Fixing ERP for SaaS: Why Native AI Isn’t a Feature, It is the Foundation

Fixing ERP for SaaS: Why Native AI Isn’t a Feature, It is the Foundation

I sat down with two of Everest Systems’ top product leaders Dani Bischoff and Jeff Alley to talk about the pain points in ERP for SaaS companies and why building a native AI platform from the ground up is a strategic necessity, not a buzzword.

Both Dani and Jeff have walked in the shoes of controllers and revenue leaders. They’ve lived the operational chaos most SaaS teams face: broken processes, stitched-together billing tools, and “best-in-class” tech stacks that still fail under pressure.

This is what happens when finance runs on systems never designed for how SaaS companies operate.

From Controllers to Product Architects

Dani Bischoff, Director of Product for Record-to-Report and Procure-to-Pay at Everest, spent over a decade scaling finance operations at Docker and Agiloft.

Jeff Alley leads Quote-to-Cash and brings 20+ years of experience, most recently as Global Revenue Controller at PagerDuty, where he helped lead the company through a successful IPO.

Jeff: “We both made the jump from accounting to product because we were tired of dealing with broken systems. It wasn’t about innovation, it was about survival. The systems we used were duct-taped together and never worked well. We knew there had to be a better way.”

Revenue Recognition Is Where Systems Break

Dani: “Mid-sized SaaS companies grow international earlier, without realizing the complexity of multi-entity, multi-currency, and statutory compliance. We knew Everest needed to support all of that out of the box—and do it cleanly.”

“We’re now rolling out multi-book features that let finance teams handle local statutory reporting in the same platform, without turning to spreadsheets or country-specific tools.”

Jeff: “ASC 606 is where legacy systems fail, especially in SaaS, where contracts constantly change. Upsells, renewals, usage causes you to have to recalculate revenue dynamically. Most tools force you to handle those changes manually or outside the system.”

“We’ve automated that entirely. Whether it’s a retrospective or prospective contract mod, Everest handles it. The system knows how to interpret and apply it correctly to revenue.”

Dani: “And because it’s one unified system, accounting and operations are in sync. You’re not reconciling between tools, you are getting a complete view.”

Native AI Is Not a Feature, It’s the Foundation

Jeff: “AI is built into the core architecture including data models, processing logic, and reporting layers. That means real-time usage forecasting, churn signals, and automation of complex tasks is native, not bolted on.”

Dani: “Legacy ERPs are 20 years old. Retrofitting AI requires gutting the foundation. At Everest, we started from scratch and embedded intelligence everywhere.”

Real-Time Visibility, Leaner Finance Teams

Dani: “The old way? Finance teams ask IT to run 10 reports across 5 tools, just to answer a basic question. With Everest, the data is in one place, live, and accessible.”

“You don’t need more headcount to grow. You need better tools.”

Jeff: “Exactly. If you’re waiting until month-end to find out what cloud spend or gross margin looks like, it’s too late to react. Real-time ERP gives teams the power to manage proactively.”

Everest: Expanding Into PSA, Quoting, and Hardware

Jeff: “We’re going beyond finance automation. Quoting is next by aligning sales and finance better. Then PSA, so teams can track project time and revenue in-system. No more spreadsheets.”

“We’re also building inventory management for hybrid SaaS/hardware companies. Whether it’s drop-shipped or in-house, you need visibility into assets and fulfillment.”

Dani: “Some SaaS companies ship devices, sensors, or bundled hardware. Everest will support that natively—so they don’t need a separate logistics platform.”

Replacing Manual, Messy Workflows

When asked which manual processes Everest can eliminate completely, Dani and Jeff didn’t hesitate:

Dani: “Statutory reporting. Most companies still do this in spreadsheets. With multi-book and multi-entity in one system, Everest automates the statutory layer without duplicate effort.”

“We’re also reimagining spend management by bringing procurement, payments, and reporting together so you don’t need separate systems for each.”

Jeff: “Subscription changes like upsells, early renewals, or downgrades? We’ve made that almost one-click. Combine that with Salesforce integration and fully automated RevRec, and it’s game-changing.”

What Surprised Them Most From Early Customers?

Jeff: “Smaller teams like one or two people really benefit from the built-in business processes we embedded. It helps them mature as a finance org faster than they could on their own. I wasn’t sure how that would be received—but it’s been incredibly positive.”

Dani: “Accountants have choices now. They're no longer stuck picking between two legacy options. They’re making bold decisions to move away from systems that don’t serve them anymore.”

What’s Next for Everest?

Dani: “We’re doubling down on AI-powered automation, not just processing, but intelligence. The goal is to help teams run lean, scale fast, and do more with fewer people.”

“We’re also building tools for companies with mixed business models like SaaS + services, or SaaS + hardware so they don’t have to force-fit ERP systems not built for that reality.”

Jeff: “We’re also expanding localization by handling global standards like IFRS and statutory reporting in UK, Germany, and beyond. That’s critical for SaaS companies going international early.”

Advice for Finance Leaders Building or Buying AI Tools

Jeff: “Target real problems. Don’t implement AI just to say you did. Focus on painful manual work like close processes, forecasting, compliance and alignment with business strategy. And have governance. AI in finance without control is a risk.”

Dani: “It’s not just about automation, it’s about getting to answers faster. AI can help teams find insights in seconds instead of spending 10 hours digging. That’s what modern finance leadership looks like.”

Final Thought

SaaS companies are growing fast, expanding globally, and reinventing how they operate. But too many are still running finance on systems built for a different era.

Everest is building something new:

• AI-native ERP

• Unified finance + ops

• Built-in business processes

• Purpose-built for SaaS complexity
  

If you're tired of reconciling systems, patching together spreadsheets, and paying for software that still leaves you exposed then maybe it’s time to stop retrofitting and start fresh.

Native AI ERP is no longer optional. It’s the new baseline.

The future of ERP is here, and it’s Native AI ERP.   Let’s build it together.

Cameron Ackbury, CPA

Advisor to the Office of the CFO

cameron@everest-erp.com

+1 650-223-4557