NetSuite ERP for the Boating Industry: Siren Marine Success Story

Siren Marine is a Newport, Rhode Island-based marine technology company. The team at Siren Marine developed a solution to make the lives of boat-owners a lot more practical by creating a cellular-based device that connects to a boat's bilge and battery and notifies users on-shore if a critical event occurs on the boat.

For years, they’ve revolutionized the marine and boating industries with their “Connected Boat” technology (a type of Nest + OnStar for boats), which leverages IoT (the Internet of Things) to create a powerful tool for boat-owners to help them ensure their boats are safe, secure and ready to enjoy.

After seeing the success of their product skyrocket, and the demand increase, Siren Marine began looking for a solution to help them automate and facilitate their business processes. That way, they could spend more time doing what they love, and less time helping their financial system keep up with their growing scope of operations.

So, they turned to NetSuite ERP and GURUS Solutions. Learn how GURUS Solutions turned Siren Marine’s business processes from a paddleboat into a speed boat.

Why Siren Marine Chose GURUS Solutions

After widening their scope of operations and seeing expansive growth in the business, Siren Marine began searching for a solution that could grow and expand with their growing operations. In an interview with Siren Marine’s General Manager, Aaron Pape, Pape explains, “We knew we wanted something we could grow into, so we chose NetSuite.”

A solution like NetSuite grows with your company. After a company has implemented NetSuite, they can continue to customize and grow their solution to fit new emerging needs. This can be done through a skilled ERP implementation partner that specializes in customization and development.

After deciding on NetSuite, Pape expresses, “We decided that we really needed to learn more about how NetSuite works and optimize it for what we need and make it more valuable to us by utilizing more of the features.”

He explains that, after finding the perfect solution, the team knew they needed a partner that could not only implement NetSuite but could also teach the Siren Marine team everything they needed to know about optimizing NetSuite, and in turn, optimizing their own processes. So, what did they do?

“So we searched the internet, found GURUS online - they were perfectly willing to help,” says Pape.

After the teams came in contact, GURUS conducted a business process review to understand Siren Marine’s business processes, their needs, and their goals. This is a crucial step in ensuring solution selection, fit, and scalability for future growth. Essentially, it helps the team decide how to customize and tailor a NetSuite solution to meet the needs of Siren Marine and the world of boat technology.

It also helps an implementation partner ensure that the NetSuite implementation rolls smoothly, with a look at how each department will be affected.

Once the teams ironed out the details, GURUS Solutions sent in their pros to help move Siren Marine’s processes to the cloud with a NetSuite solution tailored for the boating industry.

Implementing NetSuite ERP for the Boating Industry

When Siren Marine set out to scale its “Connected Boat” technology, it quickly became clear that a one‑size‑fits‑all ERP wouldn’t cut it. Boats aren’t cars and marine IoT hardware brings its own production, distribution, and subscription‑billing challenges. That’s where GURUS Solutions stepped in, tailoring NetSuite to meet every nuance of Siren’s business.

Blending Industry Best Practices into One Platform

Rather than shoehorning Siren Marine into a generic system, GURUS handpicked NetSuite modules from manufacturing, wholesale distribution, eCommerce, and software. The result? A unified platform that handles everything from on‑shore production planning to out‑at‑sea device alerts.

• Manufacturing: GURUS configured production‑planning workflows and bill‑of‑materials management so Siren’s IoT hardware is built correctly, on time, every time. Automatic inventory updates mean the team never loses sight of critical components.
• Wholesale Distribution: With automated order‑management, Siren ships cellular gateways and sensors seamlessly, reducing manual touches and speeding delivery to dealers and end‑users.
• eCommerce: Siren’s online portal now ties directly into NetSuite, so device subscriptions, aftermarket sales, and service renewals all flow through one system, vastly improving cash‑flow visibility.
• Software & SaaS: To support their subscription‑based Connected Boat service, GURUS enabled automated revenue recognition and usage‑based billing, eliminating tedious manual invoicing and ensuring compliance.

Empowering the Siren Team, Phase by Phase

Rolling out a new ERP isn’t just technical, it’s cultural. GURUS structured the project into clear phases, each designed to build confidence and drive adoption:

• Hands‑On Workshops: From Procure‑to‑Pay to Payment‑to‑Cash, Siren’s staff joined interactive sessions where they practiced real workflows in a sandbox environment.
• Custom Dashboards & Saved Searches: GURUS built dashboards that surface key boating KPIs service‑alert counts, device‑activation rates, even cash‑flow forecastsso managers have real‑time insights on the bridge.
• Post‑Go‑Live Support: With a dedicated support model, Siren Marine continues to tweak and enhance workflows, adding new alerts or custom reports as their product and customer base evolve.

“GURUS has been really great since the beginning. They showed us everything from procure to pay, payment to cash… It was extremely helpful.”
— Aaron Pape, General Manager, Siren Marine

By marrying industry‑specific best practices with rigorous training and ongoing support, GURUS Solutions delivered a NetSuite ERP that doesn’t just “work,” but continues to accelerate Siren Marine’s growth, keeping boats safe, connected, and ready for adventure.

Working With GURUS Solutions

When asked about Siren Marine’s experience with GURUS Solutions, Aaron Pape explains, “GURUS always made it very easy for us to collaborate, whether it was to fix a problem or to improve upon something that we’re doing, or to create a saved search or a report, or whatever we need.”

After their NetSuite implementation, Siren Marine is seeing a level of growth that is even larger than they hoped for, and now, they are equipped for it.

“So our company is growing pretty quickly - I really feel that GURUS has helped us to stay in pace with the level of growth that we’re trying to achieve. That’s why we got NetSuite in the first place,” says Pape.

After everything, Pape ends his interview by saying, “I would definitely recommend GURUS to anybody - it’s a no brainer, really. A great value-added provider for NetSuite."

Ready to Work With GURUS Solutions?

GURUS Solutions is the #1 largest NetSuite ERP solutions provider across North America. As a NetSuite Partner, GURUS specializes in everything from implementation, integration, and training to rescues, support and custom solutions. The GURUS Solutions team is recognized by Oracle NetSuite as an 8-year consecutive 5-star award-winning partner.

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Want to learn more about Siren Marine?

Check out their website: https://sirenmarine.com/