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Sixteen universities worldwide, including three in the Philippines, have integrated cloud computing into their curriculum for their accounting degree programs using Netsuite's SuiteAcademy.

The Netsuite cloud solution, introduced in the third or fourth year of studies, basically gives students an understanding of cloud computing using Netsuite software with a professor-developed curriculum designed to help learners gain a better understanding of process flows and revenue cycles in an organization.

In the Philippines, the three schools that are in the SuiteAcademy program are Mapua Institute of Technology, De La Salle University and University of San Carlos. Mapua Institute of Technology is the latest educational institution in the country to integrate the Netsuite Cloud into the curriculum.

"With a continually evolving global business environment, it's critical that our students possess the relevant skills to succeed in business once they graduate," said Dr. Rey Vea, president and CEO of the Mapua Institute of Technology. "As cloud computing is on the cutting edge of the IT and business communities, and Netsuite is a leading cloud computing company located in Makati, we have developed courses using NetSuite's technologies to help us prepare our graduate for today's and tomorrow's business environment.

Other schools that have integrated the Netsuite cloud solution in their curriculum include Purdue University, University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Toronto. Feedback from universities that have already adopted NetSuite in their rubric indicate that the world's leading cloud ERP/financial suite has enhanced the learning experience for students by providing more practical experience and a better understanding of process flows and revenue cycles throughout an entire organization.

"There is no substitute for hands-on experience. NetSuite is a great software service. Utilizing it for sharing with the higher education community provides a great opportunity for effective teaching and student learning,” said Professor Robert Sorensen, Purdue University. “My students can now go to job interviews and say they have experience using NetSuite.”

Netsuite said that as cloud computing is accelerating among businesses worldwide, education institutions are making the effort to stay up-to-date with the latest technology. And because the solutions are delivered through the cloud, students can access them on campus or anywhere and not just at the university computer lab.

In his recent visit to the Philippines, Netsuite CEO Zach Nelson explained that the NetSuite Academy aims to train the next generation of business leaders on NetSuite and running the business in the cloud.

He said local and global businesses have reason to adopt the Netsuite service. "The notion of Netsuite, not designed to run a department but literally to run a business. That was the big idea behind the company. The second big idea is to deliver that big idea in a different way, over the Internet. In 1998, that seems a very unusual idea. Today, it seems the future of software. Our investments 13 years ago have positioned us to where the market is heading today." he said.

In a seminar held this year, Nelson noted the growing interest of local organizations on cloud ERP. A year ago, the company hosted a seminar for prospective clients and it was able to draw over 250 attendees. This year, the attendees to the same seminar reached over 700. "You could just have a feel of how the world is changing," he said.

Netsuite has recently introduced a product designed for the Philippines called One World PH, a complete ERP solution to meet Philippine accounting standards and Computerized Accounting System (CAS) requirements, which has direct support from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Nelson noted that company's investment in the Philippines has gone beyond providing support for local customers and partners. Its local office is fast emerging as a global operations center providing support for global customers. In fact, its Philippine's tech team was recently named the Technology Team of the Year by the Asia CEO Awards.

"We have customers in over 100 countries around the world. And all of those companies need global taxation support, currency support and very localized business services. We knew we needed an army of people with accounting skills to provide product support. We felt that the best place to put that operation is in Manila because of the education institutions here," he said.

"But we didn't stop there," he added. "We've added professional services to our mix, not just delivering services in Manila but delivering services around the world."