Switching from NetSuite to QuickBooks Online: A Real-World Migration Success Story
About Donwil
Donwil is a multi-entity HVAC equipment and service provider with operations in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and a dedicated customer-site location. Serving commercial and industrial clients across several states, the company manages four legal entities that cover sales, technical services and holding activities.
Leadership at Donwil values precise financial reporting, tight inventory control, and accurate purchasing and commission tracking. But over time, the cost and complexity of NetSuite began to overshadow day-to-day efficiency. With a renewal deadline approaching, Donwil decided it was time to migrate from NetSuite to QuickBooks and turned to Fourlane for expert guidance.
The Challenge
Donwil had invested substantially in NetSuite, but the platform required significant internal effort just to keep running. The finance team anticipated rising licensing, support, and customization costs—yet the system still wasn’t solving their core challenges.
Within NetSuite, Donwil was managing:
- 280 chart of accounts lines
- 3,500 customers and jobs
- 953 vendors
- 1,700 inventory items
Even with all that data in place, key processes remained frustratingly manual. Reconciliations depended on spreadsheets, intercompany eliminations were cumbersome, and split sales commissions required hand-maintained schedules. Payroll operated in a separate system, leaving unused NetSuite features inflating overall cost.
Management outlined three clear objectives:
- Replace NetSuite with a right-sized solution before the renewal deadline.
- Consolidate four entities into one accounting file without losing the granular visibility provided by classes and locations.
- Integrate best-fit applications: SOS for inventory management and Salesforce for sales operations while maintaining an existing payroll provider and multiple merchant services.
Donwil required a partner that could not only execute a technically precise data conversion but also advise on workflow redesign, training and long-term support.
The Solution
Fourlane proposed a phased migration to QuickBooks Online Advanced. The engagement began with Fourlane’s DRIVE™ methodology: Discover current processes, Roadmap the migration, Implement the new environment, Verify accuracy and Extend the solution through ongoing optimization.
Key workstreams included:
- Data extraction and tie-out – Fourlane consultants secured NetSuite access, exported lists and transactional detail, and reconciled opening balances. Twelve to twenty-four months of historical activity were earmarked for import so Donwil could compare year-over-year performance inside the new platform.
- File architecture – The team consolidated four subsidiaries into one QuickBooks Online Advanced file, leveraging classes to preserve entity-level reporting. Redundant accounts were reviewed, and the extensive 280-line chart was mapped to QuickBooks account types to ensure clarity and compliance.
- Integration design – SOS Inventory was configured to handle FIFO valuation, sites and bins across Pittsburgh, Cleveland and customer locations. Salesforce was scheduled to pass sales and commission data through a third-party connector negotiated at a $5 000 savings.
- Workflow optimization – Fourlane led design and testing sessions covering company settings, user roles, purchasing approvals, revenue recognition templates and automated bank feeds. Six Donwil employees participated in targeted training so that invoicing, payables processing and month-end tasks could shift seamlessly to QuickBooks Online.
- Cutover and validation – The go-live timeline was set two weeks ahead of NetSuite expiration. Fourlane conducted parallel testing, cleared tie-outs on accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory and cash, then released the production file for Donwil’s final review.
Throughout the project, Fourlane consultants maintained weekly check-ins, delivered recap emails outlining next steps and supplied tailored import templates that simplified client data preparation.
The Results
Donwil reached its target cutover date before the NetSuite renewal, avoiding another year of excess licensing costs while gaining a system aligned to actual business needs. Fourlane’s migration imported all four entities into a single QuickBooks Online Advanced environment, positioning management to review consolidated performance at-a-glance and drill into class-level detail when necessary. Historical data covering up to two years now sits alongside current activity, enabling trend analysis without toggling between platforms.
“Fourlane translated our overbuilt NetSuite footprint into a lean QuickBooks Online environment—cutting cost and complexity without sacrificing control.” – Dennis Minzer, Donwil
Operational improvements emerged quickly:
- Bank and credit-card reconciliations, previously an exercise in spreadsheet consolidation, now complete directly inside QuickBooks Online, shortening the close window that typically concluded by the fifth business day.
- SOS Inventory integration provides real-time quantity-on-hand visibility, and item data synced from QuickBooks eliminated duplicate entry across 1,700 stock-keeping units.
- Salesforce commissions flow through the new connector, reducing manual re-keying and giving sales leadership the foundation to refine profitability by representative.
- A streamlined chart of accounts and automated revenue recognition templates minimize journal entry volume, freeing the accounting team to focus on analysis rather than data maintenance.
- Donwil staff benefit from focused training and the optional monthly support plan, ensuring questions are resolved quickly and enhancements are prioritized in a structured roadmap.
The transformation delivered a simpler, more cost-effective accounting ecosystem without sacrificing the sophisticated reporting Donwil needs to manage multiple lines of business. With Fourlane’s guidance, Donwil has replaced complexity with clarity and set the stage for future growth powered by adaptable, cloud-based technology.
QuickBooks vs NetSuite: What This Case Study Shows
For companies like Donwil, the QuickBooks vs NetSuite decision isn’t just about features, it’s about fit:
- NetSuite offered more functionality than the team needed, at a higher ongoing cost
- QuickBooks Online Advanced delivers the right mix of power, flexibility, and cost-efficiency
- With the right migration partner, moving from NetSuite to QuickBooks can reduce complexity while improving control and visibility
If your organization feels weighed down by an overbuilt ERP, this case study shows that a carefully planned NetSuite to QuickBooks migration can deliver:
- Lower software and support costs
- Faster close processes
- Better integrated workflows
- A system your team actually wants to use
Fourlane Is Here To Help
Ready to achieve the same control and efficiency in your own financial systems? Contact Fourlane for expert QuickBooks migration, integration and support to optimize your business operations.
Reach out to us by email, or call us at 1-800-931-2120. We’d love to help you navigate any challenges and grow your business.
About Donwil
Donwil sells and services critical business process power and cooling products.
Industry
HVAC
Location
Western Pennsylvania, Northern West Virginia, or Eastern Ohio