"Synchronizing transactions is much more difficult than synchronizing a read — that's the challenge for ERP mashups. You need a pivot point. That's the strength of NetSuite in this [environment] — it's a system of record." Let the ecosystem flourish. In the era of service-oriented architectures, any vendor would be foolish not to encourage and nurture a vibrant ecosystem because of the enormous innovation it can unleash. In addition to the basic SOAP web services interface, NetSuite has also created several tools that help partners create applications that use NetSuite's own user interface and hosting platform. Nelson believes ISVs are attracted to the application because it takes care of the core transactional functions, leaving partners free to concentrate on the specific business processes they specialize in. "They came after us once we announced NetFlex," he said (the web services interface was first announced in March last year). More than thirty were named in last week's announcement. Welcome resellers.