Do I need a Full-Time NetSuite Administrator to Get the Most Out of NetSuite?

The quarterback of NetSuite

A NetSuite Administrator is the Tom Brady of your NetSuite… they run point, get new users up and running, troubleshoot, maintain efficiencies, updates, and much more. If your business is running on NetSuite, your NetSuite Admin is likely a very busy person! And for folks out there looking to grow their careers, the opportunities in NetSuite administration are huge… and in high demand. 

Personally, I cut my teeth on NetSuite as IT director and NetSuite admin for a Fintech company. That’s not an unusual situation – having dual roles as an organization’s NetSuite Administrator + Tech or Accounting or Inventory or Operations manager, etc…. But that’s not an ideal situation. NetSuite Administration isn’t a static job. To reap the benefits of NetSuite, your organization needs someone who focuses on NetSuite exclusively. That person can continually expand their NetSuite knowledge, apply the best capabilities of NetSuite, and work in the company to add significant business value – the whole point of choosing NetSuite! And keep the rest of the team focused on their mission – not NetSuite.

Here are some things to consider when deciding between hiring a full-time NetSuite Administrator and using a NetSuite partner like Limebox as an extension of your team. 

What are the roles and responsibilities of a NetSuite Administrator?

Any NetSuite Administrator needs to have a firm understanding of basic NetSuite features from the get-go. Saved Searches and CSV exports and imports fall into this category. As does having an understanding of the underlying data structures of NetSuite Transactions, Entity, CRM, and custom record types. 

Ultimately the goal of a NetSuite Administrator is to grow the business and empower its users with the best interfaces and automations NetSuite can provide. This means optimizing current configurations (like transaction approval processes, Email templates (HTML) and Advanced PDF forms), delivering useful financial reports to the company, being aware of new NetSuite modules (Bundles and SuiteApps and annual releases), and learning advanced NetSuite capabilities (like SuiteFlow).

A good NetSuite Admin should ensure users are able to fully take advantage of all NetSuite has to offer. They will create things like role-purposed dashboards, KPIs, and “activities” (reminders, emails, phone calls, notes, and calendar events), and even set up mobile access for users. All to make the NetSuite user experience easy and productive for the company.

NetSuite Admins also ensure your compliance and security configurations are in check. For instance, a NetSuite Admin must have a firm understanding of “segregation of duties” (eg – a user creating a purchase order and then paying the PO to themselves is a big No-No). They will also run frequent login audits to verify usage for security purposes.

The essential & advanced skills of a NetSuite Administrator

Bottom line, there are a LOT of NetSuite skills a good Administrator should have. And to be a rock star, like Tom Brady, there are several advanced Admin skills to learn.

Following is a table of the essential and advanced (bolded) skills a NetSuite Administrator should possess. Yes, there is a lot here! Being a great Administrator requires a lot of knowledge… 

User Access

• User Roles (custom roles)
• Secure Passwords
• Segregation of Duties
• Security Audit
• Mobile Users

User Interface

• Custom Dashboards
• KPIs, Quick Links
• User Tasks & Reminders
• Custom Forms & Fields
• Tabs & Centers

Best Practices

• Email Templates
• Advanced PDFs
• Bundle Installation
• User Training
• All of the NetSuite Leading Practices

Data Integrity

• Saved Searches
• CSV Import/Export
• Deduplication
• Financial Reports (and customizing)
• Review Integration Error Logs
• SQL and formulas
• Suite Analytics

Issue Resolution

• User Training
• CASE Management
• FAQ and Help System
• Issue Ticketing
• Troubleshooting

Accounting & Sales Support

• Item Setup
• Quotes & Orders
• Invoicing & Statements
• Activities & Reports
• CRM & Campaigns
• Lead to Customer

What level of experience does my NetSuite Administrator need?

As a business leader, the best way to understand what you need to look for in a NetSuite Administrator is to start with an audit of your NetSuite System’s features. How your company uses different NetSuite features is dependent on the features uniquely enabled in your NetSuite and the leading practices your company is using. Once you’ve identified the features that are configured in your system, then you’ll know the more specific skills to look for in your NetSuite Administrator.  This is sometimes referred to as a NetSuite System audit.

HOW TO identify your NetSuite enabled features:
[SETUP->CUSTOMER->ENABLE FEATURES] look at each tab
Hover over Field titles (you’ll see a “?”), click on that for an explanation as needed.

If you are starting with a new NetSuite implementation or working on an existing one – the role of the NetSuite Admin is a huge responsibility and there may be a large learning curve to best apply NetSuite for your company. Great NetSuite Administrators are always suggesting improvements, rather than reacting to NetSuite’s perceived issues. 

Do I need a full-time in-house NetSuite Admin?

Having a NetSuite Administrator as part of your internal team is an expensive proposition – with reason! NetSuite Admins are a critical component of maximizing NetSuite successfully, and demand for them is high. 

Look for a minimum of 2 years, full-time NetSuite Admin experience. Or expect it to take that long to “train up” someone. During which you can expect significant underutilization of your NetSuite system. And look for NetSuite certifications like SuiteFoundations and the Suite Administrator Certification. Or consider outsourcing or augmenting your NetSuite Administrator needs. 

Limebox offers on-demand or fractional NetSuite Administration support from our Limebox SuiteMates support team… senior-level, experienced, NetSuite-Certified professionals. So organizations like yours get the benefits of having an advanced NetSuite Admin on your team, at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time Administrator. Get the full details here, but some of the benefits you’ll get are: 

• Save on hiring and overhead costs of in-house NetSuite administrators
• Free NetSuite system audit (let us take care of a system audit, security and feature configuration)
• Access to highly-skilled NetSuite-Certified technical experts to install and even customize new features unique to your business. (see blog on NetSuite Consultants)
• Easy 30-day trial and cancellation period
• No long-term contract
• Improve your team’s adoption and NetSuite efficiencies
• Keep your team focused on your mission (not NetSuite details)
• Easily grow your company into needing a full time NetSuite administrator (which we can help you qualify!)

Whether you decide to hire your NetSuite Administrator internally or outsource the support you need from an experienced NetSuite-Certified company like Limebox, having a dedicated person or team at your disposal is a priceless investment in the success of your company and its ability to fully maximize its investment in NetSuite.

If you’re looking for more advice, feel free to get in touch directly.

Barry Price, VP Operations and Principal Consultant at Limebox
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