This article is relevant if you’re evaluating Oracle NetSuite’s suitability and potential for organizations of different sizes.
Background
In 2008, I made a strategic decision to focus on the NetSuite platform as the foundation of our expertise development and leadership offering. At the time, three key factors stood out to me that represented a significant market advantage:
- Robust Architecture: NetSuite’s centralized, single-database design provided a strong foundation for transaction management and general system capabilities. At that point in my career, I had produced so many integrations between point solutions that a single database and robust business application would easily win against the best-of-breed common sense.
- Cloud-Based Advantage: While common sense today, in 2008, it was considered risky to put accounting on the internet. At the time, unlike traditional ERP systems, which required costly infrastructure, NetSuite’s cloud architecture eliminated version lock issues and significantly reduced operational costs. I knew that the market just needed time to catch up — and it has!
- Extensibility: The platform allowed businesses to tailor the system to their needs by extending built-in functions or developing custom applications seamlessly integrated with native features. The extensibility was key to even addressing evolving and not yet envisioned demanding business requirements.
This combination has proven to be a winning strategy. Over the years, NetSuite has maintained its dominance in the ERP space, ultimately leading Oracle to acquire the company for $9.3 billion in 2016—a testament to its long-term value and impact. When business leaders see NetSuite through the skillful demonstrations of Oracle’s sales team, many are captivated by its potential.
However, while NetSuite offers enormous capabilities, that potential remains untapped unless deliberately unlocked. Oracle is unlikely to emphasize this point, as it could discourage companies from committing to the platform.
A helpful way to think about this unrealized potential is like a computer. If you only use it for browsing the web and checking email, you’re accessing just a tiny fraction of its capabilities. To fully leverage its power, you must first recognize the possibilities and then actively work to realize them.
Too Many Organizations Do Not Realize NetSuite’s Full Potential
After working with hundreds of clients across various industries, company sizes, and operational capacities, it has become clear that satisfaction with NetSuite is influenced by several key factors.
Last week, in my article, Three Distinct Mentalities when Approaching NetSuite, I outlined three distinct mindsets that shape how organizations approach NetSuite:
- Stronger Feature Set Mentality: “Get better software with more features and capabilities.”
- Operational Mentality: “Drive greater internal coordination, efficiency, and control.”
- Strategic Mentality: “Leverage NetSuite for competitive advantage.”
I encourage readers to review that article as I will build on this theme. These perspectives help categorize how decision-makers view NetSuite’s role within their organization and how they drive its adoption.
However, beyond these mindsets, additional dimensions influence whether a company can fully unlock NetSuite’s potential and may be more common sense in our understanding. Exploring these factors can help predict which organizations will be more likely to achieve meaningful value from their investment.
Management Ambition
Ambition, often described as drive, is a defining factor in an organization’s ability to realize NetSuite’s full potential. However, ambition is more than just determination; it is the ability to imagine a different future and the willingness to take purposeful action to bring that vision to life.
Two critical dimensions influence whether ambition translates into meaningful outcomes:
- Financial Capacity: vision alone cannot drive change without the resources to support it. Financial capacity is fundamental and represents an organization’s ability to allocate surplus cash toward building a more capable system. All organizations have some relationship to financial capacity in some way.
- Leadership and Expertise: true business transformation requires leaders who can bridge the gap between vision and execution. This is true for NetSuite ERP adoption. This means understanding the current state, assessing resources and available know-how, and navigating NetSuite’s structural constraints in relationship to courses of action and their required investment and likely return on effort.
Organizational Size
Organizational size often correlates with leadership structures and investment capacity. The following table helps classify typical business categories in the U.S. market.
| Business Size | Number of Employees | Annual Revenue | Leadership Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Under 50 | Under $25M | Owner-led, with key-named individuals managing multiple functions; limited written procedures and scrappy “get it done” attitude. |
| Medium | 50 to 500 | $25M to $1B | Defined leadership roles (e.g., CEO, CFO, COO) with structured middle management; more mature discussion of division of labor. |
| Large | Over 500 | Over $1B | Multi-divisional leadership, often segmented by product line, market, or geography; growing internal politics |
This classification provides a meaningful framework for understanding how business size influences decision-making and an organization’s ability to harness NetSuite effectively.
Business Size and NetSuite Adoption Dynamics
Now, we can layer the work we did in last week’s article with mentality into a new matrix.
| Business Size | Financial Capacity | Leadership Maturity | NetSuite Adoption Mentality | Typical Challenges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small | Limited | Low to Moderate | Primarily Stronger Feature Set; rarely Operational or Strategic | Resource limitations, lack of internal expertise, difficulty executing change |
| Medium | Moderate | Developing | Mix of Stronger Feature Set and Operational; Strategic adoption possible | Scaling challenges, early investments in leadership, selective project-based improvements |
| Large | High | Unevenly Distributed | Primarily Operational and Strategic, though often underutilized | Bureaucracy, inertia, inconsistent execution, complex decision-making; cultural dramas |
Our Role as a NetSuite Systems Integrator
Putting this together, we offer to help organizations unlock NetSuite’s potential. After many years of grounded client accomplishments, we can indeed say that it is possible to realize the vision. NetSuite holds latent potential; when appropriately tailored, it can unlock new revenue opportunities, reduce costs, and enhance enterprise value. As a NetSuite Systems Integrator, we help organizations that recognize this potential turn it into reality. We bring the tools, leadership, know-how, experience, and wisdom.
In building a best-in-class NetSuite service practice, I have come to understand that not every organization values what we offer. Even when we present elegant, transformative solutions, some may perceive them as too complex or demanding.
This journey has reinforced an essential lesson: success is more than delivering outstanding solutions. It requires partnering with organizations that appreciate unique expertise and the commitment necessary for NetSuite-driven outcomes. When our service team aligns with the respective management organization, the result is a cycle of achievement and satisfaction.
If you found this article relevant, feel free to sign up for notifications to new articles as I post them. If you suspect you can get much more out of your NetSuite investment, let’s have a conversation.
Marty Zigman
Holding all three official certifications, Marty is regarded as the top NetSuite expert and leads a team of senior professionals at Prolecto Resources, Inc. He is a former Deloitte & Touche CPA and has held CTO roles. For over 30 years, Marty has produced leadership in ERP, CRM and eCommerce business systems. Contact Marty to set up a conversation.
More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook - LinkedIn - YouTube
