Protecta runs its business on NetSuite and is evaluating the implementation of HubSpot as its CRM. This engagement connects the two so reps work in one place: companies, contacts, meetings, quotes, orders, invoices and call activity flowing between HubSpot and NetSuite without rekeying, with writeback in both directions where it matters.
Two paths were assessed: HubSpot's standard Data Sync connector for NetSuite, and a custom integration built and guaranteed by Kongo. The comparison matrix in section 03 maps each of Protecta's requirements against both, drawing on the integration discussion with Adi and Rinah and the questions raised by the wider team during the customised demo.
The standard connector covers the core objects well, but it cannot sync NetSuite quotes (the unit Protecta's pipeline actually runs on), cannot sync sites (Protecta's custom project records) in either direction, cannot propagate duplicate merges through to NetSuite, cannot write line item changes back to NetSuite quotes, and requires a Data Hub Professional licence at $1,037 per month to sync custom fields.
The custom integration covers all of it, costs less over the first year, and carries Kongo's lifetime guarantee. Kongo's recommendation is the custom integration, and this document scopes that build.
Kongo is a HubSpot Elite Solutions Partner, one of only three in the Asia Pacific region to hold Elite status, and is HubSpot's go to partner for custom NetSuite integrations in Australia.
Protecta's pipeline runs on NetSuite quotes rather than opportunities. A quote may relate to a site project, a standing customer arrangement, or a price match for a contractor, and a single project frequently carries multiple quote versions. Projects are held in NetSuite as sites, a custom record type; customers commonly sit in a two level hierarchy (a national parent with state based child companies), and a single child company can carry twenty or more sites, with the same site sometimes relating to more than one company. NetSuite carries a substantial number of custom fields that Protecta wants visible in HubSpot, and sales orders (thousands of them) and invoices are processed in NetSuite. Duplicate records are a recurring problem in Protecta's industry, with people moving between companies and sites, and new duplicates appearing most weeks.
Support cases and ticketing are a Phase 2 conversation, to follow the Service Hub and help desk demo being scheduled with Adi, Rinah and Liam. Marketing Hub is optional and can be added later; Protecta currently runs Dotdigital and will decide on overlap after speaking with its marketing manager, Paul.
Three items from the demo sit outside the integration scope and are being followed up separately by Kongo: an estimate of Protecta's likely monthly Breeze AI credit consumption; confirmation of how HubSpot's new CPQ tool (released late June 2026) behaves in the Android mobile app; and whether Revenue Hub is required, which only applies if Protecta chooses to quote from HubSpot with customer specific price books rather than continuing to quote in NetSuite where its price books already live.
Yes means supported as standard. Conditional means supported with an additional licence or caveat. No means not available on that path.
| Protecta requirement | HubSpot standard connector | Kongo custom integration | Standard HubSpot connector enough? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Companies sync, bidirectional | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contacts sync, bidirectional | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom fields synced between systems | Conditional. Requires Data Hub Professional at $1,037 per month (one core seat included) | Yes, included. No Data Hub licence needed | Conditional |
| Meetings: create in HubSpot, appears in Outlook, edits and cancellations update both | Yes, via the standard HubSpot Outlook calendar connector (separate from the NetSuite connector) | Yes, same mechanism | Yes |
| Meetings recorded in NetSuite as events | Yes, events sync | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory items into HubSpot as products | Yes, one way | Yes, one way | Yes |
| Invoices into HubSpot, one way | Yes. Reps can see delinquent accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Sales orders into HubSpot as orders, one way | Yes. Not editable in HubSpot | Yes. Not editable in HubSpot | Yes |
| Opportunities and deals, bidirectional | Yes, but Protecta does not use NetSuite opportunities | Yes | Yes |
| NetSuite quotes into HubSpot as quotes, with a deal automatically created around each | No. Quotes are not a connector object; Protecta would need to restructure its sales process around opportunities | Yes. Quote syncs, deal auto created, no change to Protecta's process | No |
| Multiple quote versions under one deal, pipeline valued on the latest quote only | No | Yes | No |
| Sites (custom NetSuite records) into HubSpot as a custom object, reflecting the parent, child and site hierarchy | No | Yes. Requires one Service Hub Enterprise seat to unlock custom objects (applies on either path) | No |
| Sites created in HubSpot in the field sync back to NetSuite | No. Custom objects do not sync; only new companies would | Yes | No |
| Duplicate merges in HubSpot propagate to NetSuite | No. The merge holds in HubSpot only; the records stay duplicated in NetSuite | Yes. Merge logic built into the middleware | No |
| Line items added to a deal in HubSpot write back to the NetSuite quote | No | Yes. Customer specific pricing on HubSpot raised quotes would additionally need Revenue Hub CPQ; quoting in NetSuite needs nothing extra | No |
| Calls and AI summaries logged into NetSuite, and NetSuite logged activity (e.g. accounts receivable collection calls) visible in HubSpot | Yes, calls sync bidirectionally | Yes, with control over which NetSuite fields the summary lands in | Yes |
| Remapping when an object property changes | Affected property only; done via HubSpot connector settings | Affected property only; handled by Kongo | Yes |
| Support ownership when something breaks | Kongo configures and assists; unexplainable connector faults are HubSpot software issues and are directed to HubSpot support | Kongo owns it end to end, with a lifetime guarantee on the middleware | Conditional |
| Data or volume limits | Subject to HubSpot connector behaviour | None. Consumption based serverless architecture | Yes |
| Standard connector | Custom integration | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront | $575 connector configuration by Kongo | $7,500 one off build |
| Ongoing | $1,037 per month Data Hub Professional (approx. $12,400 per year), required for custom field sync | Approx. $150 per month for hosting, monitoring and consumption based compute |
| Indicative first year | Approx. $13,000 | Approx. $9,300 |
| Guarantee | HubSpot software support | Kongo lifetime guarantee on the middleware |
All amounts are in Australian dollars and exclude GST. HubSpot seat licensing (Sales Hub seats, the Service Hub Enterprise seat for custom objects, and Marketing Hub if adopted later) is separate and is not affected by the integration path chosen. Figures are as discussed on 24 July 2026 and will be confirmed in the final commercial schedule.
It covers every requirement, avoids the $1,037 per month Data Hub licence, costs less in year one and every year after, and is guaranteed by Kongo for its lifetime.
The standard connector fails on the things Protecta's sales process actually runs on: quotes and sites, plus the operational requirements raised in the demo, being duplicate merge propagation, field creation of sites, and line item writeback. Working around the quote gap would mean restructuring the sales process to use opportunities, which Protecta has tried before and moved away from, and there is no workaround at all for merges or custom object sync.
If Protecta would like to validate the standard connector first hand regardless, Kongo can stand up a proof of concept in a NetSuite sandbox with a HubSpot trial before the build decision is locked in.
Kongo builds custom middleware deployed as a CloudFormation stack in AWS Sydney. The architecture is serverless, using Lambda functions and DynamoDB rather than dedicated servers, so Protecta pays only for the events actually processed. The middleware includes customised mapping logic, data validation on every record, automated retry handling, and full observability, so a failed sync is surfaced and resolved rather than failing silently. All data is encrypted, and Protecta's stack is partitioned from every other Kongo client. The full architecture document has been shared with Protecta for review by Liam.
Protecta owns the intellectual property and codebase of the middleware. Kongo provides technical documentation, and Protecta may move the middleware into its own AWS tenancy at any time with Kongo's support.
| Object | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Companies | Bidirectional | Including Protecta's custom fields, mapped during discovery, and preserving the parent company to child company hierarchy |
| Contacts | Bidirectional | Including custom fields |
| Duplicate merges | HubSpot to NetSuite | When a duplicate contact or company is merged in HubSpot, the middleware performs the corresponding merge in NetSuite, so data quality can be managed from HubSpot's duplicate management interface. Merge rules and the surviving record logic are agreed with Liam during discovery |
| Quotes | Bidirectional | Each NetSuite quote creates a HubSpot quote with a deal wrapped around it for pipeline visibility. Multiple versions of a quote sit under one deal; the deal value reflects the most recent quote only. Line items added or changed on the deal in HubSpot write back to the NetSuite quote |
| Deals and opportunities | Bidirectional | Deal stage changes sync. Protecta continues to work quote first; opportunities are not required in NetSuite |
| Sites | Bidirectional | Synced to a HubSpot custom object and associated with the related companies, contacts and deals, including sites that relate to multiple companies. Sites created in HubSpot, including from the mobile app in the field, are created in NetSuite. Requires one Service Hub Enterprise seat |
| Inventory items | NetSuite to HubSpot | Appear as HubSpot products |
| Sales orders | NetSuite to HubSpot | Visible as orders against the right records; not editable in HubSpot |
| Invoices | NetSuite to HubSpot | Synced as HubSpot invoices so reps can see account status |
| Meetings and events | Bidirectional | HubSpot to Outlook via the standard Outlook connector; the middleware records meetings in NetSuite as events and carries updates and cancellations |
| Calls and activities | Bidirectional | Call activities, including AI summaries, written into NetSuite against the matching contact and company, with field placement agreed with Liam. Calls logged in NetSuite, such as accounts receivable collection calls, appear as completed activities on the HubSpot timeline so reps can see the full contact history |
Data mastering follows the standard pattern: products, orders, invoices and quotes are mastered in NetSuite; CRM engagement data is mastered in HubSpot; the middleware keeps both honest. The definitive field level mapping is produced and signed off during discovery before any build begins.