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Last updated Jun 2, 2023

How to migrate your ERP to NetSuite while protecting data integrity and minimizing disruption.

Written by Team Airbase
5 minute read
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The good news is that your business is growing. The bad news is that your accounting software isn’t keeping up. It may be time to consider migrating to an ERP that supports your company’s expanding needs. Small and/or early-stage companies typically operate on user-friendly systems, like Quickbooks Online or Xero, that are designed to support simple company structures and smaller teams. Their functionality can be supplemented with integrations into third-party software solutions but, eventually, a highly engineered, enterprise-level ERP like NetSuite will be needed.

Migrating to NetSuite ensures that your finance team has the tools and functionality needed to scale a more complex business organization.

How a multifunctional ERP supports growth.

3 of the top reasons companies migrate to NetSuite are:

  1. The ability to support multiple subsidiaries. As companies grow, their corporate structure often expands to include subsidiaries. NetSuite supports accounting and consolidated reporting for multiple subsidiaries.
  2. More customizable permissions controls. Growth often leads to a more complex organizational structure. NetSuite’s ability to customize roles and permissions at a granular level helps to create financial workflows that improve both productivity and security.
  3. Flexible dashboards and multi-dimensional reporting. The ability to customize dashboards and reporting parameters is essential for more complex FP&A functions. NetSuite’s customizable dashboard provides a better view of company financials for better decision making. And more robust reporting functions allow for greater segmentation, and the ability to adjust reporting views, to reflect selected levels of activity across the company.

Protect yourself from risk and disruption.

Thoughtful project management is essential when switching from a less robust accounting platform to NetSuite. A migration can lead to impactful changes in workflows, carry risks to company data integrity, and put a significant strain on a finance team.

You may be reliant on third-party service providers to integrate their software into NetSuite. Fortunately, most vendors have the experience and knowledge to guide successful migrations. Although every migration requires a personal, carefully planned approach, here are some tips we’ve learned at Airbase.

Project management is key.

“Set yourself up for success.” That expression may be a cliché, but it’s indisputably true when you’re preparing for projects like this.

The two elements that ultimately determine your success are communication and preparation. Take time to prepare every possible aspect before you start. Communicate clearly with all stakeholders. Be sure to address the following elements: 

1. Know who you’re working with. When you migrate to NetSuite, you must consider all other integrations that interact with your existing system, including AR, AP, budgeting, HR, expense management, and FP&A systems. You must ensure that all integrations follow agreed-upon data standards.

Obviously, this is easier to accomplish if you use a multi-functional platform that performs many accounting functions. In fact, now might be a good time to do an “integration audit.” Are you using the best tools available? Could financial operations be streamlined by using fewer systems? Switching to a platform that performs multiple functions now will reduce the number of vendors you have to work with for the migration.

2. Time the migration carefully. Timing can make or break this project. That’s because a migration is far more complex than turning one switch off and another one on. Data continues to flow through your system as the migration happens, and you don’t want to lose any valuable information.

Therefore, it’s important that everything, including all third-party integrations, align exactly. And it’s equally important that the timing is clearly communicated to everyone involved. Because the migration happens in real time, all internal teams and third-party vendors must be coordinated.

You can find a more in-depth guide to the
NetSuite migration process here.

3. Review categories, tags, and vendors in your current General Ledger. The structure of datasets should be reviewed and updated as needed. This exercise is important to ensure data integrity is maintained as you migrate from one system to the other, and as transactions and other datasets flow from one system to another. For example, tags should be the same in both systems in order for everything to go to the right place.

It’s often a good idea to view an accounting software migration as an opportunity to rethink your General Ledger’s organization. The structure and classifications used in a GL when a company was small may not suit a larger company.

As with third-party integrations, this is also the time to make changes if you feel your accounting functions could benefit from restructuring how the GL is organized. You can also discard data that is no longer relevant. Don’t forget to communicate any changes to data mapping clearly to all stakeholders.

Implementation consultants can guide you through this process. Ensure that any consultant thoroughly reviews your requirements before committing to one. If you work with an accounting firm, they may have consultants on staff, which would have the added advantage of working with someone who knows your organization.

4. Back your data up. As a best practice, third-party service providers typically create back-up copies of all data. (Airbase certainly always does.) But it’s always a good idea to do this yourself as well, if only for your peace of mind.

5. Trust the process. Once you’ve made these initial project management decisions, the rest will flow smoothly behind the scenes if you work closely with your service providers.

That was the experience of Jason Lopez, Controller at Lattice and an Airbase customer, when he migrated the company’s accounting software from Quickbooks to NetSuite. “I was a bit nervous because it was something I hadn’t done before,” he remembers. “But it was really painless. The transactions were flowing in the next day. I don’t know what goes on in the background, but it works. Migrating our spend was actually the easiest part of the process.”

Extending the lifespan of your current system.

If you’re not sure that your company is ready to migrate from Quickbooks or Xero, or another solution, to a more comprehensive ERP, it’s worth considering tools that can augment the functionality of smaller systems for a bit longer. These user-friendly platforms integrate well with many other tools, such as intelligent spend management systems, so a company may be able to use additional third-party software to achieve its goals without changing until a later date.

For example, Dmitri Litin, Controller at AspireIQ, notes that integrating with Airbase increased the functionality of QuickBooks Online, which allowed their systems to grow with the company. “As a result, Airbase allowed us to extend the life cycle of QBO by another two years.”

For a smooth migration to NetSuite, be sure to align everything in advance, and communicate timelines and expectations clearly with all stakeholders. A seamless transition will enable you to expand your finance operations to keep pace with your growing company.

You can find a comprehensive guide to the NetSuite migration process here.

 

To learn more about Airbase, contact us for a product demo.

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