One NetSuite, Three Different Skill Sets
ERP, CRM and SuiteCommerce share a platform but not a talent profile. The work arrives in bursts around rollouts, releases and storefront changes.
ERP, CRM and SuiteCommerce share a platform but not a talent profile. The work
arrives in bursts around rollouts, releases and storefront changes.
NetSuite says it serves more than 44,000 customers on a single suite that covers accounting,
orders, inventory, supply chain and procurement, with CRM and commerce alongside
[1]
. One
arrives in bursts around rollouts, releases and storefront changes.
platform does not mean one skill set. Finance configuration, SuiteScript development, CRM
design and storefront engineering are separate disciplines, and a customer rarely needs all of
them at full strength for long. Release rhythm adds to the unevenness. NetSuite’s
documentation describes major SuiteCommerce releases about twice a year: SuiteCommerce
and MyAccount update automatically, while SuiteCommerce Advanced is unmanaged and
customers must migrate to new releases themselves
[2]
.
1. Some updates are automatic. Others are projects.
design and storefront engineering are separate disciplines, and a customer rarely needs all of
them at full strength for long. Release rhythm adds to the unevenness. NetSuite’s
documentation describes major SuiteCommerce releases about twice a year: SuiteCommerce
and MyAccount update automatically, while SuiteCommerce Advanced is unmanaged and
That last distinction matters for staffing. A managed update needs light monitoring, while a
manual SuiteCommerce Advanced migration needs developers who can read the
customization, plan the move and test it against the live store. Few finance-led NetSuite teams
keep that capability on payroll all year. The shortage is wider than NetSuite: a 2021 Gartner
survey found 64 percent of IT executives naming talent shortage as the most significant barrier
to adopting emerging technologies
[3]
.
2. Buy the burst, keep the core
manual SuiteCommerce Advanced migration needs developers who can read the
customization, plan the move and test it against the live store. Few finance-led NetSuite teams
keep that capability on payroll all year. The shortage is wider than NetSuite: a 2021 Gartner
survey found 64 percent of IT executives naming talent shortage as the most significant barrier
Deloitte’s 2024 Global Outsourcing Survey, covering more than 500 executives, found skilled
talent and agility now sitting beside cost reduction as reasons to outsource, with 80 percent
planning to maintain or increase their investment in third-party services
[4]
. McKinsey’s 2025
review of the tech talent gap recommends globally distributed teams and recruiting for skills
rather than credentials
[5]
. For NetSuite, a sensible split keeps process ownership and
administration in house and brings in specialist capacity for the burst: a rollout, a module
launch or a storefront migration.
Orpington Technologies’ ERP staff augmentation
is one way
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talent and agility now sitting beside cost reduction as reasons to outsource, with 80 percent
Orpington Technologies | ERP Staff Augmentation Insights
to do that for NetSuite work: certified consultants join the client’s team for the stretch that
needs them and step away when it ends.
3. Where Orpington Technologies fits
For organisations weighing this model,
Orpington Technologies’ ERP staff augmentation
practice
is built on the same logic. Certified ERP consultants stay on Orpington’s payroll, work
needs them and step away when it ends.
remotely and take direction from the client’s own programme leads. NetSuite is among the
platforms covered, alongside SAP, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Odoo,
and the roles span functional consultants, technical developers including SuiteScript, and
programme roles such as data migration, QA and change management. The consultants are
credentialed by the same certified practitioners who audit implementations, so the bench is
judged by people who know what delivery looks like.
platforms covered, alongside SAP, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Odoo,
and the roles span functional consultants, technical developers including SuiteScript, and
programme roles such as data migration, QA and change management. The consultants are
credentialed by the same certified practitioners who audit implementations, so the bench is
judged by people who know what delivery looks like.
The terms are plain. Three matched candidates arrive roughly four weeks after the engagement
fee is confirmed, the monthly invoice is all-inclusive, and a 90-day replacement guarantee
covers the fit risk that makes permanent hires costly to get wrong. Orpington’s own estimate
puts the loaded cost of a direct hire at 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary once employer tax, benefits
and compliance are counted. Details are at
https://www.orpingtontech.com/erp-staff-
augmentation/
, and a short conversation about next quarter’s named roles is a sensible place
to start.
Four questions for any NetSuite staffing partner
Question to ask
Why it matters
Who employs and vets the consultant?
Keeps payroll and compliance off your books, and
puts credential checks in expert hands.
fee is confirmed, the monthly invoice is all-inclusive, and a 90-day replacement guarantee
covers the fit risk that makes permanent hires costly to get wrong. Orpington’s own estimate
puts the loaded cost of a direct hire at 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary once employer tax, benefits
Which of ERP, CRM or SuiteCommerce has the
consultant delivered?
consultant delivered?
The three areas demand different experience, and a
strong ERP consultant is not automatically a
storefront developer.
What happens if the fit is wrong?
A replacement commitment turns a hiring mistake
into a scheduling one.
Can the engagement be sized to a rollout?
A defined project window argues for capacity that
starts quickly and ends cleanly.
Sources & Further Reading
[1] Oracle NetSuite – “NetSuite ERP”
[2] Oracle NetSuite Help – “Commerce Patches and Upgrades”
[3] Gartner – “Gartner Survey Reveals Talent Shortages as Biggest Barrier to Emerging Technologies Adoption,”
September 2021
[4] Deloitte – “Global Outsourcing Survey 2024”
[5] McKinsey & Company – “Tech Faces a Talent Bottleneck. Here’s What to Do About It,” August 2025
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strong ERP consultant is not automatically a
storefront developer.