Item: NetSuite ERP
Rating: 10
Author: Glenn Saunders, PMP, MCP

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We currently use NetSuite at Kraft Enterprise Systems for our CRM, Project Management, and Financials. I also work with clients and prospects to review the capabilities of NetSuite and create a solution that will help their organization solve issues. NetSuite is a great business management tool and the software is flexible enough to handle most any business challenge. I find the intuitiveness of the software to be better than other packages I have worked with in the past. NetSuite does many things and does almost all of them very well. In the instance that something does not meet your specific business need, it is easy to customize the system. In my past experiences customizations can be very expensive, difficult to maintain and costly to upgrade. Not with NetSuite, you can modify forms, create workflows and use JavaScript to meet business requirements.

Additionally, NetSuite continues to innovate on its existing platform with a compelling new design. I know many think that much is wasted on a intuitive user interface but with so much bombardment of information, I feel that simple, sleek, and easy to use applications are much better for clients. I am excited to continue working with NetSuite and see where the future takes us.

Pros and Cons

NetSuite is easy to use
NetSuite is scalable, secure, and easy to customize
NetSuite has many of the capabilities that businesses need, from Financials, Inventory, Advanced Billing and more
NetSuite is quicker and more affordable to implement than most on premise solutions
NetSuite provides a single source of truth for a company

NetSuite can improve on some areas of their application like Retail where they are just now gaining traction

Return on Investment

NetSuite has improved our customer service
NetSuite has improved company visibility into sales effectiveness and financial information
NetSuite has improved employee efficiency with regards to time entry and improved billing utilization

Alternatives Considered

NetSuite is great because it delivers easy to use features right out of the box. It also delivers them with updated technology and capabilities that can be cumbersome in other systems. For instance Dynamics AX is a great product with tremendous features, but it is a whole different project during implementation. NetSuite delivers quicker value by focusing on the core capabilities and doing them very well but giving you the platform to create your own business rules.

Likelihood to Renew

NetSuite is a valuable asset for my company and one that we will continue to enhance and build upon.

Likelihood to Recommend

Always ensure that NetSuite or any software can meet your needs. NetSuite is great for project based companies that need to manage time and expenses, but if you are a job shop that needs to manage inventory associated with jobs, it is probably not the best fit. However that gap can be bridged with some customizations, just make sure you know what they are.

NetSuite is great for a company that sells products across multiple channels. It can manage the procurement of inventory, generation of leads, the selling and delivery of that inventory, and the financial implications of those transactions. All in a single system with no integration points.

NetSuite is also excellent for software and service based business that need to manage subscriptions, renewals, and projects. NetSuite can manage unique revenue recognition complexities as well as billing complexities.

Products Replaced

Yes - Epicor was replaced within our organization because it did not have the project capabilities that we needed. Epicor was also built upon dated technology and did not allow for mobile access. We found NetSuite to be a good product to meet our business needs but also that of our client base.

Key Differentiators

Product Features
Product Usability
Analyst Reports

We reviewed NetSuite along with other products at quite a few points. We were looking for a solution to both sell to our customers and prospects as well as a solution that we could adopt internally. Some of the critical areas were fit or functionality of the product as well as vendor commitment. NetSuite has fantastic features and is committed to its customers success. As NetSuite will tell you the renewal is the most important thing to their business so keeping customers happy is very important.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I don't think I would change anything. I think the decision we made was the correct one. NetSuite has been great for Kraft and our clients.

Usability

With new user interface, I find the application to be very compelling, modern, and easy to use. NetSuite is making great strides to incorporate modern design into its proven unified business management solution.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Technical support not required Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

NetSuite's global search capabilities make it easy to find anything
NetSuite's design is intuitive and easy to use
NetSuite's role based platform allows me to see only data that matters to me

Difficult Tasks

NetSuite has a lot of features and sometimes finding them can be difficult, luckily there is a global search option

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes - NetSuite's iPhone application works pretty well. They are making enhancements and rolling it to the Android platform with the next release. I cannot wait for the Android release so I can get rid of my iPhone. NetSuite's tablet usage is good as long as you do not have too much on one screen. The new UI which was released with last month makes the mobile experience much more simpler and easy to navigate.

Reliability and Availability

NetSuite provides a 99.95% guaranteed uptime but regularly beats that. Check it out at status.netsuite.com

Manage your business on your own terms

Software Version

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with NetSuite