All about that AI: What’s next for NetSuite
As is the case with most of the big tech vendors these days, the Oracle NetSuite SuiteWorld conference is all about that AI. While NetSuite revealed its AI Connector Service some months ago (more on that in a moment), the big announcement from Evan Goldberg is the company's next-generation ERP. Handily named NetSuite Next, this is an AI native ERP. One wag in the press corps enquired of Goldberg, why not rename the company NextSuite. Might be something in it, Goldberg conceded.
Now, NetSuite Next incorporates an AI called Ask Oracle, and one doesn't have to wonder from whence that name sprung forth. But does the Oracle supersede or live alongside the 'bring your own AI' implied by the AI connector service?
Asked this question directly by TechDay, Goldberg said no, the two live alongside one another.
The 'more' on the AI connector service is that it supports Model Context Protocol (MCP), a standard for structured communication between large language model (LLM)-powered agents and other systems. Systems like NetSuite either in its present iteration or as Next.
The two living alongside one another goes, perhaps, to the heart of a flexible ERP capable of adapting to user requirements. As anyone in business knows all too well, requirements change all the time. That's at least part of the reason for the emergence of Agile software development approaches, because change can be so rapid (or enterprise software delivery schedules so slow) that things can be radically different between drawing board and production.
So, with MCP-powered integration, the pace of 'external' change is catered for rather neatly, while NetSuite handles 'internal' change with its own dedicated agent.
Let's get to NetSuite Next, then, which Goldberg described as the future of NetSuite. As one might expect in this day and age, it is (again) all about that AI. Ask Oracle is the front end of embedded conversational intelligence, agentic workflows, and natural language search capabilities.
In the canned quote from the press release, Goldberg said "NetSuite Next puts AI to work for businesses by making it a natural extension of the way they already work. With the latest AI innovations built in, NetSuite Next can deliver powerful insights as well as autonomously complete repetitive and complex tasks, all with enterprise-level reliability. Every insight and action is rooted in data and governed by the existing roles, permissions, and policies our customers depend on. It enables users to discover patterns in their business and engage with NetSuite in their own words, all while understanding an individual user's context, so it can deliver answers and actions that provide immediate value."
AI in the lab rarely works as well as AI in the field. However, Microsoft's Copilot has shown that yes, at least some of that translates pretty well. It's highly likely that this will be the case for Ask Oracle in NetSuite Next.
Asked about the risks of AI which are becoming apparent for many users and not just the lawyers and doctors who tried to outsource their thinking, NetSuite SVP of product development Gary Wiessinger explained that the frameworks of risk management native to ERP systems scale to accommodate AI. In much the same way that user permissions limit who can do what, he said the introduction of AI occurs within the same guardrails.
People, of course, are infamous for finding new and unexpected ways of using software. At the same time, we're all seeing examples of AI foibles, so 'watch this space'.
As for NetSuite Next, it is expected to move into general availability for North America within the next 12 months. That's an awesome imprecise deadline, ideal for the corporate world.
Donovan Jackson is attending SuiteWorld as the guest of Oracle NetSuite.
