Exclusive: NetSuite expands partner ecosystem to meet AI and ESG demand

Oracle NetSuite ANZ is upgrading its channel strategy to better support partners and customers in AI adoption, ESG compliance and innovation.

NetSuite is going all-in on building a broader partner ecosystem across Australia and New Zealand as customer demand intensifies for AI capability, ESG support and faster innovation.

Tony Field, General Manager of Channels and Ecosystems at Oracle NetSuite ANZ spoke with TechDay during the Sydney SuiteConnect event.

He said the company had "evolved its approach over the past year to extend beyond traditional resellers and alliance partners."

"About 12 months ago, we made investments into the team to really go after the entire ecosystem," he said. "Now we have strategic relationships with associations, advisory partners, private equity firms and BPO partners."

Field explained that the traditional model – focused solely on direct sales and solution providers – was becoming too limited for the changing technology landscape.

"We were ignoring all these other communities out there, essentially," he said.

"By working with associations who have tens of thousands of members, we can now communicate and get our story out there a lot faster, and of course, leverage customers we already have in those communities."

NetSuite is also using these expanded connections to address broader business concerns.

One of the most pressing areas is ESG, particularly in Australia where mandatory reporting is on the rise. 

"We're not a full ESG provider, of course," Field said. "But now we have advisory firms in our programs that we can bring in. That lets us add value to a customer on ESG and to other partners across the ecosystem."

He gave the example of NetSuite's recent Partner Summit, held just one day before its major SuiteConnect customer event.

"For the first time, we brought all these different communities together," he said. "We had panelists from supply chain and logistics, retail, ESG, and AI. That just shows the breadth of the community we've built and the types of challenges we can now help address."

AI is another significant focus for NetSuite and its partners – and Field said the company's embedded approach gives it a competitive advantage.

"AI with NetSuite – it's built in, it's not a bolt-on," he said. "It's embedded throughout the suite. So instead of learning something from scratch, we're making existing processes even more efficient."

Field highlighted text-enhancement features as a simple but effective example: "You used to have to write everything yourself – now there's a button to pull the information together and generate the text. You can still add context, but it's a huge time-saver."

For partners who want to go deeper, NetSuite recently opened up its GenAI API.

"Many of our partners are developers as well, so they can now take advantage of that API," he said. "That's where all the innovation starts."

Training and education play a central role in NetSuite's enablement strategy, Field added, noting that partners access these resources through the company's SuiteLife program.

"It's really education to start with, right through to development training," he said. "Once partners go through the training, they're immediately adding value back to their customers."

This focus on enablement is paying off in core industries such as retail, manufacturing and services.

"Customer demand is strong, even in those sectors," Field said. "There's disruption, of course – like churn in retail or tariffs in manufacturing – but at the end of the day, they've still got business challenges which NetSuite can solve."

He also emphasised how customer feedback and partner input influence both product development and service enhancements.

"It's a continuous cycle," he said. "Our partners have regular contact with my team and myself, and that feedback goes straight to our global channel team and product management. We're very accessible."

This emphasis on access and collaboration was a key theme at NetSuite's local events.

"Events like the Partner Summit and SuiteConnect are critical," Field said. "It's about getting together, sharing ideas, aligning with our executives, and building new connections. That's where innovation comes from."

Field said customers frequently asked to be connected with like-minded peers or relevant associations during these gatherings, illustrating the value of community-led networking.

"Partners love to talk to other customers – and customers love to talk to each other," he said. "So these connections are super important."

NetSuite also supports global engagement through SuiteWorld, its flagship international conference.

"We take our partners over to that – and our customers too," he said. "It just goes to another level."

Field believes these engagements help NetSuite stay relevant in a fast-evolving tech landscape.

"Part of it is that feedback loop," he said. "But also it's about understanding how we can remain relevant – not just in what NetSuite does, but the pain points beyond that."

Looking ahead, Field expects AI to reshape the ERP space even further.

"AI is going to change everything," he said. "But the best AI comes from the best data. That's why the way NetSuite is structured – with a single source of truth and everything built in – puts us in a really strong position."

And, according to Field, this is just the beginning of a new era.

"We're only at the start," he said. "The future's definitely unknown, but that's what is most exciting."