NetSuite Certifications, Accreditations and Local Credibility for Audit purposes

Background

NetSuite as a professional software delivering high qualified certifications

As the leading integrated cloud business software suite, NetSuite requires the users to have quite solid basics to be proficient. The NetSuite training platform provides a variety of training modules covering all the different topics the software is handling. It provides fundamentals training to begin with NetSuite setups and it dives deep down into very specialised concepts such as advanced workflows and scripting to optimise and customise a company’s NetSuite framework.

Eventually, you can obtain different types of certifications based on your profile. For instance, the first certification is called “Suite Foundation Certification” which is a guarantee that someone masters the basics of NetSuite. Furthermore, there are three possibilities to complete the certification program: Administrator, ERP Consultant and SuiteCloud Developer. 

The NetSuite Certification exams cost around two hundred dollars and can be passed several times in case of failure. Every process and validation system is managed by the NetSuite organism. But like for any exams, there is always an underlying question of legislation, veracity and legitimity. This is where national instances come into play.

The role of the AFNOR as a certification institute in France

These interrogations are also raised in the case of NetSuite Certifications. Are these certifications accredited according to the French accountability requirements? Could it be considered as a certified accountant tool?  Which organism is providing a correct framework and credibility to NetSuite certification? When it comes to data protection and global security, does NetSuite provide a proper environment to avoid any leaks of information? What about the mandatory audits?

First and foremost, NetSuite is accredited by AFNOR Certification. Afnor Certification is a company that delivers on audit or on evaluation, signs of confidence in the voluntary field as well as in the regulatory field. At the European level, Afnor Certification is notified for several European directives to deliver the CE marking, which attests the conformity of products to European regulatory requirements. It is one of the main organisms in France which provide a certain level of confidence to certifications. The referential value for NetSuite certification is known as the NF203, and it is considered as an accounting software. So far, the accreditation has been renewed which is a proof of the importance of NetSuite in the accounting sector in France. AFNOR is not only providing certification, the group is also working with companies to normalise their processes to match the expectations at a French scale level but also at the European level. 

AFNOR is working closely with INFOCERT to create and develop the NF brand, which brings  to every software company (there exist multiple certifications for various domains as well) a genuine sustainable competitive advantage and a worldwide recognition. Indeed, that shows a desire from the software editor to be in conformity with the requirements and reglementation of a specific country. The NF mark is a guarantee of quality, safety and confidence which provides credibility to the editors but also security to the customers.

A simple system to audit thanks to numerous features set up by NetSuite

Moreover, NetSuite is providing governance, risk, and compliance features, to authorise the proper authorities to audit companies using the software. It also provides a proper framework to protect the customer data and privacy to avoid any leak of information. Furthermore, NetSuite provides system notes that track most of the data and configuration changes. In most cases, you can determine whether a record, or a group of configuration settings, supports system notes based on whether a System Notes subtab is available on its NetSuite page. You can use NetSuite’s search capabilities to access system notes for auditing purposes. When it comes to privacy, NetSuite has created the PI removal feature, which enables users with the proper permissions to remove private information from NetSuite Fields, records and audit logs. The main aim of this feature is to help customers to regulate their privacy and to secure their data. 

Furthermore, NetSuite provides four ways to prepare your company to be audited. The first one is all about the Saved searches. Auditors will often request to run reports that are not necessarily part of your organization’s normal routine. However, NetSuite’s Saved Searches can generate these reports with ease and prevent the company from making long excel reports. The second one is Audit Trails: every transaction within the NetSuite system can be traced. This basically means that every modification, customization or simple change can be tracked. The third one involves Drill Down capabilities. Quite often the auditors are looking for specific transactions which means that one company must dive into distinct entities. But thanks to this feature, NetSuite permits to attach original documents to a transaction. Last but not least, GL Audit Numbering. It provides seamless sequencing of all general ledger transactions. That ensures transactions are not deleted or lost and that the sample selection is complete.

Conclusion

In short, AFNOR is providing a secured framework and a proper certificate to guarantee the authenticity of the NetSuite Certifications. Thanks to the numerous companies and users using NetSuite, it gives the software a proper credibility. Likewise, it allows NetSuite’s certification to be renewed. Moreover, the software editor provides several bundles to protect the data and the privacy of the information while making the audit processes easier for external companies. Here I described four main processes that ease the audit process but also provide proper security.

In short

Privacy, Audit, Saved searches, Audit trails, AFNOR, Drill Down Capabilities, GL Audit numbering, data security.