Don’t Manage NetSuite Reactively: How to Run NetSuite as a Continuous Operating Model

Most companies manage NetSuite reactively: they raise a ticket when something breaks, find out about release changes too late, and handle development requests one at a time. In Staria’s webinar "Don’t Manage NetSuite Reactively. Build It Continuously.", Robin Kurtén, Country Manager for Scandinavia, and Ville Partanen, Head of Continuous Services, ERP, show how finance leaders can turn NetSuite support, releases and development into governed, planned and predictable operations, without growing IT headcount.

The webinar is structured around three common myths about running NetSuite after go-live.

Key takeaways

• Reactive NetSuite management is an operating-model problem, not a technology problem, and it can be solved.

• When comparing NetSuite support, ask what a slow response to an urgent ticket costs you, and whether the consultant handling it already knows your environment.

• NetSuite releases two major updates a year, and keeping up with them is a business responsibility, not just IT’s. A managed development roadmap turns ad hoc requests into planned, budgeted work.

Watch the full webinar recording

What is the reactive trap in NetSuite management?

The reactive trap is when NetSuite is run one problem at a time instead of as a planned function. Ville, who has worked with ERP solutions for ten years and with NetSuite for eight, sees three patterns again and again. Most companies are very good at running their own business, but when it comes to their business-critical systems, they tend to react rather than plan:

• Costs are reactive, not predictable. Few companies have a budget for ongoing support and development, so tickets, ad hoc hours and surprise quotes become the norm.

• Releases land before you’re ready. NetSuite ships two major updates a year, and many companies aren’t prepared for them.

• The roadmap lives in someone’s Excel. There may be a roadmap, but often only one person updates it, and nobody really manages how the system develops.

None of these are technology problems. They are operating-model problems, and they are solvable. That is why Staria is reshaping its support services: moving from a traditional NetSuite support provider towards a strategic partner for its customers. The three myths below show what that shift means in practice.

Myth 1: Is NetSuite support the same everywhere, so price is all that matters?

No. Cost matters, and every company wants a cost-effective way to handle business-critical issues. But support services differ in quality, and price isn’t the only differentiator.

Ville suggests asking yourself one question: how expensive is it for you if an urgent ticket doesn’t get a response right away? If it matters, you need two things: fast handling of urgent issues and people who already know your environment and your business. In a traditional support model, a highly competent consultant may pick up your ticket, but it could be someone who has never seen your setup before.

The right level depends on your situation. A company with in-house NetSuite expertise or a stable, standard setup may only need a safety net. A business where downtime or a broken integration is not an option may need familiar consultants, major incident management and even extended or 24/7 support hours. As Robin points out, needs can also be mixed: a company might want a light support package but still keep the lead consultant it has learnt to know.

Myth 2: Are NetSuite releases just IT’s problem?

No. Ville sees this a lot, and it comes down to ownership. After a big implementation, responsibility for the system is often pushed to IT, finance or HR, and it becomes someone else’s headache to make sure the business keeps getting value from it.

With cloud solutions, releases keep coming. NetSuite ships two major updates a year, and Ville encourages companies to stay on the pulse: understand what is changing, and what you could take into use. Keeping up with releases isn’t IT’s problem or finance’s problem; it’s a business issue.

It also matters more than ever. NetSuite Next, launched in Las Vegas last October and described by NetSuite as its biggest launch since the company was founded, brings AI and a new Redwood user interface. It is already rolling out in the US, with Europe expected to follow. Around NetSuite, the wider ecosystem of third-party solutions is also changing fast as AI develops. Companies that follow these changes proactively are in the front row to benefit from them.

Myth 3: Do you really need a roadmap for NetSuite development?

Yes. Many companies have good ideas for developing their systems but don’t do the planning work. Without it, whoever shouts loudest gets the attention. And if nobody looks after the integrations, the processes and how development is actually run, the result can be a fragmented business environment. Many companies do have a roadmap, but that doesn’t mean anyone is managing it.

The alternative Ville describes is planned, continuous development: reserved hours, familiar consultants, backlog management and regular check-ins. Development runs in sprints and releases, planned with the customer at least three months ahead, with a view of the next six and even twelve months. This lets you build a budget around the work and see what a given amount of money can achieve, and whether it matches your expectations.

What about fast-growing companies that can’t plan that far ahead? Ville’s advice is to put even big initiatives, such as opening a new market, on the roadmap. With NetSuite already up and running, a country rollout follows a familiar template, and it is much easier to steer and follow up on the roadmap than to set up a separate project with its own organisation and project managers.

As Robin adds, Staria can help build and run the roadmap, but the customer’s input is essential, and the customer always makes the final decisions.

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How do you size NetSuite continuous services to your business?

In the webinar, Ville presents Staria’s NetSuite Continuous Services model, which answers each myth with its own service area. Each area has three levels, from light-touch to fully managed:

The three areas form one operating model, but they aren’t a bundle. You choose the level for each area independently, based on where your real risk and workload sit, and adjust as the business changes. A company with a complex, business-critical setup might choose dedicated support with on-demand development, while another needs light support but a managed development roadmap.

The recording walks through what each level includes and when it pays for itself, so you can see which combination fits your NetSuite environment.