Key takeaways from SuiteWorld 2025—and what we learned about organizational agility 

SuiteWorld 2025 showcased how AI, data unification, and intelligent design are redefining ERP systems. Here’s what stood out from the event—and what our Agility Calculator revealed about how agile organizations really are. 

Key takeaways: 

• This year’s “No Limits” theme highlighted how NetSuite is embedding AI into its ecosystem—from automation to analytics—to help businesses move faster and make smarter decisions. 

• Highspring’s Agility Calculator results revealed that while most organizations across industries are striving toward agility, many are facing challenges with silos, slow decision-making, and fragmented data. 

• Teams that invest in unified systems, strong leadership alignment, and continuous improvement are best positioned to adapt, scale, and grow with confidence. 

SuiteWorld 2025 brought together thousands of finance and operations leaders to explore the latest in NetSuite innovation. From AI-first ERP capabilities to new tools for predictive analytics and conversational interfaces, the event highlighted how organizations can leverage technology to work smarter, faster, and more collaboratively. During the conference, our team also invited attendees to take Highspring’s Agility Calculator in real-time, allowing them to gain insights into the successes and gaps within their companies’ agility. Here are our biggest takeaways from SuiteWorld 2025, and what the Agility Calculator responses showed us about organizational agility. 

Key learnings from SuiteWorld 2025 

SuiteWorld 2025 made one thing clear. AI is no longer an add-on—it’s embedded into the very fabric of NetSuite. For system integrators, finance teams, and business leaders, this signals a need to rethink how ERP systems are used daily and how real value is being extracted from AI. 

NetSuite Next – Leading with AI 

NetSuite Next introduces AI directly into workflows, shifting ERP from a reporting tool to a proactive partner in decision-making. The features plan to be available in North America within the next 12 months, where agentic workflows can automate tasks such as flagging financial anomalies and optimizing inventory, reducing manual effort and improving accuracy. 

Ask Oracle: Conversational intelligence 

The new Ask Oracle tool replaces traditional search with a conversational interface. Users can ask natural language questions—like which customers have overdue invoices or what inventory levels look like—and receive instant, context-aware answers without complex saved searches. 

Industry-specific focus 

Industry-specific solutions were front and center at SuiteWorld, with dedicated sessions and partner booths highlighting vertical expertise. Key sectors represented included media, manufacturing, services, technology, and distribution. Attendees expressed strong interest in these applications, as well as in tangible AI and data management capabilities.  

Smarter business operations across modules 

AI capabilities are embedded across NetSuite modules that can help specific organizational functions. Here are some examples. 

• Finance: Predictive analytics support autonomous period closes and exception management. 

• Operations: AI anticipates supply issues, optimizes inventory, and streamlines procurement workflows. 

• Sales and service: AI detects early churn, recommends upsells, and automates routine support tasks. 

User experience and design 

The Redwood Design System introduces a modern, mobile-first interface. Smooth transitions to next-gen workflows require careful change management, phased adoption, and user enablement. 

Data unification and analytics 

The NetSuite Analytics Warehouse consolidates data across systems, creating a single source of truth. Teams can leverage predictive and generative insights to move from reactive reporting to proactive, data-driven decision-making. NetSuite’s comprehensive data storage provides a strong foundation for AI, but high-quality, consolidated data remains essential—especially for larger organizations using multiple systems. 

Results of the Agility Calculator from SuiteWorld 2025 

To better understand organizational readiness, attendees were invited to take our Agility Calculator during the event. Technology companies made up the majority of responses, though other industries represented included education, entertainment, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and sports.  

Over 90% of respondents scored average or low agility; fewer than 10% scored high. Here are some of the specific questions and findings we uncovered based on the responses. 

Which best describes your organization’s position in the market? 

What we learned: Over half of respondents said their organizations were either at or behind the curve, while 43% reported being ahead of or redefining it. 

Organizations “ahead of the curve” tended to update processes more often and showed higher confidence in scaling—reinforcing that agility is both a cause and effect of market leadership. 

How quickly does your organization’s leadership resolve reported problems? 

What we learned: Most organizations described their leadership’s problem-resolution speed as moderate, with nearly 60% falling between moderate and slow. Only about 30% reported being fast or very fast, suggesting that while some teams are responsive, most operate with room to improve decision-making efficiency and cross-functional coordination. 

How long does it typically take for your organization to reorient to new ideas, budgets, or project changes? 

What we learned: Nearly 57% of respondents said their organizations take two to three months—or longer—to reorient around new initiatives. Only 7% said they could adapt in under a week, indicating that while some teams demonstrate strong agility, most face slower decision-making cycles that limit responsiveness to market change. 

Respondents in the high agility band reported shorter turnaround times and stronger executive alignment, suggesting that faster reorientation is tied to leadership responsiveness and cross-department communication. 

How often is technology updated in response to new challenges? 

What we learned: About two-thirds of respondents said their organizations update technology sometimes or often, but 21% said it happens rarely. This indicates most companies are somewhat responsive to change, though few are consistently modernizing systems. 

On a scale of 1 to 5, how siloed is executive leadership at your organization? 

What we learned: Most respondents rated executive leadership as moderately siloed, with 71% selecting 3 or 4. Only 11% rated low on the scale, signaling that silos are a common challenge across industries. 

How confident are you that your organization could scale rapidly when needed? 

What we learned: Nearly half of respondents were somewhat confident in their organization’s ability to scale quickly, while about 46% said they were very or extremely confident. Only 8% reported low confidence, reflecting optimism tempered by operational realities. 

Higher agility scores correlated with frequent skill training and proactive opportunity identification—indicating that readiness to scale stems from consistent investments in people and processes, not just technology. 

These results show that most organizations, especially within the tech sector, still have work to do to reach higher levels of agility. However, the data also points to a clear path forward to improve agility: 

• Cross-functional training and leadership responsiveness are strongly correlated with better agility scores. 

• Unified leadership and regular process updates improve speed and scalability. 

• And organizations that invest in continuous improvement—whether through technology, data, or people—are more likely to move from average to high agility over time. 

Implications and recommendations from SuiteWorld 2025 

The insights from SuiteWorld 2025 suggest clear opportunities for organizations to strengthen resilience, agility, and operational intelligence. Many attendees were new users or in implementation phases, highlighting challenges around data integration, multi-book accounting, and effective adoption of AI-powered workflows. 

Start small with AI 

Begin with targeted, high-impact use cases—like financial anomaly detection or inventory optimization—that demonstrate measurable value quickly. Early wins build confidence in AI and pave the way for broader adoption. 

Consolidate and standardize data 

High-quality, unified data flows are critical for AI to deliver actionable insights. Organizations using multiple systems should prioritize data consolidation to enable predictive analytics, real-time decision-making, and smoother automation across modules. 

Embrace structured change management 

Successful adoption requires executive sponsorship, user training, and phased rollouts. The modern, mobile-first interface of NetSuite Next makes change management more important than ever, ensuring that teams can transition smoothly and leverage new AI capabilities effectively at their own pace. 

Design for natural language and workflow integration 

Conversational tools like Ask Oracle demonstrate how users interact with ERP differently. Building systems that support natural language queries and agentic workflows can streamline processes and improve decision-making across finance, operations, and service functions. 

Plan for deeper integration across functions 

AI works best when systems are connected. Preparing workflows and data flows that span finance, operations, and other departments allows AI to act across the organization, moving beyond isolated insights to truly intelligent operations. 

Focusing on these areas helps organizations translate the technology and insights showcased at SuiteWorld—and reflected in tools like the Agility Calculator—into tangible improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and adaptability. 

Measure your organization’s agility today 

Curious how your organization measures up? Take our Agility Calculator today to see where you currently stand. It only takes a few minutes to complete, and in just a handful of questions, you’ll get a clear view of your organization’s agility and insights into where to focus next. 

To explore how your team can better leverage NetSuite and AI solutions to drive smarter, more connected operations, contact us today.