NetSuite OpenAir is a cloud-based professional services automation (PSA) software that is used by businesses of all sizes, i.e., startups, SMBs, and enterprises, to manage their projects, resources, and finances.

It is touted and known as the complete and most comprehensive solution on the market because it helps organizations in project accounting, time and expense tracking, resource management, billing and invoicing, and more. 

Not only that, another best thing about this PSA software is that users can easily integrate any leading ERP software with it. 

So, you can say that NetSuite OpenAir is an all-in-one solution for organizations that want to manage their data on the cloud. 

Here is an explainer video as well to understand OpenAir better:

What Problems Does Oracle NetSuite OpenAir Solve? 

It is a SaaS toolset that comes with various applications and tools, catering to meet the custom requirements of each lifecycle of the project. 

As you start to navigate through OpenAir, you will see that there are value-added tools for business operations such as accounting, billing, invoicing, and data analytics. 

Below are some of the problems that OpenAir quickly solves and makes the entire lifecycle seamless. Let’s get to know them. 

Limited Project Visibility and Tracking

In project management, organizations often feel handicapped and struggle to track project health in real time. 

From the manager’s point of view, they rely on spreadsheets, disconnected tools, and manual updates that are often delayed. 

OpenAir solves these problems by providing its top features, such as:

• It has real-time dashboards that give an overview of KPIs like project margin, delivery status, resource utilization, and billing progress. These KPIs are calculated and give proper visibility. 
• Allowing configurable project workspaces to track tasks, milestones, and dependencies that provide an overview of project tracking. 
• Helping teams proactively identify delays, scope creep, or budget overruns. This keeps the delays at bay and helps find solutions. 

Siloed Financial and Operational Data

When there are silos, the project lifecycle is already disrupted and full of obstacles. The reason behind this is mainly that less integrated systems and project data is in separate tools.

It leads to two main problems, that is causing manual errors and slow reporting. 

When organizations face this problem, they employ OpenAir to fix issues by:

• Seamlessly integrating with NetSuite ERP, or third-party systems like Oracle EBS, SAP, Salesforce, and MS Dynamics
• Syncing project data with accounting, billing, and revenue recognition in real time
• Ensuring accurate P&L reporting at the project or client level

Inconsistent Resource Utilization

When the available resources are not properly utilized and there is poor resource planning, organizations come to face overbooking, missed deadlines, and underused teams. However, with OpenAir, organizational problems like these can be easily solved as it offers:

• Offering resource forecasting based on the project pipeline and historical trends, so you will already have an idea about allocation and final decisions. 
• Matching available staff based on skills, certifications, and availability, saving your time and effort
• Supporting real-time resource calendars and utilization reports by department or role

Manual Time and Expense Capture

Manual time and expense tracking is an important aspect when there is time allocation for certain projects, and there is hourly billing. When time and expense tracking is not fair from the start, it leads to approval and management issues. 

But, using OpenAir, organizations are able to solve these problems quickly. 

• Mobile apps and web-based entry for time, expenses, and approvals using OpenAir
• Policy enforcement to flag missing receipts, incorrect categories, or late submissions, so that the candidates and resources are well familiarized with all processes. 
• Integration with payroll and billing systems for fast processing, so that there are no delays in payment disbursements. 

Delayed and Error-Prone Billing

Revenue leakage and billing delays are common when billing is managed outside of the project system. Therefore, it is important to bring it under one platform, and you can easily overcome this problem by leveraging NetSuiteOpenAir:

• Supporting multiple billing models: time & materials, milestone, fixed-fee, retainer, so you can manage all the types of billing in your project lifecycle.
• Automating invoice generation based on timesheets, deliverables, and contract terms so everything is transparent from the start.
• Offering approval workflows for billing review and invoice scheduling so that there is a proper hierarchical flow and there are no extra entries. 

Complex Revenue Recognition Compliance

Regulations and compliance with respect to revenue are an important part of it. Many service-based organizations face regulatory pressure under ASC 606 and IFRS 15. To resolve such challenges, OpenAir offers:

• Rules-based revenue recognition aligned with project progress or delivery
• Automation for multi-element arrangements and deferred revenue schedules
• Audit-ready revenue reporting with drill-down into source transactions

Inability to Scale Globally

When the companies expand, their first goal is to expand globally and take their operations to an international level. Growing firms with global teams face issues around multi-currency billing, tax compliance, and intercompany transactions. OpenAir supports:

• Multi-currency, multi-language, and tax localization so you can make your organization operational and expand it seamlessly 
• Intercompany project tracking, billing, and consolidated reporting
• Scalable architecture that works across countries and subsidiaries

Lack of Reporting for Decision-Making

In order to make important decisions, there must be proper data for making and leading certain decisions. When leadership lacks reliable data on profitability, client performance, or delivery efficiency, there comes a different sort of issue. OpenAir enables:

• Customizable reports for profit margin, billable vs. non-billable hours, and forecast vs. actuals
• Drill-down analytics for time entry, billing history, resource costs, and more
• Exportable dashboards for executive reporting and client updates

NetSuite OpenAir Professional Services Automation Features

NetSuite OpenAir offers a lot of automation features to facilitate organizations in project management and other business processes. 

Below, we have mentioned all the NetSuite OpenAir PSA features: 

• Pre-packaged integration of third-party software
• Report for labor costs
• Importing and exporting data
• Sales collaboration
• API for security enhancement 
• Data analytics dashboard
• Timesheet management
• Resource management
• Expense management
• Project management
• Invoice and billing
• Project budgeting
• Multi-company synchronization
• Revenue recognition

We have also given a brief description of a few features below: 

Timesheet Management

One of the main features of NetSuite OpenAir is timesheet management. It provides highly configurable, multi-platform timesheet tracking that ensures compliance, accuracy, and integration with downstream processes like billing and payroll.

Within time sheet management, users see multiple other features such as multi-device support, role and project-based time tracking, approval workflows, audit-ready logs, and integration hooks. 

Resource Management

By using NetSuite OpenAir, you can start precise control and forecasting of resource availability, utilization, and productivity across global or distributed delivery teams. 

By using OpenAir, the leaders can further refine their resource management using features like skill-based allocation, forecasting resources using project pipeline data, workflows, bench visibility, and capacity planning.

Expense Management

For service-based companies, expense management is a key factor. Using OpenAir, service-based companies can automate expense capture, approval, and reimbursement, which ensures tight control over project budgets and policy compliance.
In addition to that, OpenAir gives mobile-first expense capture, policy enforcement for spending limits and expense categories, guilt-currency and tax compliance that supports VAT, GST, local tax handling, project and client tagging, and lastly ERP integration with NetSuite Accounts Payable, employee reimbursements, and GL expense categorization.

Project Management

OpenAir provides end-to-end project lifecycle management. From scoping and planning to execution, delivery, and post-project analysis, NetSuite OpenAir is a full-fledged software to get started. 

Project managers can create WBS, i.e., work breakdown structure, add milestones and SLA tracking, resource-linked planning, work on baseline bs actual monitoring, and leverage collaboration tools for internal and external users. 

Reporting and Dashboards

Reporting and intuitive dashboards are the key factors when it comes to SaaS software. NetSuite OpenAir does it all seamlessly. With OpenAir, users get real-time, customizable analytics to help executives, PMOs, and finance teams stay informed across all active and completed engagements.

Not only that, but there are role-based dashboards that give full ownership, and there are surface-relevant KPIs. It has drill-down reporting, forecasting models, embedded BI tools, export, and API access that make it one of the best platforms. 

Invoicing and Billing

When there is hourly pricing or the organization has to capture expertise management, they need an invoice and billing management software that handles their full invoicing lifecycle. Using OpenAir, organizations get the flexibility. 

The main features of OpenAir for invoicing and billing include automated billing schedule, real-time sync with timesheets and expenses, multi-currency and tax rules, invoice template and branding, integration with NetSuite AR for receivables tracking, revenue deferrals, and collections.

Project Budgeting

OpenAir’s budgeting tools enable financial discipline across all projects, supporting both fixed and variable cost models and offering real-time tracking. Organizations can have multi-level budgets set up easily in OpenAir, along with a baseline via actual tracking. They can also change request workflows, set alerts and thresholds, and do revenue recognition that can be linked to percentage-complete or milestone-based revenue triggers

But, What’s New With NetSuite OpenAir aka SuiteProjects Pro 2025.1?

NetSuite OpenAir has officially been rebranded as SuiteProjects Pro, and with the 2025.1 release, Oracle is rolling out several updates that make project delivery smoother, smarter, and more connected. 

These changes aim to enhance how teams collaborate, track work, and access data both on desktops and mobile devices.

Here’s a breakdown of what’s new in the 2025.1 release:

A More Visual Homepage

Now you can add charts directly to your SuiteProjects Pro homepage, so instead of clicking into reports, key insights are right there when you log in.
You can choose from chart types like pie, donut, bar, line, or area, and set them up to show things like time periods, task categories, or project phases. It’s a small change that makes dashboards much more useful.
(Heads-up: This is an optional feature. You’ll need to reach out to SuiteProjects Pro support to get it turned on.)

Smarter Global Search

Search has been upgraded again. You can now find project phases, tasks, bookings, milestones, expense reports, receipts, and even workspace documents with just a quick search.
It’s the same global search that launched in a previous release (2024.2), but with more coverage and better performance.

Built-In Project Discussions

One of the more useful updates: there’s now a way to chat and collaborate right inside SuiteProjects Pro.
You can start conversations about tasks, ask for updates, or discuss blockers, and all messages stay tied to the project. 

This helps cut down on scattered emails or lost Slack threads.
You can access discussions from any page in the app, and everything is saved and searchable.

Reporting Through Oracle Analytics Cloud

If your team needs more advanced reporting, SuiteProjects Pro now connects with Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC).
Using the new BI Connector, you can publish data from SuiteProjects Pro and build custom reports inside OAC.
This feature isn’t included by default. It’s a licensed add-on, so you’ll need to contact your account rep if you’re interested.

To-Do Lists on Mobile

The mobile app is also getting an upgrade. 

With version 5.3 (coming in Q2 2025), you’ll see a new To-Do List on both your mobile dashboard and your device’s home screen.

This makes it easier to track what you need to submit or approve, like timesheets or expense reports, without logging into the full app. It’s a simple way to stay on top of tasks while on the move.

When Will You See These Updates?

• Sandbox accounts: Get the new features after March 22, 2025
• Production accounts: Updates go live on April 12, 2025
• Mobile app: Rolling out in Q2 2025 on both iOS and Android

NetSuite OpenAir Cost

NetSuite OpenAir or SuiteProjects Pro does not offer a trial version. 

It has two different pricing plans, i.e., Professional Suite for Small and Medium-sized businesses and Enterprise Suite for large-scale companies. 

The price of Professional Suite for SMBs starts at $399 per month, and the Enterprise Suite, which also offers resource management, starts at the price of $899. Both of these suits also have an additional monthly cost of $49 per user. So, when the number of users increases, additional costs will automatically increase. 

The factors that influence the cost of NetSuite OpenAir pricing are the number of users, features, and modules customization, support, and integrations.

Why Is NetSuite OpenAir Better? 

NetSuite OpenAir is one of the most used platforms across the service-based sector as it streamlines operations with flexibility, cost control, and efficiency.

As discussed above, the service-based companies need to have a well-managed system for their core business tasks, such as tracking project progress, resource utilization, and revenue generation. While no software offers this, NetSuite has a unique proposition that makes it compelling for decision makers. 

In addition to that, the teams are working remotely from different locations, and it has become unimportant for organizations to track projects and update all the activities. 

NetSuite OpenAir is best because it offers a complete and fully loaded software automation system with powerful and robust features that are second to none. Being owned by one of the leading ERP software, i.e., Oracle NetSuite, it gives you complete operational control and optimization. 

Folio3 Offers Implementation & Optimization For OpenAir & Support

Folio3, as one of the leading NetSuite Alliance Partners, offers expert consultancy, implementation, and end-to-end support for OpenAir, aka SuiteProjects Pro. Our expert OpenAir team enables businesses to deploy OpenAir samples that bring them endless business benefits.  

For OpenAir implementation and optimization, book a meeting with us today!

FAQs

Can NetSuite OpenAir handle multi-currency transactions for international projects?

Yes, as it has the multi-currency functionality, it seamlessly handles such types of transactions for internal projects. NetSuite OpenAir automatically applied exchange rates, handled currency conversions, and integrated with the financial systems to ensure accurate global billing, expense tracking, and revenue recognition.

Is NetSuite OpenAir compliant with global data protection regulations?

Yes. NetSuite OpenAir follows industry-standard security practices and is compliant with GDPR and other major data protection frameworks. 

It offers role-based access controls, audit trails, and data encryption to help businesses meet privacy regulations

How does NetSuite OpenAir assist in managing subcontractor relationships?

You can easily work with subcontractors using NetSuite OpenAir as it provides tools for tracking and managing them, including their timesheets, invoicing, and expenses. 

What kind of customer support does NetSuite OpenAir offer?

You can get standard support via phone and email, a customer portal with documentation and release notes, and premium support tiers for larger businesses. 

If you work with a NetSuite implementation partner like Folio3, they can also provide dedicated post-go-live support and custom training.

Can NetSuite OpenAir integrate with CRM systems?

Yes. OpenAir integrates with NetSuite CRM natively and can connect with third-party CRMs like Salesforce using prebuilt connectors or custom APIs. 

This ensures your sales and project delivery teams stay aligned, especially on project scope, client requirements, and pipeline forecasting.

What are the backup and data recovery options in NetSuite OpenAir?

NetSuite provides secure, redundant cloud infrastructure with automatic data backups and disaster recovery capabilities. For enterprise-grade needs, OpenAir includes uptime guarantees and recovery processes as part of Oracle’s cloud SLAs.