Datawatch Scales Up for Double-Digit Growth with Intelligent Implementation of NetSuite OneWorld

Location:

International
 

Industry:

Professional Services
 

Business Type:

Software
 

Solution:

NetSuite OneWorld
Salesforce Integration

Datawatch Corporation (NASDAQ-CM: DWCH) (“Datawatch”) provides self-service data preparation and visualization software solutions that enable organizations to gain valuable business insights that inform better decisions. The Datawatch product suite enables organizations to maximize value and return on all information assets, including structured, multi-structured, real-time and time series data. Datawatch is enabling this data to be accessed, transformed, enriched, prepared and analyzed, providing a holistic view and empowering more insightful analysis.

Datawatch’s business model is to help customers make more informed decisions through visualization and analytics. Founded in 1985, Datawatch repositioned itself in 2011 as a turnaround startup offering a highly differentiated platform and focussed on strategic partner relationships. The company proudly maintains a blue-chip customer base, for a steady recurring revenue rate of 35% and growing. Datawatch does not currently offer software-as-a-service, but it is in the roadmap.

“We anticipate double-digit growth over the next several years, and the level of intensity, focus, and strategic vision we need to get there can only be sustained by scaling up,” says Sanjay Mistry, Controller at Datawatch.

In Search of a Unified Back Office

The company identified several challenges related to the back office that needed to be addressed in order to prepare for the anticipated revenue growth. More specifically, the challenges were mostly in Accounting, Finance, and Order Management, which were being run on Microsoft Office, and on an unsupported version of Great Plains. Internal and External reporting was performed through Excel and macros. These kinds of ‘rogue applications’ are typical in companies who have yet to deploy enterprise platforms. Faced with an urgent task, a department might try to bypass an overloaded IT department by creating an application that, by its very nature, isn’t centrally managed. This application offers no transparency, and becomes difficult and expensive to support.

“Datawatch identified NetSuite OneWorld as the platform best suited to the job. We liked NetSuite’s ability to integrate with Salesforce and automate manual processes. We were looking to build inherent, repeatable quality into what we do, while being able to improve our close time and data analysis and reporting capabilities.”

A Customized, Modular, and Flexible Project

Datawatch chose Gurus Solutions for the implementation. Both companies agreed that in order to ensure a successful project, business integration had to remain in sharp focus during the requirements-gathering and planning stages. How fast could Datawatch feasibly migrate from Great Plains and onto NetSuite, without creating instability? How could this be done in a modular way so that scaling up was organic rather than a sudden imposition? What was the extent of the different integrations between Salesforce and NetSuite that had to be accounted for, to the very last detail? How could the transition from the implementation team to the owners be transparent?

“Gurus stepped up and delivered, was participatory and responsive at every step, and did a fantastic job spearheading the project,” says Mistry. 

NetSuite OneWorld was implemented to give Datawatch multi-currency consolidation capabilities, and a more assured way to manage legal compliance on an international level. The Adaptive Planning module would enable easier forecasting and more transparent budgeting cycles, while the automatic contract renewal feature alleviated the burden on personnel who would no longer have to micro-monitor the process.  

Throughout the project, Gurus Solutions operated on its signature 80/20 Sherpa model; either party could undertake the majority of the work, but if bandwidth or priorities changed at any time, the responsibility could shift without affecting risk or timeline.

“There was a plan to build a lasting partnership from the get-go, a strategic relationship where Datawatch could obtain expert advice as we built out our entire ERP infrastructure.”

Real-Time Visibility Sets the Stage for Growth

The improvements were significant, and felt immediately in accounts receivable, order management, and invoice processing. Datawatch confirms that a leaner team is now more efficient, and that it’s possible to scale up without adding headcount.

“We moved from a 10-day close of the books to a 3-day close, including multiple currencies and subsidiaries. The visibility is phenomenal. Now that we have real-time reporting, we can close a sales module and send an updated revenue report to the sales team by end of day. Collaboration is better, which drives a more in-touch renewal cadence with our partners.”

Moving forward, Datawatch plans to roll out additional Salesforce functionality to automate the process from lead to cash flow, as well as incorporate e-commerce for handling both renewals and new business through the company website.

“A year after implementing, the story has unfolded the way we envisioned and planned,” concludes Mistry.

Datawatch scales up with Gurus Solutions

  • Back office processes were siloed and performed manually
  • Datawatch chose NetSuite OneWorld to unify operations in a complex multi-subsidiary and multi-national environment
  • Implementation took a modular approach with a flexible work engagement that allowed for shifting priorities
  • Datawatch cut time-to-close by two thirds and gained real-time visibility
  • Datawatch has realized efficiency gains of over 80% in Order Processing with follow on integration work by Gurus Solutions
  • Gurus Solutions remains a long-term advisor for the ongoing rollout of e-commerce capabilities
“Gurus stepped up and delivered, was participatory and responsive at every step, and did a fantastic job spearheading the project. There was a plan to build a lasting partnership from the get-go, a strategic relationship where Datawatch could obtain expert advice as we built out our entire ERP infrastructure.”
 
—Sanjay Mistry, Controller, Datawatch

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