The NetSuite buyer's guide

What exactly is NetSuite?

NetSuite is an ERP. It’s the ERP. The world’s leading cloud-native ERP, built from day zero to support ambitious, fast-moving businesses that want more from their systems. It’s scalable, flexible, and provides something special: a unified end-to-end business management suite, including ERP/Financials, Supply Chain, Logistics, Manufacturing, CRM/Marketing, eCommerce, and more.

NetSuite is trusted by businesses of all sizes and across industries, including:

• Professional services
• Retail
• Agribusiness
• Wholesale distribution
• Manufacturing
• Nonprofit organisations
• eCommerce
• Health and beauty
• Field service management

But what will NetSuite help me with?

In brief, NetSuite will help you unify and harmonise all the moving parts of your business on one scalable platform.

Growing businesses often hit a serious speedbump to their ambitions. They have a bunch of disparate systems, but maintaining them and getting them to communicate with each other is taking a lot of resources, sponging up FTEs, inviting errors to sneak in, and blocking the clear and immediate insights they need to make smarter strategic decisions.

A good ERP solves that by integrating different business elements and empowering your business to be more efficient and less prone to errors.

A great ERP, like NetSuite, does more. It provides a single source of truth across finance, operations, procurement, inventory, CRM, eCommerce, and anything else you need support with. It has intelligent, evolving forecasting, making it easier to see where and how to use your resources. It empowers your people to do their best work.

But what makes NetSuite different from other ERPs and financial suites?

There are plenty of ERP solutions out there. And let’s be honest: many of them will do the job just fine, meeting your needs of fit, function, and affordability.

So, why is it that 250+ of our clients, ranging from 5 to 500 users, have undergone a thorough and formal evaluation process and chosen NetSuite above all others?

Here are three good reasons:

1. NetSuite is incredibly affordable, given the power it delivers. It offers flexible pricing, depending on the features and access you require.
2. While other solutions are often built for physical servers and bullied onto the cloud later, NetSuite was built from the ground up as a cloud solution. It’s designed to leverage the cloud to your business advantage, scaling as needed.
3. Unlike other ERPs, you can change or adopt new NetSuite modules that best reflect your business model, direction, and strategy, without the need to learn coding or overwhelm your IT team.

Why is NetSuite so successful?

Why is it that more than 37,000 businesses and subsidiaries across 160 countries – including some of the biggest brands in the world – use NetSuite?

Because it’s not about the software, but what it enables. 

Yes, you can use it to improve efficiency and operations, automate some functions, and eliminate manual errors. 

However, at Fusion5, we view NetSuite as part of a larger transformation. Its real benefit is in how it can catalyse ongoing reinvention for business, allowing you to trial innovations, rethink your operating model, and build a business that’s agile, scalable, and constantly evolving.

NetSuite and Fusion5 support your next move – and the one after that – with real power.

One solution. All the functionality you need, with in-built, natively integrated modules for Finance, Project Management/Job Costing, Sales, Procurement, Inventory Management, Manufacturing, CRM, ERP, eCommerce, and more, so your business runs as one.

Tailored fit. Designed for adaptability, NetSuite offers powerful development tools and configurable workflows to support your unique processes today and into the future. Fusion5 and NetSuite help you shape the solution to fit your strategy, not the other way around.

And flexible. You can customise and extend NetSuite without breaking the ability to embrace continuous updates when you’re ready.

Guaranteed uptime. With a 99.96% average uptime and guaranteed availability, NetSuite keeps your business moving.

Always the best. Seamless version upgrades mean you’re always on the latest release, with your customisations intact and your momentum uninterrupted.

Scale as you need it. Whether you’re expanding into new markets, launching new business models, or acquiring new entities, NetSuite grows with you. Because NetSuite is modular, deployment is fast and efficient. And thanks to SuiteCloud (NetSuite's comprehensive range of cloud development tools, applications, and infrastructure), you can add and expand at your own pace.

Rock-solid dependability. NetSuite comes with industrial-strength availability, disaster recovery and security – as standard, not extra.

Business without borders. With 190 currencies, 20 languages, and global tax compliance across 100+ countries built in, NetSuite provides complete multi-subsidiary visibility and supports local accounting regulations.

Need more? How about NetSuite Multi-Book Accounting, for simultaneously running one book for transactions (your normal day-to-day business activities) and another for taxation purposes. Or NetSuite OneWorld, for multiple legal entities within one instance of NetSuite, and consolidate the books for each entity at a group level.

True mobility. Today, we expect to be able to work from anywhere. NetSuite doesn’t just let you access reports on your mobile or sign off a PO from your home office. It also empowers your team to be in any country or time zone and still conduct business 24/7.

Un-silo your information. With NetSuite’s built-in business intelligence, reporting is instant, intuitive and code-free! Whether you’re consolidating at a group level or managing subsidiaries, you can run a single chart of accounts – or tailor separate ones across entities – from one platform.

Dashboards. One of the most beloved features of NetSuite, personalised, role-based dashboards drive the user experience, showing all KPIs, key measures, reports, and searches that highlight management by exception, day job activities, and what needs to be processed.

Reporting made easy. How about 200 ready-to-use, out-of-the-box reports that can be customised to your needs? And if you need to deliver a cross-functional report, then that’s no problem. NetSuite creates direct links between the information you need (for example, finance and services), so you can extract and join together data from different places in one report.

How is NetSuite configured?

NetSuite is one platform that allows you to flex the modules to meet your requirements, seamlessly scaling, changing, or adopting new modules to suit your needs.
 
The good news: it’s plug-and-play.

The great news: there’s no coding required.

The best news: as your ERP partner, Fusion5 will tailor NetSuite to reflect your business model, direction, and ambitions.

If you want to make your product better, you need to observe how your clients use it. That’s what NetSuite did, turning that insight into tailored solutions for industries and business types. As a result, the platform you receive has over 20 years of customer-focused learning built in, returning high user-end engagement and satisfaction.

You can see these tailored solutions at a modular level (with advanced financials or advanced manufacturing), or together in NetSuite’s popular industry-specific SuiteSuccess offering (more on that in a bit).

We also have a robust Fusion5 methodology and implementation specialists with industry-specific knowledge to ensure that your configuration matches your demands.

Choosing and buying modules

What you want to know is how configurable NetSuite really is. 

Put it this way: regardless of the business you’re in, NetSuite can be moulded to fit your needs. 

At its heart, NetSuite includes core financial and accounting functionality, as well as management for inventory, projects, supply chains, materials requirements, planning, procurement, and others.

As we mentioned above, primary modules (pre-built and configured) represent key industry demands, so you’re covered for areas such as Finance, Services, Wholesale Distribution, and Manufacturing. 

You can buy each module as a standard or premium version. The premium version includes more functionality and features, depending on your demands.

We’re big on choice, so you’ll be pleased to know that you can pick and choose from the menu of NetSuite modules and capabilities, add on functions included in the pre-bundled offerings, and enhance your offerings with different tools.

A quick guide to what’s in NetSuite’s modules

• ERP module: Accounts Payable and Receivable, General Ledger, Multi-Currency and Multi-Language, Item and Basic Inventory Management, Project Management, Bank Management & Reconciliations, Purchasing, Employee Centre, Acceptance of Credit Cards, EFT and Order Management.
• CRM module: Sales Force Automation, Opportunity Management, Marketing Automation, Partner Relationship Management and Case Management/Customer Service Management.
• E-commerce & Retail Management module: SuiteCommerce Standard, Advanced Order Management, SuiteCommerce Advanced, and SuiteCommerce InStore (for point-of-sale).
• Services Resource Planning module: Resource Allocation, Job Costing and Project Management, Time and Expense Management.
• Financial Management module: Fixed Assets, OneWorld for multi-company and multi-country, Multibook Accounting, Advanced Financials, SuiteBilling, Advanced Revenue Management with Revenue Recognition.
• Inventory & Manufacturing Management module: Advanced Inventory, Advanced Manufacturing, Work Orders & Assemblies, Advanced Procurement, Manufacturing WIP & Routing, and Demand Planning.

Irrespective of your industry, or whether you’re taking the standard or professional option, NetSuite comes with the modules you selected and a starter set of user roles.

Jump-starting with NetSuite SuiteSuccess

How would you like to go-live in as little as 100 days?

That’s what’s on offer with NetSuite’s SuiteSuccess implementation methodology. SuiteSuccess is like a ‘starter kit’ for your ERP transformation. By providing best-practice workflows, dashboards, and KPIs specific to roles and industries, customers get at least 80% of the functionality they need at a fixed, upfront cost – minimising customisation so that you can see faster time-to-value and go-live in just over three months.

It's proven, industry-specific, and built on 25+ years of insights from thousands of businesses to increase employee adoption and accelerate ROI.

And you’re not boxed in to any specific set of features, either, because NetSuite isn’t about that. Instead, you have the flexibility to make it yours, and lead your transformation to achieve what you want and need.

Now you can watch as the pieces come together in an intelligent, staged implementation process that begins with the sales contact and spans the entire customer lifecycle, ensuring seamless continuity from sales to service to support. How Suite  is that?

Getting value from – and saving money on – your NetSuite platform

Managing your money wisely is at the heart of good business, and keeping costs down on NetSuite is not only smart for business but also a smarter move for your strategic transformation.

So what can we do about customisation and licences – the main factors that typically drive up the cost of a solution?

Regarding customisation, we recommend adopting a Minimum Loveable Product approach to your first year of using NetSuite. Start focused, then go strong. Get the critical functionality you need to operate with confidence, while laying out the groundwork for long-term growth and transformation – and take your time to decide what you need to turn on.

For example, you may not be ready to buy or use marketing or sales automation now, but you can plan to train your teams to use them next year and allocate resources accordingly.

Once again, SuiteSuccess will help here. Instead of replicating legacy processes, SuiteSuccess gives you access to industry-leading practices designed to streamline and simplify. By adopting these from the outset, you reduce unnecessary personalisation –and keep your implementation lean, strategic, and cost-effective.

Licences are the other big factor in costs. NetSuite user licences come in two forms: full user, and self-service. The self-service option is highly cost-effective, but it limits user access to basic functions, such as timesheets, employee records, expense claims, and raising purchase orders. While still great for many businesses, the full user option allows those who want more to have unlimited access based on granted permissions.

As part of your scoping conversations with the team at Fusion5, we’ll help you optimise your licensing so that you’re getting what you need and not overpaying for anything. NetSuite also offers licensing discounts with contract surety, which can reduce overall costs – making it a conversation definitely worth having. 

'Train the trainer': NetSuite training and support

At Fusion5, we believe change doesn’t stop at go-live. In fact, we want you to take your NetSuite further.

That’s why we’re so proud of our ‘train the trainer’ approach. It’s designed to empower your super-users to train other employees – and, if desired, teach them to customise the platform and take it further.

Plus, if you’re buying self-service licenses, you’ll also have full access to learning videos and tutorials direct from NetSuite.

Double-plus, all of our customers have access to Fusion5 Infusion, our 24/7, world-class, web-based support solution. Need a little more? For extended hours and even more extensive coverage, Fusion5 PartnerPlus offers a range of support levels to suit every business – with real locals experienced in your industry, who know your business, your processes, and your solution intimately, so your issues are resolved more quickly.

Want to know more about how we help your team thrive past go-live? Check out our latest guide on how to choose your project team and how you can prepare for success.

Get the right NetSuite partner on your side

Getting the right ERP for your needs depends on getting the right team on your side, too. You need expertise and a commitment to ERP excellence to find the right solution for your needs and implement it faster.

We’d like to think that’s us.

Fusion5 has a large, internal professional services organisation that includes over 70 NetSuite specialists dedicated to various verticals and business sizes, so you get real industry knowledge and experience, as well as insights from across the team on each project.

We’re proudly one of NetSuite’s leading implementation partners – #1 in Australasia, and #3 globally. We’ve been recognised as Partner of the Year every year from 2017 to 2024!

But apart from that, we don’t just implement ERPs. We want to see you do more than that with the technology at hand. Because a new ERP doesn’t just enable you to do business as usual – it’s also an opportunity to empower your team to make transformative changes to how and why you do business.

So if you’re ready to start a conversation about NetSuite or any other ERP or business solution, then let’s talk.