Enterprise-grade planning is now accessible for mid-market teams

Techday NZ

24-06-2025

Over the past few years, finance teams have made serious moves towards smarter, more connected planning - improving day-to-day tasks like budgeting and forecasting - while also rethinking how decisions get made across the business. Now that sophisticated planning tools are more accessible and affordable, a growing number of mid-market organisations are asking - what should planning look like today?
Real planning transformation takes more than plugging in a slick new platform. Many teams are still working around long-standing disconnects - between systems and spreadsheets, finance and operations, data and decisions. Even today, it's rare for finance to have a live, financial view of what's happening across the business. If a sales target slips or a hiring plan changes, the impact might not be visible until weeks later by which point, the moment to act has passed.
The most advanced teams are solving for this by embedding smarter planning directly into their core systems. The aim is to create one connected environment where finance can guide both strategic direction and day-to-day decisions with speed and confidence. And to do that, you need an ERP-native Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) solution.
What is Enterprise Performance Management (EPM)?
EPM isn't new. For years, large enterprises have used EPM systems to support strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting. But traditionally, these tools have been too complex, too expensive - or too removed from the day-to-day systems mid-market businesses rely on.
A new wave of cloud-based EPM tools is bringing these capabilities to the mid-market. Designed to work natively within cloud ERP systems like NetSuite, these tools eliminate the need for standalone platforms, extra data wrangling or a steep learning curve.
The difference is accessibility but it's also in capability. These new planning tools allow finance teams to plan, model and forecast inside the same system they already use to run the business. Some of the most powerful features available include: Predictive planning: AI uses historical data to suggest values for budgets and forecasts, helping teams get started faster and forecast with more confidence.
Anomaly detection: As numbers are entered, unusual patterns are flagged in real time - reducing the risk of errors making it through to final plans.
Scenario modelling: With just a few changes, teams can create and compare multiple 'what if' scenarios without copying data into a spreadsheet or building fragile formulas.
How finance teams are using EPM in practice
With the right planning tools now embedded inside their ERP, mid market finance teams no longer have to rely on backwards-looking data or scattered spreadsheets to guide the business. EPM gives them the visibility and control to make planning a part of the day-to-day rhythm of business. Here's how that looks in practice:
Headcount is often a business's biggest cost but also one of the hardest to model accurately. With EPM, finance teams can plan by role, team or location, account for on-costs, model hiring delays or restructures, and instantly see the downstream financial impact.
Rather than using flat assumptions or manual spreadsheets, teams can forecast revenue by channel, product, customer or region. Adjust inputs like volume, pricing or FX, and instantly test new growth strategies or pricing models.
Budget owners can input and manage department-level expenses directly without finance chasing spreadsheets or losing version control. Templates, approvals and commentary keep the process structured and auditable.
When the board asks, 'what happens if revenue drops 15% next quarter?', EPM tools make it easy to duplicate base plan, adjust key drivers, and compare the impact without rewriting the entire forecast from scratch.
NetSuite EPM - enterprise-grade planning for mid markets
Built on Oracle's enterprise-grade technology, NetSuite's Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) suite is designed to bring advanced planning and forecasting capabilities to finance teams already running on NetSuite ERP. It removes the friction of disconnected tools by embedding planning directly into the system you already use to manage finance, operations and reporting. In Australia and New Zealand, the core NetSuite EPM modules now available include: NetSuite Planning & Budgeting (NSPB)
A powerful planning engine that lets teams build budgets, rolling forecasts and financial models tied directly to NetSuite data. NSPB supports everything from workforce and OPEX planning to revenue modelling, scenario testing and demand forecasting - including built-in AI for predictive planning and anomaly detection. NetSuite Account Reconciliation (NSAR)
NSAR automates and streamlines the account reconciliation process, helping finance teams speed up month-end close and reduce risk. With rules-based automation, real-time visibility and built-in controls, it ensures accuracy without the spreadsheet sprawl.
These EPM modules can be adopted individually or as a suite, depending on the business's maturity and planning needs. Most organisations start with NSPB as the entry point - replacing static budgets and spreadsheet processes with more accurate, real-time and collaborative planning.
What to explore next
If your team is starting to feel the strain of spreadsheet-led planning - or if you've outgrown basic budgeting inside your existing accounting solution - it might be time to take a closer look at NetSuite and NetSuite EPM.
These planning tools give you the structure to move fast, the visibility to stay on track and the intelligence to plan for what's next. And because they work inside the systems you already use, the leap to smarter planning might be closer than you think.
Read The beginners guide to NetSuite Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) >