The Administrator is the heart and soul of any great NetSuite team. Their day-to-day duties involve configuring and maintaining the software so a company can maximize its workflow and achieve its business goals.

It’s a role that requires excellent versatility, combining all the traits of a savvy business guru with a tech specialist. Businesses need someone familiar with using NetSuite’s native tools to create, integrate, and maintain high-performing dashboards that can be tailored to their needs. You will expect to ensure the backend functions correctly, be able to translate a user-friendly, customizable, and accessible dashboard, provide on-going technical support for all members of the team, and finally, have a firm grasp of the trends affecting the industry.

The person that signs up for a NetSuite account is automatically given the Administrator role. This is a powerful role and should only be given to those who require full NetSuite functionality for their job. Typically, this is a small number of people. The Administrator role should be given to at least two people on an account. With at least two Administrator roles on an account, crucial NetSuite tasks can be reached in the event of absence or employee departure. Although you should have more than one administrator for an account, you should also choose your administrators wisely. Users assigned the Administrator role should receive enhanced scrutiny of their transactions via audit trails in system notes.

As with other standard roles, the standard Administrator role cannot be customized. You should create and use a custom administrator role rather than using the standard role.

The Administrator role has full access to all tasks and pages in NetSuite, including:

1. Full visibility into all areas of the NetSuite account
2. Complete access to the Setup Manager, the path to common administrator tasks

Users with the Administrator role must use two-factor authentication in newly provisioned accounts.The Administrator role is a global role that applies to the entire NetSuite account. Other localized administrator roles apply to specific areas of the NetSuite application, such as the Issues Administrator, Marketing Administrator, and Sales Administrator roles.

What does a NetSuite Admin do?

As you build a business, not everything goes as planned. In fact, some things will go wrong. It’s how you correct those issues that matter most. You need support from someone who knows how to use the software and understands what you need for your business. If a NetSuite Admin is doing its job correctly, you should never have a problem with the software.

It’s no easy job to be an administrator. It takes a lot of skills and knowledge to handle what they do. In this section, let’s discuss the different duties of a NetSuite Network admin.

1. Giving Technical Support: – They give technical support to team members. Should problems arise with the software, they should know what to do. A NetSuite admin will be able to troubleshoot software issues in person. The admin might be part of the IT staff at the company. But many businesses rely on outside contractors regarding IT issues.
2. Consolidating Reports: – In addition to that, they help in consolidating reports and searches about the business. This helps the other team members understand how the business is performing. This can guide the team to revamp their strategies for better performance in the future.
3. Customizing User Roles: – A NetSuite Network admin should be capable of creating and modifying custom user roles to control access to information in the software. The NetSuite software holds a plethora of sensitive data about the business. To protect this information, security protocols are necessary or should be enforced. NetSuite administrators are part of that.
4. Creating Dashboards: – NetSuite administrators create dashboards for user groups within the company. Dashboards contain crucial Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which are information about a company’s overall performance. A NetSuite Network admin can use NetSuite’s powerful customization tools to create novel functionalities tailor-fit for the company.
5. Being up to date with NetSuite Changes: – NetSuite administrators should be aware of the software’s new functionalities. This is to make sure that the business is keeping up with the evolving NetSuite landscape. NetSuite is ever-changing, and so are businesses. It’s important to be well-informed of updates and innovations to keep the workflow seamless and top-notch.

The Administrator Responsibilities

The NetSuite Administrator is responsible for managing and maintaining the NetSuite system within an organization. Their role involves configuring, customizing, and optimizing NetSuite to meet the specific needs of the business. Here are the key responsibilities and challenges faced by a NetSuite Administrator:

1. System Configuration: The NetSuite Administrator is responsible for configuring and setting up the system according to the organization’s requirements. This involves defining custom fields, forms, workflows, and roles, as well as managing user access and security settings.
2. Customization and Development: NetSuite allows for extensive customization to tailor the system to specific business processes. The Administrator works on customizing the system by creating scripts, workflows, and customizations using SuiteScript (JavaScript-based API) and SuiteFlow (workflow automation).
3. Data Management: Managing data within NetSuite is a critical responsibility of the Administrator. They oversee data imports, exports, data cleansing, and data integrity checks. This includes monitoring and maintaining data quality and ensuring data accuracy and consistency.
4. User Support and Training: The Administrator provides support to end-users by addressing their system-related queries and issues. They also conduct training sessions to educate users on how to effectively use NetSuite, including training on new features and system updates.
5. System Maintenance and Upgrades: The Administrator is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the NetSuite system. This includes monitoring system performance, troubleshooting issues, applying patches and upgrades, and ensuring system stability and uptime.
6. Integration and Third-Party Applications: NetSuite often needs to be integrated with other systems and applications to streamline business processes. The Administrator works on integrating NetSuite with other systems, such as CRM or ERP systems, through APIs or middleware.

Challenges Faced by NetSuite Administrators

1. Complexity: NetSuite is a robust and feature-rich system with complex configuration options. Administrators need to have a deep understanding of the platform and its capabilities to effectively manage and optimize it.
2. Customization and Development: Customizing NetSuite often requires advanced programming skills and knowledge of SuiteScript. Administrators may face challenges when dealing with complex customization requirements or troubleshooting customizations.
3. User Adoption and Training: Ensuring user adoption and providing adequate training to end-users can be a challenge. Some users may find the system overwhelming, so the Administrator needs to provide ongoing support and training to encourage effective utilization.
4. System Performance and Scalability: As businesses grow, the NetSuite system needs to handle increasing data volumes and user load. Administrators must monitor and optimize system performance to ensure smooth operations and scalability.
5. Integration Complexity: Integrating NetSuite with other systems or applications can be challenging, especially when dealing with different data formats, APIs, or middleware. Administrators may need to work closely with IT teams or third-party consultants to address integration challenges.

Overall, the NetSuite Administrator plays a crucial role in managing and optimizing the NetSuite system to support the organization’s operations and drive efficiency.