Certinia brings AI into professional services workflows

Certinia Inc., a software firm that facilitates professional services operations, is integrating artificial intelligence into the tools it provides to its clients. AI's ability to instantly access vast amounts of information and offer guidance in various fields has transformed the professional services landscape. Robert Cesafsky, Certinia's chief operating officer, believes that the services industry has been more disrupted by AI than the technology industry itself.

Robert Cesafsky stated, "Whether you are a software company, a hardware company, a tax and accounting firm [or] management consulting ... all of these industries are being directly targeted or impacted by AI."

Certinia, which was founded in 2009 as FinancialForce.com Inc., rebranded in 2023 to broaden its offerings beyond accounting and ERP to include services businesses. The company's Salesforce-native platform connects multiple processes, such as sales, project delivery, financial management, and customer success, to help clients convert cost centers into profit centers by enhancing visibility into customer activities, optimizing resource deployment, and maintaining connectivity throughout the customer lifecycle.

Mimi Spier, Certinia's chief marketing officer, explained that AI can eliminate administrative tasks, allowing clients to deliver projects faster and at a lower cost. Raju Malhotra, Certinia's chief product and technology officer, highlighted the company's strong partnership with Salesforce, where Certinia offers AI-powered sales and delivery for Salesforce's consulting partner network.

Certinia has developed Veda, an enterprise-grade intelligent operations engine that serves as a suite of AI specialists and intelligent actions. Veda combines Certinia's institutional memory with advanced AI reasoning, providing customers with flexible, rules-bound, trusted, and ROI-focused autonomous workflows.

Since its launch in April, Veda has been integrated into Certinia's offerings, with the company adding over 40 package agents and more than 24 packages. Moonnox, an AI-native services delivery platform acquired by Certinia in July, adds context to Veda through knowledge graphs, persistent project memory, and services-specific agents.

This combination allows Certinia to connect client requests with approved scope, staffing requirements, and financial impact, guiding professionals for review. The acquisition of Moonnox enhances Certinia's AI capabilities by integrating unstructured data, such as emails, chats, and calls, into the professional services workflow.