The NEXT Generation: Where Your Business Meets AI
- Diego Porro
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
At Hood River Consulting, we’ve always embraced the forward-thinking mindset that defines the NetSuite ecosystem. Today, we’re especially excited to introduce what many consider the biggest leap in NetSuite’s history: NetSuite Next. This isn’t just an upgrade, it’s a complete reimagining of ERP, powered by AI, automation, and a new generation of business intelligence.
In this post, we’ll explore what NetSuite Next is, the new AI-enabled features it brings, and the concrete opportunities they create for our clients.
Content:
What is NetSuite Next?
NetSuite Next is Oracle NetSuite’s next-generation release, essentially the future of NetSuite, rebuilt with artificial intelligence at its core. In Oracle NetSuite’s words, it is designed to be collaborative, insightful, adaptive, intuitive, and trustworthy, embedding powerful AI capabilities directly into the ERP system. Also, the entire experience is delivered through a refreshed, intuitive interface that makes everyday tasks faster, smarter, and easier to navigate.
Best of all, switching to NetSuite Next is seamless: customers can enable it at the press of a button, without a complex reimplementation or data migration disrupting their operations.
Built-In Superpowers: AI-Powered Features explained
NetSuite Next is a new chapter for ERP, where AI becomes a real set of superpowers built into your daily workflow. These are baked right into the platform, helping you make better decisions, automate more, and see what’s coming next. Here’s a quick look at the new key features:
Ask Oracle (Conversational AI Assistant)
Ask Oracle is your always-on, context-aware AI assistant. You can type natural language questions. As you see below, you can simply type “Awesome Fit open sales orders with bikes,” and the assistant brings that information back for you.
AI Canvas
Think of this as a digital workspace where teams and AI work side by side. You can visualize data, simulate “what-if” scenarios, and build strategic plans, all in a live, collaborative environment powered by real-time ERP data. With Ask Oracle built in, you can refine dashboards and get deep insights simply by interacting with the agent in natural language. You can see an example of what the canvas looks like in the image below.
Narrative Insights and Analytics
Instead of manually decoding dashboards, NetSuite Next generates narrative explanations that tell you what’s changing, why it matters, and what to watch out for. It’s like having a virtual analyst summarizing key trends and risks as you work, while also detecting anomalies and proactively alerting you to potential issues before they escalate.
Agentic Workflows
AI agents can now handle processes like accounts payable, vendor selection, or inventory planning, autonomously or with your sign-off. They don’t just follow scripts, they analyze business context, optimize outcomes, and stay within your approval flows.
Document and Knowledge Integration
Upload a receipt, invoice, or contract, and NetSuite Next will extract key information, validate it against policies, and plug it directly into your workflows. Less manual entry, fewer errors, and smarter compliance—powered by large language models.
AI Extensibility (SuiteAgents & External AI Integration)
For companies with advanced needs, NetSuite Next opens the door to deeper customization. You can build your own intelligent agents or securely connect third-party AI tools (like ChatGPT or Claude) using governed protocols and data controls.
Real-World Benefits for Our Clients
So, what does NetSuite Next mean in practical terms? Here’s how we see it creating real value for our clients:
Smarter Automation & Efficiency
AI agents handle reconciliations, invoice processing, and reports—reducing manual work and speeding up cycle times so your team can focus on higher-value tasks.
Better, Faster Decisions
With Ask Oracle and proactive analytics, leaders get instant, role-specific insights, detect trends early, and model scenarios with AI Canvas.
Improved Accuracy & Compliance
NetSuite Next applies your business rules automatically, flags inconsistencies, and maintains full audit trails—reducing risk and improving data trust.
Competitive Advantage & Innovation
An ERP that thinks and acts helps you stay ahead, responding faster to market changes with real-time insights and intelligent recommendations.
Conclusion
NetSuite Next marks a pivotal moment in the evolution of cloud ERP: it’s where business meets AI in a practical, impactful way. By embedding conversational intelligence, smart automation, and insightful analytics into the fabric of NetSuite, Oracle has created an ERP platform that doesn’t just keep records but actively helps improve your business outcomes.
At Hood River Consulting, we are excited about helping businesses take advantage of these new NetSuite Next capabilities. We specialize in configuring and optimizing NetSuite to align with your unique processes, and that mission becomes even more powerful with AI in the mix.
Is your company ready to embrace this future of AI-powered ERP?
Our team at Hood River Consulting is here to guide you in every step of the way.
Let’s get ready for what’s next!
By Santiago Torija, Functional Consultant