NetSuite is the #1 cloud ERP (enterprise resource planning) system in the world. The one unified platform encompasses a multitude of verticals that include financials, ecommerce, and customer relationship management (NetSuite CRM). It’s a popular tool for business administration, as well as:
- Financial management
- Marketing automation
- Project management
- Order management
- And more…
It’s a program that streamlines operations and drives sales. That means NetSuite is equipped to deal with a high volume of documentation in real-time, including uploading, managing, and storing items with custom fields. It’s software tailored to meet your business needs.
What is NetSuite Document Management?
One of NetSuite‘s key business processes is a document management system. The tool enables you to add reference documents to any record to simplify your audit trail. This facilitates year-end accounting and helps to organize files.
Nearly every record type in the system supports related attachments. You can also control access to these items via the authentification system.
The NetSuite document management system can be used to store and manage documents in various workflows. This includes items like email attachments, web content, customization scripts, support cases, purchase orders, templates, etc.
There are many advantages to the NetSuite ERP platform, including:
- Documents are automatically attached to the record where you need them.
- A central user interface to manage all types of content for team collaboration.
- Supports data entry of unstructured file types including PDF, image files, office, files, etc.
- Hyperlinks are created in the software with security by NetSuite‘s authentication system.
NetSuite File Cabinet
The “File Cabinet” is used for NetSuite document management and comes with purchase. When logged in as Administrator, you can access the File Cabinet by navigating to Documents > Files > File Cabinet.
In concept, it’s like having a thumb drive in NetSuite with a space of 10 Gigabytes. If you need more space than that, there is a charge of $199/month for every 10 additional Gigabytes of storage. Compared to companies like Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure, this can be a costly add-on.
The File Cabinet helps to organize and store files like contracts, vendor invoices, expense receipts, etc. If you don’t want to pay for the storage in NetSuite, there are other applications you can integrate to optimize workflow.
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What are the Best Document Management Apps for NetSuite?
Like any ERP system on the market, it can’t possibly do everything for everyone. That’s why it’s important NetSuite allows for streamlined integration with other professional services. Here are a few key NetSuite partners:
DocuPeak
DocuPeak for NetSuite by suiteapp.com is an enterprise-class document management system that is centered around an accounts payable automation solution. Other features include OCR and content extraction, volume document processing, and metadata linking.
The web-based front end capture tool is used for distributed scanning and centralized high-volume capture of paper documents. Once you scan and upload the paperwork, the document is indexed and moved into DocuPeak for easy archive management.
It can then be automatically submitted to start a pre-defined workflow process that sends out consistent notifications. The multiple auto-indexing capabilities eliminate the need for manual management and document indexing.
Essential features include:
- Barcode recognition with a coversheet generator provided.
- An easy-to-configure tool, Zone OCR allows you to pre-set multiple zones on each document for instant data capture.
- Database lookups are simple. You can interface with any ODBC compliant directory for key data extraction and validation.
- Unique background send capability comes with Scan Bench. It works with any Twain scanner and allows for scanning at normal speeds. It never lags from file transmission.
DocuPeak is of the more affordable add-on options for NetSuite document management. However, that also means it has some limited functionality when compared to the competition.
Box.com
When it comes to NetSuite document management integration, the Box program aligns perfectly. It has been a popular alternative for companies that don’t feel like the File Cabinet program gives them enough functionality or ease-of-use.
The add-on is a stand-alone with enterprise-grade file management solutions and robust features to collaborate, share, and store documents and files (done in the cloud).
All of the Box Business Plans offer unlimited storage which is a vast improvement over the File Cabinet. When you purchase the Box add-on, a new label is created in NetSuite called “Box Files.” It shows up as a tab on any NetSuite record. This allows users to easily add and manage files in Box directly through the NetSuite platform.
It creates an improved user experience such as “Drag and Drop” and the ability to preview any image file directly in the browser. This is a unique feature as many add-ons must be managed in a separate platform than the host. It’s an incredibly convenient detail that saves loads of time.
In addition to storage, there are some differences between the File Cabinet and Box.com you should consider, like:
- Support: Box.com does not support NetSuite Sandbox accounts. Unless you have a dedicated Box account for Sandbox (which would just double costs.)
- User experience: Although Box offers a superior user experience, it is licensed on a per-user basis. This means it can become glitchy when logging onto NetSuite if too many people are attempting to get in at the same time. NetSuite users who only employ File Cabinet don’t have this issue.
- Price: The cost of Box can add up quickly. Their lowest-priced plan starts at $15/month per user. That means, if you have 15 employees, you’re looking at paying $2,700 just to use the program. This doesn’t include the extra fee charged for the Box NetSuite connector.
When you are looking at business management on a global scale (including financial consolidation) Epicor is a good platform to consider for integration. They are a global ERP provider that specializes in manufacturing and distribution. Oracle is another effective system for enterprise management. However, if you want to stick with the brand, NetSuite OneWorld delivers a real-time unified global solution for enterprises that manage multinational and multi-subsidiary operations.
It’s important to fully comprehend the ins and outs of your ERP system. NetSuite is incredibly user-friendly. The more you get to know the program, the easier it is to facilitate workflows with features like document management.
