Should I Hire a NetSuite Administrator?

The answer isn’t the same for everyone — because each business (and budget) is different. 

I’ve lived on both sides of the fence: first as a NetSuite Administrator, and now as a NetSuite Consultant. Starting as an admin gave me a clear picture of the day-to-day requests that pop up inside a company. Now, as a consultant, I also see the kinds of challenges that are “too big” for most internal teams to handle alone. 

You might be asking this question because: 

• You just went live and still have a lot of work to do, but aren’t sure if you want to keep paying consulting rates. 
• You’ve been live for a while and things are “okay” — but you’re ready to start improving your system. 
• You already have an admin, but don’t feel there’s enough work to justify a full-time position. 

The truth is that whether or not you need an administrator usually comes down to four factors: Speed, Complexity, Volume, and Budget. 

A Real-World Example 

A client of mine — a plastic bag manufacturer & supplier — recently asked me this exact question: “Should we hire an internal Administrator?” 

They were going through staffing changes and evaluating whether they needed an internal hire in addition to their consulting support. As we talked through their most common issue types, future growth plans, and order fulfillment needs, a clear theme emerged: 

Most of their problems needed fast, on-the-spot solutions. When a customer called in with a question or when an order got stuck, the team needed an immediate fix to keep business flowing. 

Even with the best consultant, there’s always some delay — hopefully just minutes, but more realistically a few hours or even a day. For this manufacturer, that lag time risked slowing down operations and frustrating customers. That’s why I recommended they bring on an internal administrator. The balance of speed vs. cost leaned toward having someone available inside their business, while continuing to use consultants for bigger projects and optimizations. 

Speed 

Even with a great consultant, there’s always a bit of lag time. You have to send an email or submit a ticket, wait for follow-up questions, maybe hop on a troubleshooting call, and sometimes wait longer if they need to “take it offline.” If your partner is in another time zone, that can add another layer of delay. 

Having an internal administrator that your team can walk down the hall to will always be faster. 

Questions to ask yourself: 

• Are your NetSuite issues often “911” emergencies that halt business operations? 
• How often do those urgent issues actually occur? 
• Could some of these problems be reduced with better training for your team? 

If emergencies are rare and most requests are small, then you might be fine with a consultant plus strong internal power users. But if “911” moments happen often, an in-house admin could be worth the investment. 

Complexity 

Troubleshooting NetSuite isn’t always straightforward. Each integration, custom field, script, and workflow adds complexity to your system. 

Questions to ask yourself: 

• Do most of your issues come from NetSuite itself, third-party integrations, or process breakdowns? 
• Are solutions typically long, complex, and involving multiple people? 
• Is your system heavily customized or dependent on several external connections? 

If your system is relatively simple, a dedicated admin may not be necessary. But higher complexity means you’ll need more expertise — either in-house or from a consulting partner who specializes in technical depth.

Volume 

You’ve probably heard someone say, “I’m too busy putting out NetSuite fires to do my actual job.” If you don’t have an administrator today, someone inside your company is playing that role part-time — and possibly drowning. 

Questions to ask yourself: 

• How many people are submitting NetSuite requests daily? 
• How long does it take to resolve each request? 
• Are problems spread across the company or isolated to one department? 

If volume is high, you may need additional hands. That could mean hiring an admin, or it could mean bringing in a NetSuite consulting partner to provide both reactive support and long-term solutions that reduce recurring issues. 

Budget 

At the end of the day, it often comes down to cost. A full-time NetSuite administrator isn’t cheap, but neither is a consultant. The key is matching your budget to the type of support your business actually needs. 

Tips for evaluating cost: 

• Talk with your “de facto admin” about workload and whether shifting their role makes sense. 
• Check with NetSuite recruiters to get a feel for salaries in your area and experience level. 
• Ask partners for their rates and compare. 
• Network with other businesses to see how they approached the same decision. 

Final Thoughts 

Whether you hire an internal administrator, bring in a consultant, or use a mix of both — it should be an intentional decision based on your company’s speed, complexity, volume, and budget. 

The reality is that most businesses need both, but at different levels and different times. If you’re unsure what’s right for you, we’re here to help you evaluate your options and design a NetSuite support strategy that fits your growth path.