Sponsored by Oracle NetSuite
Back in 1998, Evan Goldberg launched NetSuite with a straightforward yet revolutionary goal: empower business owners to access their operational data anytime and from anywhere. At that time, enterprise software was predominantly confined to on-premises servers, limiting flexibility and real-time insights.
Having experienced the challenges firsthand as an entrepreneur, Goldberg recalls the frustration of juggling multiple disconnected systems that each told a different story.
NetSuite broke new ground by delivering comprehensive enterprise applications entirely through web browsers, integrating CRM, ERP, and ecommerce into a single seamless platform. This innovation not only sparked the rise of cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) but also fueled rapid expansion, culminating in a 2007 IPO and Oracle’s acquisition in 2016.
Revolutionizing Enterprise Software with AI Integration
NetSuite’s core mission-transforming fragmented data into clear, actionable insights-continues to drive its evolution as it pioneers the future of enterprise software.
Recently, the Austin-based company introduced NetSuite Next, which Goldberg describes as “the most significant product advancement in the company’s history.” Unlike previous AI features that were simply embedded into workflows, Next represents a transformative leap: AI that is contextual, conversational, autonomous, and composable, seamlessly integrated into daily operations rather than existing as standalone tools.
Embedding AI Deeply into Business Processes
While many enterprise AI solutions today are added on via APIs or chatbots, NetSuite Next takes a fundamentally different approach. Its intelligence is deeply embedded within workflows, autonomously handling tasks such as account reconciliation, payment scheduling, cash flow forecasting, and providing transparent explanations for its decisions at every stage.
Goldberg emphasizes, “NetSuite was built for entrepreneurs to gain clear insights into their businesses. The next frontier is delivering advanced analysis without requiring users to be analytics experts. AI effectively becomes a skilled data scientist embedded in the system.”
This approach contrasts with competitors like Microsoft and SAP, which have focused on rapid deployment of AI assistants as add-ons. NetSuite’s five-year development journey reflects a more profound reimagining-making AI an integral, everyday operational tool that eliminates the need for constant switching between applications.
AI as the Next Wave of Cloud Innovation
Goldberg draws a direct line from the cloud computing revolution he helped initiate to today’s AI transformation. “Technology offers boundless possibilities,” he notes. “Everyone is exploring how to harness AI and integrate it effectively.”
When NetSuite first introduced cloud solutions, the challenge was convincing customers that cloud wouldn’t disrupt but enhance their operations. Today, the same principle applies to AI adoption-demonstrating tangible benefits while minimizing risks.
At its core, NetSuite’s ongoing innovation centers on leveraging customer data to drive growth, a theme consistent from the cloud era to the AI age.
Cutting-Edge AI Features Driving Business Efficiency
NetSuite’s latest AI enhancements span multiple operational areas, blurring the lines between human input and machine automation:
- Contextual Intelligence: The “Ask Oracle” feature tailors responses based on the user’s role and current task. For example, a CFO querying sales data receives detailed financial analytics, while a warehouse manager gets inventory-focused insights.
- Collaborative Workflow Creation: AI Canvas allows business users to design processes using natural language. A finance leader can specify approval rules-such as “expenses over $50,000 require department head and CFO approval”-which the system then converts into executable workflows with built-in controls and audit trails.
- Governed Autonomous Operations: AI-driven workflows autonomously perform tasks like account reconciliation and payment processing within predefined boundaries. When suggesting actions, such as expediting supplier payments, the system transparently displays the rationale, allowing users to accept, adjust, or override decisions.
- Open AI Framework: Supporting the Model Context Protocol, NetSuite’s AI Connector Service enables integration with external large language models while maintaining governance and compliance.
Importantly, these AI capabilities are embedded at no extra cost, integrated directly into the workflows employees use daily.
Robust Security and Privacy Backed by Oracle’s Infrastructure
Unlike bolt-on AI solutions, NetSuite’s built-in intelligence relies on a secure, tightly integrated infrastructure powered by Oracle’s comprehensive technology stack. This integration enhances operational efficiency and provides strong security and compliance assurances.
Engineers highlight that NetSuite’s unified platform-from database to analytics-enables real-time decision-making using data from diverse sources.
Goldberg reflects, “I founded NetSuite because I couldn’t access the data I needed. That’s a key differentiator. During financial closes, for example, you can analyze sales data alongside reserves. With NetSuite Next, AI assists in making those complex decisions.”
The platform’s performance improves continuously by learning from millions of transactions across thousands of customers, offering intelligence that standalone AI assistants cannot match.
NetSuite’s clientele ranges from startups that have scaled globally-such as Reddit, Shopify, and DoorDash-to emerging innovators like BERO, a non-alcoholic beer brand founded by actor Tom Holland, Chomps meat snacks, PetLab, and Kieser Australia. The platform’s unified architecture supports growth without the need for disruptive migrations.
Maintaining Innovation Momentum After Nearly Three Decades
How does a company approaching 30 years in business sustain its innovative edge, especially within a large corporate environment? Goldberg credits Oracle’s culture of relentless reinvention.
“You may have heard of Larry Ellison,” he jokes. “He continually reinvents himself with each technological wave. That drive and curiosity permeate Oracle’s DNA.”
For NetSuite customers, the biggest hurdles remain integration complexity and trust. NetSuite Next addresses these by embedding AI directly into existing workflows, avoiding the pitfalls of separate systems.
Additionally, enhancements to the SuiteCloud Platform-NetSuite’s extensibility and customization environment-allow businesses to tailor the system to their unique needs. Built on open standards, it supports mixing and matching AI models for various functions. SuiteAgent frameworks enable partners to develop specialized automations, while AI Studios give administrators granular control over AI behavior tailored to industry-specific requirements.
Goldberg states, “This elevates NetSuite’s flexibility, empowering customers and partners to rapidly build AI agents, connect external AI assistants, and orchestrate AI-driven processes.”
“AI Execution Fabric” Driving Tangible Business Outcomes
Industry experts increasingly recognize that AI embedded within core workflows delivers superior outcomes compared to add-on solutions. Futurum Group describes NetSuite Next as an “AI execution fabric” that operates deeply within business processes rather than merely providing a conversational interface.
For midmarket companies facing talent shortages, regulatory complexities, and competition from digital-native firms, the difference between AI that advises and AI that executes is critical.
Embedded AI not only enhances decision-making but autonomously carries out those decisions transparently and within human-set boundaries.
Choosing an ERP with built-in AI has long-term strategic implications. While bolt-on AI can offer quick wins in data access and basic automation, integrated AI promises to revolutionize operations by infusing intelligence into every transaction and workflow.
NetSuite Next is scheduled for rollout to North American customers in 2025.
Why 2026 Will Mark the Rise of AI-First Enterprises
The fundamental premise behind NetSuite Next is that companies redesigning ERP around embedded AI will outperform those merely layering conversational assistants onto existing systems.
Goldberg draws a parallel to early cloud adopters who gained lasting competitive advantages. The same pattern is expected to hold true for AI-first platforms.
Ease of use and simplicity stand out as major benefits. “Users won’t need to navigate complex menus or master analytics tools,” Goldberg explains. “The system quickly surfaces relevant analyses and allows natural language interaction to refine insights.”
With AI that thinks alongside users and takes informed actions autonomously, midmarket and entrepreneurial businesses can bridge the gap between having information and acting on it-a difference that could determine success or failure in the AI-driven future.
