Enterprise software providers are rapidly evolving their platforms to support the next phase of AI adoption in finance, where organisations want the flexibility to connect their own AI models while maintaining strict control over sensitive data. At SuiteConnect London, Oracle NetSuite announced a significant expansion of its AI Connector Service, enabling businesses to securely link third-party large language models to their ERP data. The move reflects a broader shift toward open, governed AI architectures that allow finance teams to automate complex workflows without compromising compliance or data security.
At the SuiteConnect London event, Oracle NetSuite officially announced a major expansion of its AI Connector Service. These updates are specifically engineered to help corporate finance teams automate complex workflows while maintaining rigorous governance over sensitive financial data. The rollout addresses a growing demand for “bring-your-own-AI” models, allowing businesses to securely connect their preferred third-party large language models (LLMs) directly to NetSuite’s unified data foundation. This bridges the gap between external AI assistants and internal ERP data, enabling NetSuite to provide an extensible, AI-ready system that meets customers where they are in their digital transformation journeys.
A central feature of this update is the launch of the NetSuite AI Connector Service Companion. This tool acts as an intelligent bridge, teaching external AI models to understand the nuances of complex financial data, permissions, and specific NetSuite terminology. This ensures that AI-generated insights are not only accurate but also consistent with the organisation’s established reporting standards.Enterprise software providers are rapidly evolving their platforms to support the next phase of AI adoption in finance, where organisations want the flexibility to connect their own AI models while maintaining strict control over sensitive data. At SuiteConnect London, Oracle NetSuite announced a significant expansion of its AI Connector Service, enabling businesses to securely link third-party large language models to their ERP data. The move reflects a broader shift toward open, governed AI architectures that allow finance teams to automate complex workflows without compromising compliance or data security.
Key capabilities include:
- Prompt Library: Access to over 100 curated, finance-specific templates that eliminate the need for manual prompt engineering.
- Standardised Skills: Reusable instructions that ensure AI models deliver consistent outputs across different departments, such as procurement or treasury.
- Role-Based Governance: Preconfigured patterns that map AI access directly to roles like CFO, Controller, or AP Analyst, ensuring sensitive data remains restricted and compliant.
To demonstrate the real-world impact of these tools, NetSuite highlighted its partnership with Yoto, the London-founded children’s audio platform. Yoto, which surpassed £100 million in annual revenue in 2025, has utilised NetSuite’s AI-powered ERP system to consolidate its global operations across the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and France. Before the transition, Yoto struggled with disconnected legacy systems that hindered visibility as the business scaled.
Through this adoption of the AI Connector Service, Yoto now maintains a “single source of truth” for all financial data. Ben Averis, CFO at Yoto, noted that the system allows the company to securely connect its unified data to a third-party LLM, defining exactly what the AI can see and do through role-based access. This has enabled the company to safely automate financial tasks, leading to faster, more confident decision-making during a period of rapid international growth.
Evan Goldberg, founder and EVP of Oracle NetSuite, emphasised that a strong data foundation is the prerequisite for effective AI. The update also includes expanded access to the NetSuite Analytics Warehouse, allowing users to run advanced forecasting by combining historical ERP data with third-party market signals. This move signals a strategic shift in the ERP market: rather than forcing customers into a single “walled garden” AI, platforms are becoming open hubs that prioritise data security and role-specific utility.
What this means for the industry
- ERP platforms are becoming AI hubs. Rather than forcing customers into proprietary AI tools, vendors are opening their systems so organisations can connect external LLMs while still using ERP data as the trusted foundation.
- Governance is becoming a core AI requirement. Features such as role-based access and standardised prompts highlight how financial institutions and enterprises are prioritising compliance, data permissions, and auditability when deploying AI.
- Finance teams are moving toward autonomous workflows. Tools that automate reporting, forecasting, and operational finance tasks signal a shift toward AI-assisted decision-making inside corporate finance functions.
- Data integration remains the biggest barrier to AI adoption. NetSuite’s emphasis on a “single source of truth” reinforces that AI value depends heavily on clean, unified enterprise data.
- Enterprise AI strategies will increasingly be ‘bring-your-own-model’. Companies want the freedom to plug in preferred AI providers while keeping control over their core systems and data governance frameworks.
Photo by Jakub Żerdzicki on Unsplash
