UST introduces NetSuite cloud to undergraduate degree program

NETSUITE Inc., the industry’s leading provider of cloud-based financials/ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites, today announced that the University of Santo Tomas has joined the NetSuite SuiteAcademy program, an educational program designed to bring cloud-based business management solutions to university classrooms worldwide. UST is among a growing number of universities and colleges to partner with NetSuite through the SuiteAcademy program which offers no-cost NetSuite licensing, resources and training to help schools equip students with the nextgeneration cloud IT and business skills prized by today’s employers.

“SuiteAcademy provides us with a world-class product to reinforce the key concepts and principles we are teaching, and we no longer have to purchase, install and configure software for our business-related classes,” said Alex Santos, department director, UST Institute of Information and Computing Sciences. “Additionally, our students get to experience NetSuite’s leading technology and gain relevant training and skills that increase their value in the job market after graduation.”

The UST Institute of Information and Computing Sciences incorporated NetSuite cloud ERP into the undergraduate degree curricula in the first semester of 2014 as an elective class, with the pilot class attracting over 70 third-year students pursuing BS Information Systems degrees. The initial offering was led by Gem Yabut, a UST faculty member and managing director of CloudQwest, a NetSuite Solution Provider head- quartered in Quezon City.

The program gives UST students and professors new flexibility for anywhere/anytime learning over the web, liberating them from the need to access on-premise software in classrooms and labs, and broadens education beyond campus boundaries. UST’s participation in SuiteAcademy aligns with a shift towards cloud computing in the Philippines and Southeast Asia as a whole, as organizations deploy cloud solutions for greater cost-efficiencies, visibility and business performance.

“We’re delighted to collaborate with UST and help deliver hands-on use of today’s leading cloud business technology to tomorrow’s business and IT leaders,” said James Dantow, VP for Worldwide Support and general manager for the Philippines at NetSuite.