NetSuite Buying Guide
So, you’ve decided to consider NetSuite for your ERP transformation. That makes sense, especially given NetSuite’s scalability, flexibility, and horsepower. Given how important an ERP decision is to a business, there are a few different paths you can take to evaluate the system and the implementation team: NetSuite's Direct Sales Team, Alliance Partners, or Solution Provider Partners. Depending on what’s important to you and your business, you can choose any or a combination of these three paths. This article outlines the key factors to consider when buying the software, choosing your implementation partner, and managing your ERP as your business grows and evolves.
Buying the Software
You can purchase NetSuite software licenses either through NetSuite's Direct third-party products Sales Team or a Solution Provider Partner like Strategic Information Group. To ensure customers can choose the best-fit path and partner, NetSuite license pricing is consistent whether you buy through NetSuite's Direct Sales Team or a Solution Provider Partner. Neither channel can offer unique terms and conditions that the other cannot. To maintain this consistency, all NetSuite software contracts are executed on NetSuite paper.
Solution Provider Partners negotiate pricing and terms on your behalf, representing your interests and managing the contracting process so you can stay focused on your day-to-day operations.
In addition, Solution Provider Partners bring added value through industry specialization. They apply their expertise to tailor your software stack and lifecycle for your specific business and sector. Many have also developed their own out-of-the-box solutions that bolt onto NetSuite and personalize it for your unique processes. Beyond their proprietary solutions, Solution Provider Partners maintain relationships with a wide array of third-party products and can guide you in building the best-of-breed solution strategy for your deployment.
Choosing Your Implementation Partner
Once you’ve purchased the software, the next step is implementation. Regardless of whether you bought NetSuite through Direct or a Solution Provider Partner, you have several options for implementation: self-implementation, working with NetSuite's Direct Sales Team, partnering with a Solution Provider Partner, or choosing an Alliance Partner.
Self-Implementation
There are two key ingredients for a successful self-implementation: strong internal NetSuite experience and sufficient internal capacity over your planned timeline. While self-implementations can be successful, many result in missed deadlines, unexpected costs, and ultimately, a decision to pursue another implementation approach.
NetSuite's Direct Sales Team
NetSuite’s professional services team offers its own implementation support. When considering this path, think about your comfort level with the team, their experience, and their implementation approach. NetSuite structures its buying and services process to help you make the decision that fits your organization best.
Alliance Partner
Alliance Partners can implement and support your NetSuite system, but they cannot sell licenses. This means you’ll manage at least two separate relationships: one for software and another for services. However, many Alliance Partners bring deep industry expertise that can streamline and strengthen your implementation.
Solution Provider Partner
Choosing a Solution Provider Partner means working with the same team from evaluation through to implementation and beyond. That means they’ll already have a deep understanding of your business from earlier demos, requirement-gathering sessions, and stakeholder discussions. Their success hinges on one thing: exceptional client service.
Managing Your NetSuite System Through Growth and Evolution
While go-live is a major milestone, it’s only the beginning. As your business evolves, your systems must evolve too. Whether you choose NetSuite's Direct Sales Team, an Alliance Partner, or a Solution Provider Partner, your implementation partner should be selected with long-term success in mind. All three options typically offer post-implementation support to help your system scale with your business needs.
Why Buy NetSuite Through Strategic Information Group?
As a full-service Solution Provider Partner, Strategic Information Group can help you evaluate NetSuite, purchase the software, implement the system, and manage it over time. Our goal is to provide solutions for today and a partnership for life. We take a long-term view, considering what’s best for your business, your team, and your timeline as we align on your software stack, execute implementation, and support your NetSuite environment going forward.
With deep experience across industries—medical devices, SaaS, wholesale/distribution, startups, and more—we bring a “been there, done that” level of expertise that gives you peace of mind through every stage of your ERP lifecycle.