NetSuite manages mission-critical business data across finance, inventory, operations, manufacturing, CRM and more. Over time continuous changes inevitably allow gaps between configured capabilities and evolving needs. This strains users struggling with dated tools that inhibit reach strategic objectives around growth, intelligence, compliance and continuity.
Regular NetSuite health checks validate system integrity and alignment to goals. Think of diagnostics determining needs rather than vendor sales pitches. Typical signals indicating an independent audit delivers ROI include:
Sudden System Performance Declines
Platform responsiveness and availability frustrates users struggling to perform daily work. Common pain points involve:
- Transaction screens, reports or searches timing out randomly
- Batch processes like billing failing halfway through
- Inability to enter orders due to ‘record locked’ errors
- Missing buttons or blank sections on key transaction records
Technical contributors first scrutinize infrastructure for bottlenecks like storage, bandwidth or memory constraints. However health checks examine factors like customization complexity, access permissions, data volume bloat, workflow configurations, scripting flaws or conflicting third-party extensions possibly degrading foundations.
Stalled Adoption of New Features
Organizations invest in ERP enhancements to solve challenges like:
- Revenue leakage from disparate sales data
- Inventory inaccuracy and needless write-downs
- Operational blindspots from reporting gaps
- Inefficient processes requiring excessive manual work
However simple software provisioning alone falls describes short if stakeholders don’t use capabilities advancing top priorities. Common roadblocks involve poor change communications, inadequate training or confusing workflows.
Health assessments pinpoint true enablement gaps impeding adoption after confirming technical soundness. Auditors determine if lingering legacy process dependence stems from correctable knowledge gaps or shortcomings in solution design.
Humidity Changes Invalidating Configurations
Originally sound NetSuite alignments to core financials, inventory, billing, workflows and reporting degrade over time from changes like:
- New business models or product lines
- Additional acquisitions and global expansion
- Staff turnover in key functions like order management or accounting
- Modifications to surrounding integrated software systems
- Regulatory shifts requiring new compliance reporting
Typical needs include refreshed trainings,configuration modifications, master data cleanup and realignment to primary financial accounts. Software audits often reset and revalidate permissions while upgrading customization architectures if technical debt accumulated.
Inflexibility Accommodating Process Improvements
Innovation initiatives introduce new omnichannel go-to-market motions with modern buyers. For example:
- Launched subscription services or financing offerings
- Wholesale channel additions on top of direct or retail
- Desire for self-service account management portals
- International distribution requiring local compliance
- Targeting new personas with tailored pricing
However, hard-coded assumptions inside aging system customizations restrict reacting quickly. Health checks highlight flexibility gaps while showcasing newer automation friendly configuration options.
Non-Compliance or Security Concerns
Delay addressing growing compliance or policy gaps increases organizational risk like:
- GDPR, PCI, HIPAA or other shifting legal regulations
- Geographic expansions subject to data sovereignty mandates
- Inability generating required financial statements or disclosures
- Unauthorized data access from poor internal controls
- Infrastructure holes exposing systems to outside threats
Assessing control maturity ensures configurations, permissions and processes adhere to latest enforcements. Auditors recommend technical compensating controls or staffing adjustments containing exposures.
Lacking Homegrown Customization Documentation
Knowledge leaves companies constantly through staff attrition or reassignment After a few years organizations lose insights into support expectations or risks surrounding aging customizations.
Undocumented homegrown code and configurations eventually inhibit:
- Understating what existing mods actually do
- An ability evolving systems alongside changing needs
- Capacity restarting enhancements after migrations or version upgrades
- Visibility identifying downstream impacts modifying objects
Well documented custom solutions promote flexibility and continuity countering knowledge loss.
Technical Debt Dragging Down Optimizations
Ongoing complex customizations layered upon older mods without “refactoring” accumulate hidden technical debt. Homegrown code works initially but slows modernization efforts long term across areas like:
- Performance – Bloated page loads from poorly indexed custom searches
- Scalability – Batch jobs failing consistently from hitting governor limits
- Reliability – Custom forms losing saved values randomly after improvements
- Security – Orphaned permissions allowing unauthorized data access
- Maintainability – Deteriorating infrastructure requiring excessive care
Technical audits grade software health while isolating customization anti-patterns requiring modernization investments.
Cloud Transition Planning Needs
Transitioning NetSuite to latest cloud infrastructure unlocks speed, security and savings benefits no organization can afford ignoring long term. However, navigating change presents short-term challenges including:
- Freezing enhancement initiatives until after go-live stabilizes
- Business disruption from any data model or reporting changes
- End user retraining on subtle optimized navigation variances
- Workload delays fine tuning re-platformed customizations
Analysing current customization behaviors and integration dependencies guides intelligent migration planning, staging and scheduling.
When Gap Analysis Calls for Outside Perspectives
Most businesses recognize need objective insights assessing when alignments veer materially from remembering strategy drivers or operational requirements originally. Highly focused NetSuite expertise across multiple sectors underscores precise health check value.
An expert guide like SuiteRep frames objective gap analysis through experience optimizing 300+ NetSuite implementations. Proven cloud readiness, compliance, security, and disambiguate technical debt reduces ongoing barriers hampering capability consumption Critical evaluation of nuanced hybrid technology ecosystems.
Complement audits with flexibility roadmaps charting architecture possibilities absent tackling symptoms rather than root limitations. Contact SuiteRep to schedule your initial NetSuite health check consultation today.
