quasi BPO/people resource model that is made up of HR and line-of-business domain experts who have been pre-qualified by Elysian Field Software and will be contracted by the customers. The Goal: a two part win/win both to help SMB’s implement and run the Elysian Field applications without a hitch; and speedier deployment cycles for Elysian Field.
Hence the notion of Paradise Found for no-fuss management of enterprise applications, a task that used to be handled by costly IT professionals in-house. According to Elysian Field executives, the domain experts – who are essentially independent contractors similar to those found on Odesk – will be pre-screened and posted on its sites.
What works to Elysian Field’s advantage is its proven applications with more than a hundred best-of-breed capabilities. These features include employee self-service and performance management for HCM and work order management and rentals management for its target customers.
The sweet spot target is small to midsized enterprises that may have standardized on financials software from NetSuite or SMB ERP competitors, but that are still in need of vertical market-specific solutions for routine tasks like depot repair and scheduling and dispatch.
Brenda Brinkley, CEO of Epiphany, said it will officially launch Elysian Field in the second quarter of 2015 by first going after NetSuite’s installed base of nearly 20,000 customers. That will be followed by a slew of new products appending to its field services solutions to ride another big trend: Internet of Things especially in the areas of sensor-based remote monitoring, preventive maintenance and IOT analytics.
