Witness insights on embedding AI into core business workflows for efficiency, accuracy, and long-term value.
Miten, as the Chief Engineering Officer at Acumatica, can you share a bit about your journey into the world of AI and technology, and what drew you to Acumatica?
I’ve always been drawn to technologies that solve complex problems and make a positive impact in the world, from basic tech to cloud-based platforms and now AI-driven transformation. Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to lead engineering teams developing products that transform the consumer landscape as well as business operations. At Acumatica, I saw a unique opportunity to join a company committed to pushing the boundaries of ERP by integrating AI into a cloud-native platform designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses. Consistent with this, our team is focused on building practical, AI-powered solutions that enhance efficiency, streamline workflows and help businesses make smarter, data-driven decisions.
With AI being hailed as a transformational technology, how do businesses determine which AI tools will have a genuine impact on their operations and not just add complexity?
The key to transformational AI is aligning the right AI-enabled tools and processes with real business objectives rather than just adopting AI for the sake of AI. Businesses should start by identifying their real challenges, whether operational inefficiencies, decision-making bottlenecks or areas where AI-driven automation can save time and resources. AI should integrate seamlessly into existing workflows, leveraging relevant data to enhance productivity while maintaining and improving accuracy. At Acumatica, we focus on embedding AI directly into core business management processes, so the impact is immediate and tangible for our users.
How do you think AI should be aligned with business goals such as efficiency, accuracy, and automation to provide tangible results for companies?
Instead of being standalone tools, AI capabilities should fit seamlessly and directly within core workflows to streamline processes and improve decision-making. By integrating AI into everyday functions, businesses can achieve measurable results by saving time, cutting costs, increasing throughput and making smarter decisions without extensive technical expertise.
Security and compliance are major concerns when integrating AI into business operations. How do you ensure that AI solutions adhere to these critical requirements?
We approach security and compliance as non-negotiable when implementing AI. Decision-makers must ensure that the AI solutions they invest in follow strict data governance policies, ensure transparency in decision-making and safeguard sensitive information. To make informed choices, leaders should thoroughly vet vendors, request compliance certifications and look for clear documentation on data handling practices. Additionally, conducting third-party audits and risk assessments can help verify that AI solutions meet regulatory standards and protect business data
Many AI solutions seem to operate as separate tools rather than as integral components of existing processes. How can companies ensure that AI is seamlessly embedded into their workflows?
To ensure AI is seamlessly embedded into workflows, companies should prioritize solutions that are natively integrated into existing systems rather than standalone tools. For example, core business management systems like ERP and CRM should offer native AI-enabled functionality within the platform to automate processes and deliver real-time insights without requiring users to switch between tools. This native integration ensures that AI operates with the most accurate, up-to-date business data, driving efficiency and accuracy. Sometimes, workflows themselves need to be reimagined to fully capture AI’s benefits—simply automating existing processes may not deliver optimal results. Businesses should be willing to adjust or redesign workflows to maximize AI’s value rather than just layering automation on top of outdated practices.
From your experience, how can AI enhance human decision-making rather than just automate processes and potentially replace jobs?
AI should augment human expertise, not replace it. The best AI solutions will work as digital co-workers that surface predictive insights and automate repetitive tasks—allowing employees to better leverage information, make smarter decisions, and focus on high-value work. While AI excels at processing data and identifying patterns, humans bring contextual understanding, ethical judgment and creative problem-solving. Additionally, AI can present multiple scenarios with associated probabilities and tradeoffs, enabling humans to apply judgment to complex situations. For example, healthcare professionals using AI to analyze treatment options can still incorporate patient preferences and unique circumstances that algorithms might miss. AI can also surface non-obvious connections in data that humans wouldn’t typically discover, expanding our thinking beyond established patterns. For instance, financial advisors using AI can identify unexpected investment opportunities or risks that traditional analysis might overlook.
Acumatica Labs and AI Studio allow companies to test AI solutions before deployment. How important is it to have real-world testing environments for AI technologies in today’s rapidly evolving landscape?
Testing AI in real-world conditions is essential to ensure accuracy, scalability and usability and to ensure the technology fits the business rather than forcing the business to fit the technology. We take a customer-driven approach to innovation, listening closely to users to understand their needs and challenges. This feedback directly informs the development of AI-driven features. For instance, we rigorously test AI capabilities in controlled environments like Acumatica Labs before deployment. And AI Studio gives our customers and partners the tools, like AI Prompt Editor, to leverage new capabilities by configuring AI for their systems and processes for their unique needs. By incorporating real-world input and feedback loop from our community, we fine-tune our models and solutions to ensure that AI solutions meet specific business needs and integrate seamlessly into existing workflows. As AI technology evolves rapidly, this agile, customer-centric approach helps businesses effectively adapt innovations to their operations, delivering practical value and measurable impact.
As AI continues to advance, what are some of the most significant challenges companies face in adopting and integrating AI into their systems?
One of the biggest challenges companies face in adopting and integrating AI is ensuring seamless integration with existing systems without creating data silos or disrupting workflows. Many businesses struggle with insufficient tech infrastructure, making it difficult to process and analyze large volumes of data efficiently. Additionally, there are significant concerns around data security and compliance and the risk of bias and inaccuracies in AI-driven insights. At Acumatica, we tackle these challenges by designing our AI solutions to be intuitive and easily accessible, empowering users to make data-driven decisions without needing extensive technical expertise.
In your opinion, what key characteristics should businesses look for in an AI solution to ensure that it provides long-term value and isn’t just a short-term novelty?
Businesses should look for AI solutions that are scalable, seamlessly integrated, easy to use and understand, and aligned with core business objectives to ensure long-term value. The technology should be flexible enough to evolve with changing business needs while maintaining data accuracy and security. Additionally, it should offer users real-time insights and automation they can understand and act on — rather than just being flashy add-ons. This level of usability is crucial—AI solutions should be accessible to technical and non-technical users to maximize adoption and impact. Company leaders should also consider the total cost of ownership, including maintenance and adoption fees. Finally, it’s essential to understand what AI capabilities matter most for your industry. In retail, for instance, automated inventory forecasting can ensure brands don’t run out of their top-selling products.
What role do you see AI playing in the future of business operations, and how can companies prepare themselves to leverage these advancements for sustained growth and success?
AI is becoming a vital capability impacting many crucial business operations, acting as an anticipatory partner that democratizes analytical capabilities across organizations. This technology will continue to drive automation, predictive analytics and intelligent decision-making, transforming how businesses operate. To fully realize AI’s full potential, companies should invest in cloud-based business solutions that offer scalability and flexibility, focus on seamless data integration and upskill employees to work alongside AI. Those who embrace AI strategically, rather than just chasing trends, will gain a competitive advantage and set themselves up for growth and success.
A quote or advice from the author
Harnessing the power of new technology and driving transformation with that is a marathon, not a sprint. Plan diligently, execute with focus, pace yourself properly, adjust with learning and enjoy the journey. The outcome will surprise you positively.
Miten Mehta
Chief Engineering Officer at Acumatica
As Chief Engineering Officer, Miten leads Acumatica’s engineering teams in architecting, developing, deploying and supporting the company’s industry-leading ERP products and building a high-performance, customer-oriented culture. In this leadership position, Miten applies his expertise from various domains, including CRM, field services, social networking, communication, mobile platforms, online games, eCommerce, lifestyle, wellness and entertainment.
Miten brings a solid background in internet-scale cloud services, extensible platforms, distributed systems and client applications to the role of chief engineering officer. Before joining Acumatica, he served as SVP of engineering at Salesforce, leading the engineering team for the company’s cloud-based Field Service Management software. He also led many engineering organizations at Microsoft over his 18-year career. Beyond his deep engineering experience, Miten is an entrepreneur and a co-founder of LifeOn24 Inc., which helps people achieve goals and change habits by leveraging behavioral and social sciences through cloud services and the “Start Change” mobile app.