Following on from an original US-based partnership between the pair in 2011, the UK operations of Baker-Tilly and Netsuite have also inked a partnership agreement as part of Baker-Tilly’s launch of a cloud computing advisory practice in the UK.
The UK end of the company has joined the NetSuite Solution Provider Programme with a view to extending its range of Financial and IT Advisory services to support clients looking to invest in cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
It is staffed by some 4,000 partners in the UK alone, and the international operation is the world’s eighth largest network of independent accounting and business advisory firms by combined fee income of its members. It is represented by 149 independent firms in 131 countries with combined fee income of US$3.2bn and 24,000 people worldwide.
“Cloud-based accounting and ERP are an increasingly popular choice for organisations who wish to avoid costly investment in on-premise IT.” said Chris Knowles, IT Advisory lead partner for Baker Tilly. “Much of the growth in cloud computing is expected to come from SMEs and mid-market firms in the UK, because cloud solutions allow them to concentrate on their core business activities rather than managing a large IT department. This fits perfectly with Baker Tilly’s UK client base.”
Many of Baker-Tilly’s clients are expected to be looking at the Cloud as a way to support their growth plans. The UK partnership with Netsuite is seen as a natural extension of the success it has had in the North American market. It will enable the company to offer an even richer set of advisory services to new and existing clients within the UK who are considering a Software-as-a-Service model for their accounting or ERP system.
Pete Daffern, President of EMEA and EVP of Verticals, NetSuite said: “Baker Tilly’s expertise in management consultancy and systems integration, combined with NetSuite’s heritage in cloud computing, enables both private and public sector companies to benefit from the latest ERP and financial software, empowering them to achieve rapid domestic and international growth and establishing solid financial standards in today's rapidly changing environment.”