NetSuiteNetSuite managed services: What are they and does your business need them?
Implementing NetSuite is only the beginning of the ERP lifecycle. As your business grows, changing processes, reporting requirements, integrations, and customizations can make your environment more complex.
NetSuite managed services provide ongoing support, administration, optimization, and technical expertise to help keep your system aligned with your business. But how do managed services differ from traditional NetSuite support, and does your organization need them? This guide explains what they include, their benefits, and when they may be the right fit.
At a glance: NetSuite managed services
NetSuite managed services provide ongoing functional and technical resources to help organizations maintain, support, and optimize their NetSuite environments. Services can include system administration, troubleshooting, reporting, customizations, integrations, release management, and continuous improvement.
Unlike support models focused primarily on resolving individual issues, managed services can combine reactive support with proactive optimization. They can supplement an internal NetSuite administrator, finance team, or IT department with additional expertise and capacity as business requirements evolve.
What are NetSuite managed services?
NetSuite managed services are ongoing services designed to help organizations administer, support, maintain, optimize, and enhance their NetSuite environments after implementation.
Rather than engaging a NetSuite consultant only when an issue arises or a major project begins, managed services provide ongoing access to NetSuite expertise. Depending on your needs, that may include:
- Functional consultants to improve processes and configurations
- NetSuite administrators to support day-to-day system needs
- Developers to manage customizations and automation
- Integration specialists to support connections between NetSuite and other systems
- Technical resources to troubleshoot issues and address more complex requirements
Managed services can complement an internal NetSuite administrator or IT team rather than replace them. Internal employees bring valuable knowledge of the company’s processes and priorities, while an external team provides additional capacity and specialized expertise when needed.
This support can become increasingly valuable as your NetSuite environment evolves. Over time, organizations may:
- Add new entities, locations, or users
- Process higher transaction volumes
- Introduce new integrations and customizations
- Change financial or operational processes
- Develop new reporting requirements
- Identify additional opportunities for automation
Ongoing managed services can help keep NetSuite aligned with these changing requirements instead of allowing the system to remain configured around how the business operated years ago.
Find the right partner for ongoing support
If you’re considering NetSuite managed services, choosing the right support partner is an important part of the decision. The right partner can provide ongoing expertise, help optimize your systems, and support your business as its needs evolve. Download our guide to explore 7 criteria for choosing a support partner and the key questions to ask when evaluating your options.
What do NetSuite managed services include?
The exact scope of NetSuite managed services varies based on the organization, its NetSuite environment, and its internal resources. However, managed services commonly span several functional and technical areas.
NetSuite administration and configuration
Day-to-day NetSuite administration can become a significant responsibility as the number of users, roles, workflows, and business processes increases.
A managed services team can assist with tasks such as:
- User administration, including adding and removing users and adjusting roles and permissions
- Configuring forms and fields
- Maintaining dashboards
- Creating and adjusting workflows
- Updating system configurations
- Maintaining documentation of significant configurations and system changes
This can supplement the work of an internal administrator or provide administration resources for organizations that do not need a dedicated full-time NetSuite administrator.
Troubleshooting, monitoring, and user support
Users will inevitably encounter questions and issues after implementation. Managed services can provide ongoing assistance for investigating problems, resolving configuration issues, monitoring the environment for items that may require attention, and helping users navigate NetSuite.
Support can also include ongoing user education and training as roles, processes, and system functionality change. Because the managed services relationship is ongoing, the provider can build knowledge of the organization’s configuration, processes, integrations, customizations, and business requirements over time rather than approaching every request without context.
Reporting and analytics
Reporting requirements rarely remain static. Executives may want different KPIs, finance teams may need additional reporting dimensions, and operational teams may need better visibility into their areas of the business.
NetSuite managed services can help organizations improve:
- Saved Searches
- Financial and operational reports
- Dashboards
- KPIs
- Data visibility
- Reporting processes
These improvements can reduce dependence on manually assembled spreadsheets and help users get more value from the information already available within NetSuite.
Customizations and development
Standard NetSuite configuration can address many requirements, but some organizations need functionality tailored to their processes.
Managed services can provide technical resources for:
- SuiteScript development
- Workflow automation
- Custom records and functionality
- Updates to existing customizations
- Technical troubleshooting
Access to development expertise can be particularly useful when an internal administrator understands the desired business outcome but does not have the technical skills or capacity to develop the solution.
Integration support
As NetSuite becomes more deeply connected to the rest of the technology environment, integrations become another area requiring ongoing attention.
A managed services team can help maintain and troubleshoot integrations between NetSuite and ecommerce platforms, CRM systems, payroll applications, banking platforms, industry-specific applications, and other business systems.
Support may include investigating failed data flows, adjusting integrations when processes change, or helping organizations plan new integrations.
Governance and documentation
As a NetSuite environment becomes more complex, maintaining clear documentation can make the system easier to manage and reduce dependence on knowledge held by any one person.
Managed services can help document significant configurations, integrations, workflows, customizations, roles and permissions, and system changes. Maintaining this institutional knowledge can improve continuity, simplify troubleshooting, and give internal teams and outside consultants a clearer understanding of how the environment is designed.
NetSuite release management and feature adoption
NetSuite typically delivers two major releases each year, along with new and evolving functionality throughout the year. Keeping up with these changes requires more than simply knowing that a new feature is available. Organizations also need to determine which capabilities are relevant to their processes and worth adopting.
Managed services can help organizations:
- Review upcoming release changes and new functionality
- Identify features relevant to their business and NetSuite environment
- Evaluate impacts on existing processes and customizations
- Test critical workflows, integrations, and customizations
- Educate users on applicable changes and new capabilities
- Evaluate opportunities to adopt emerging functionality, including AI-enabled capabilities
Instead of treating each release simply as a required system update, organizations can use the release cycle as an opportunity to evaluate new functionality and continue improving their NetSuite environment.
Continuous NetSuite optimization
One of the biggest distinctions between managed services and purely reactive support is the emphasis on continuous improvement.
As business requirements change, managed services can help identify:
- Manual processes that could be automated
- Underused NetSuite functionality
- Inefficient workflows
- Reporting gaps
- Unnecessary customizations
- Opportunities to simplify processes
- New functionality that could support the business
The objective is not simply to keep NetSuite running. It is to keep the platform aligned with how the organization operates.
For example, Unified Women’s Healthcare (UWH) worked with Rand Group to improve an underutilized NetSuite environment and inefficient accounting processes. By reconfiguring and optimizing the system, simplifying complex structures, and automating manual processes, UWH improved its use of NetSuite while saving more than 1,500 hours annually.
NetSuite managed services vs. NetSuite support: What’s the difference?
NetSuite support and managed services can overlap, and providers may use the terms differently. The primary distinction is typically the scope and nature of the relationship.
Traditional support is generally centered on resolving questions or problems as they occur. Managed services can include that same support while expanding the relationship to ongoing administration, development, optimization, and strategic guidance.
Neither model is inherently right for every organization. A business with experienced internal NetSuite resources and relatively straightforward requirements may only need occasional support. A growing organization with complex workflows, integrations, customizations, or limited internal resources may benefit from a broader managed services relationship.
What are the benefits of NetSuite managed services?
NetSuite managed services can provide additional expertise and capacity while helping organizations keep their ERP aligned with changing business needs. Key benefits include:
- Access specialized NetSuite expertise: Gain access to functional consultants, developers, integration specialists, and other resources without requiring every skill set in-house.
- Reduce pressure on internal teams: Give finance, accounting, operations, and IT teams additional support for troubleshooting, administration, and technical projects.
- Continuously improve NetSuite: Identify opportunities to automate processes, eliminate workarounds, and adjust the system as business requirements evolve.
- Keep pace with NetSuite releases: Evaluate new functionality, test critical processes, and determine which new features could benefit your organization.
- Support a more complex NetSuite environment: Access the expertise needed as your organization adds entities, integrations, workflows, customizations, users, and transaction volume.
Does your business need NetSuite managed services?
Not every NetSuite customer needs managed services. Organizations with experienced internal resources and relatively straightforward environments may only need outside help for specific projects. However, managed services may be worth considering if:
- Your NetSuite backlog keeps growing. Support requests, system improvements, or automation projects are regularly delayed.
- Internal teams spend too much time managing NetSuite. Finance, accounting, or IT resources are pulled away from their primary responsibilities.
- NetSuite expertise is concentrated in one person. Your organization relies heavily on a single employee for system knowledge and support.
- Manual processes and workarounds persist. Spreadsheet-heavy reporting, inefficient workflows, or unfinished automation indicate opportunities for improvement.
- Technical requirements exceed internal expertise. Integrations, SuiteScript, customizations, or other complex requirements regularly require outside help.
- Your NetSuite environment has outgrown its original configuration. Growth, new entities, integrations, or changing processes have created requirements the original setup was not designed to support.
These challenges do not automatically mean an organization needs a fully outsourced NetSuite function. They can instead help identify where internal resources may benefit from additional capacity or specialized expertise.
NetSuite managed services vs. hiring an internal NetSuite administrator
Organizations evaluating how to support NetSuite may consider hiring a dedicated administrator, using managed services, or combining both approaches. The primary distinction is not necessarily familiarity with the environment. It is often the difference between having dedicated internal capacity and gaining access to a broader team with specialized functional and technical expertise.
In a mature managed services relationship, dedicated account resources and consultants who regularly work with the organization can develop significant knowledge of its NetSuite environment, processes, priorities, and history over time. The right approach depends on the amount of ongoing work, complexity of the environment, and range of expertise required:
- Internal NetSuite administrator: Provides dedicated capacity within the organization for day-to-day administration, user needs, and ongoing system responsibilities. An internal administrator is also embedded in the business and can work closely with teams as priorities change.
- NetSuite managed services: Provides access to a broader team of functional and technical specialists, potentially including administrators, developers, integration specialists, reporting experts, and consultants. Regularly assigned resources can also build institutional knowledge of the client’s environment over time.
- Hybrid approach: Combines dedicated internal capacity with outside specialists who provide additional expertise, resources, or support for more complex requirements.
A long-term managed services relationship can also build significant institutional knowledge. Unified Women’s Healthcare describes Rand Group as an extension of its internal technical team, highlighting how an external partner can develop a strong understanding of both the NetSuite environment and the accounting and finance processes it supports.
“The level of care, thoughtfulness, and in-depth knowledge provided by Rand Group exceeded our expectations. We now have a partner who not only understands NetSuite but also comprehends the intricacies of accounting and finance. Rand Group has become an extension of our internal technical team, providing invaluable support as we continue to grow.”
Carolina Pereira, VP of Finance Shared Services, Unified Women’s Healthcare
For many organizations, the decision does not have to be one or the other. Managed services can supplement an internal NetSuite team, provide specialized resources when needed, and add capacity as requirements evolve.
How much do NetSuite managed services cost?
The cost of NetSuite managed services varies based on the provider, scope of services, complexity of the environment, and level of support required. Rather than a single pricing model, providers may structure managed services in several ways, including:
- Blocks of hours: A set number of consulting or support hours purchased for use over a defined period.
- Monthly retainer or subscription: A recurring fee that provides ongoing access to an agreed level of services or resources.
- Per-user pricing: Fees based on the number of NetSuite users covered by the managed services agreement.
- Percentage of NetSuite license spend: Pricing calculated as a percentage of the organization’s NetSuite software investment.
- Customized agreements: Pricing tailored to the scope and complexity of the NetSuite environment, services required, response expectations, and other business requirements.
One potential advantage of a managed services agreement is greater cost predictability. Traditional reactive support costs can fluctuate depending on the number and complexity of issues that arise in a given month. A defined managed services agreement can make ongoing NetSuite support and optimization easier to budget while providing consistent access to expertise.
How to determine whether NetSuite managed services are right for your business
Before selecting a support model, evaluate your internal resources, NetSuite environment, and future requirements. Consider:
- Audit your internal resources: Identify who handles NetSuite administration, support, reporting, development, and integrations. Consider both expertise and available capacity.
- Identify recurring challenges: Look for growing support backlogs, manual workarounds, reporting limitations, integration issues, or unfinished optimization projects.
- Evaluate your technical requirements: Determine whether SuiteScript, custom workflows, integrations, specialized reporting, or other requirements exceed your team’s internal expertise.
- Consider upcoming business changes: Acquisitions, new entities or locations, integrations, higher transaction volumes, process changes, or new reporting requirements can increase support needs.
- Compare your support options: Evaluate internal staffing, project-based consulting, traditional support, and managed services based on cost, expertise, capacity, response requirements, and ongoing needs.
What should you look for in a NetSuite managed services provider?
A managed services provider becomes closely involved with your ERP environment, so selecting the right partner requires more than comparing support rates. Look for a provider that offers:
- Proven NetSuite experience: Demonstrated experience implementing, supporting, and optimizing NetSuite environments.
- Broad functional and technical expertise: Access to consultants, administrators, developers, and integration specialists who understand both business processes and technical requirements.
- Industry knowledge: Experience with the processes, challenges, and requirements common to your industry.
- Proactive optimization: The ability to identify improvements, evaluate new NetSuite functionality, and help your environment evolve rather than simply respond to tickets.
- Clear service expectations: Defined communication, response times, responsibilities, and escalation procedures.
- Scalable support: Resources that can expand to support development, integrations, optimization initiatives, or larger NetSuite projects as your needs change.
Most importantly, a managed services provider should understand both how NetSuite works and how your organization uses it.
Get more from NetSuite with managed services
Keep your NetSuite environment aligned with your business as your needs evolve. Connect with Rand Group’s NetSuite experts to learn how managed services can provide the ongoing support, specialized expertise, and optimization your organization needs.
Partnering with Rand Group for NetSuite managed services
As a NetSuite Alliance Partner, Rand Group supports organizations throughout the NetSuite lifecycle, from implementation and integration to ongoing support, development, and optimization. Our team combines functional and technical expertise to help businesses address immediate needs while continuously improving their NetSuite environments.
Rand Group’s NetSuite services include:
- Ongoing support and system optimization
- NetSuite administration and configuration
- Custom development and SuiteScript
- Integrations and workflow automation
- Reporting and analytics
- User training and strategic consulting
Rand Group’s work with Unified Women’s Healthcare demonstrates this long-term approach. After helping UWH optimize its NetSuite environment and automate inefficient processes, Rand Group continued to provide the expertise and support needed as the organization evolved.
Whether supplementing an internal NetSuite team or providing specialized expertise, Rand Group helps organizations keep NetSuite aligned with evolving business requirements.
Key takeaways
- NetSuite managed services provide ongoing support and optimization for organizations that need additional functional or technical resources.
- Managed services extend beyond break-fix support and can include administration, user support and training, monitoring, reporting, integrations, customizations, documentation, release management, feature adoption, and continuous optimization.
- Managed services do not have to replace internal NetSuite resources. They can supplement an administrator, finance team, or IT department with additional capacity and specialized expertise.
- The need for additional support often increases as NetSuite environments become more complex through growth, new entities, integrations, customizations, and changing business processes.
- Managed services can provide greater cost predictability than purely reactive support, depending on how the agreement is structured.
- The right support model depends on your organization's needs. Some businesses may only require occasional consulting, while others benefit from an ongoing managed services relationship.
Frequently asked questions about NetSuite managed services
What are NetSuite managed services?
NetSuite managed services provide ongoing functional and technical assistance to help organizations administer, maintain, support, optimize, and enhance their NetSuite environments. Services may include administration, troubleshooting, reporting, development, integrations, release management, and strategic optimization.
What is included in NetSuite managed services?
The scope varies by provider and business requirements. Common services include NetSuite administration, user support, configuration, reporting and saved searches, workflow development, SuiteScript, integrations, release planning, troubleshooting, and continuous system optimization.
What is the difference between NetSuite managed services and NetSuite support?
Traditional NetSuite support generally focuses on resolving questions or problems when they arise. Managed services typically provide a broader ongoing relationship that can combine reactive support with proactive administration, optimization, development, release planning, and strategic guidance.
Does my business need a NetSuite administrator or managed services?
The right model depends on the volume and complexity of your NetSuite requirements. Organizations with substantial daily administration needs may benefit from an internal administrator, while managed services can provide access to a wider range of specialized functional and technical skills. Many organizations use both.
Can managed services work with an internal NetSuite administrator?
Yes. Managed services can supplement an internal administrator by providing additional capacity or expertise in areas such as SuiteScript, integrations, reporting, complex configuration, optimization, and release planning.
Can a NetSuite managed services provider support customizations and integrations?
Depending on the provider’s technical capabilities, managed services can include maintaining and developing SuiteScript, workflows, custom functionality, and integrations between NetSuite and other business applications.
How do managed services help with NetSuite releases?
A managed services team can review upcoming NetSuite releases, identify relevant changes, evaluate potential impacts on existing processes and customizations, assist with testing, and identify new features that may benefit the organization.
How much do NetSuite managed services cost?
NetSuite managed services pricing varies based on the scope of support, complexity of the environment, required expertise, service expectations, development requirements, and anticipated workload. Organizations should evaluate pricing alongside the level and breadth of resources included in the service.
Keep NetSuite aligned with your business
Your NetSuite environment should evolve alongside your organization. New processes, users, integrations, reporting requirements, and business priorities can all change what you need from the platform after implementation.
The question is not simply whether your organization can maintain NetSuite internally, but whether your current support model gives you the expertise and capacity to continuously improve it. If internal resources are stretched or specialized NetSuite requirements continue to accumulate, managed services can provide additional expertise and capacity. Contact Rand Group to discuss your NetSuite environment and determine the support approach that best fits your business.
