Enterprise resource planning may be mission-critical, but let’s be honest: most ERP interfaces still feel like relics from the dial-up era. Every platform has its own menus, quirks, jargon, and configuration rituals—none of which are intuitive, all of which slow teams down.
Appficiency, one of the top NetSuite consulting players, says it’s done waiting for the industry to fix that. Today, the company announced a strategic investment in AskCipher, a new AI-powered interface layer designed to sit on top of systems like NetSuite, Salesforce, and Quickbase, translating complex workflows into simple natural-language instructions.
Unlike typical “AI assistant” widgets bolted onto enterprise tools, AskCipher positions itself as an operational layer—a cross-platform intelligence engine that learns an organization’s rules, workflows, and data structure, then adapts to each user. Think of it as the connective tissue between systems that were never designed to play nicely together.
Appficiency’s message is clear: ERP implementations shouldn’t feel like a marathon through a maze of admin panels.
AskCipher aims to flatten that learning curve by acting as a universal operations partner. Rather than teaching staff how to master NetSuite or Salesforce menus, teams simply describe what they want to do:
- “Generate inventory forecasts.”
- “Update the commission rules.”
- “Show me open orders by region and escalate overdue ones.”
The platform handles the underlying steps—no navigating dashboards, no jumping between modules, no memorizing workflow paths.
This isn’t just a usability layer. AskCipher merges automation, analytics, orchestration, documentation, and workflow execution into one interface. Instead of syncing systems via traditional middleware, the AI operates inside existing permission structures—meaning no external data storage, no new security risks, and no shadow databases.
Faster ERP Implementations—Without the Generic Templates
One of AskCipher’s biggest promises: making ERP deployments 20% faster and cheaper. That’s a bold claim in a sector where “go-live” delays are almost expected.
Appficiency says the savings come from three areas:
- Configuration automation: AI understands business requirements and translates them into NetSuite configuration steps.
- Documentation generation: AskCipher produces requirements documents with 90% accuracy, cutting tedious manual effort.
- Personalized implementations: Instead of cookie-cutter templates, the AI tailors workflows to each company and industry.
This last point is notable. Most ERP rollouts still rely on prebuilt industry bundles—useful, but limiting. AskCipher’s model suggests something closer to dynamic, per-customer architecture.
CEO Johnny Than frames it this way:
“Software has always forced users to compromise—specialized apps don’t integrate, and big platforms require endless tailoring. AI often adds even more tools without true personalization. AskCipher fixes that with a universal layer that adapts to every user, workflow, and system.”
If this works at scale, it could mark a meaningful shift in how enterprise software is implemented—not just used.
A Persistent Memory Layer That Actually Gets Smarter
Part of AskCipher’s appeal is a feature most enterprise AI tools avoid for security reasons: persistent organizational memory.
The platform retains:
- company policies
- user preferences
- approval rules
- process optimizations
- historical decisions
All while staying inside a client’s existing data environment.
This “memory layer” lets AskCipher behave more like a trained team member than a prompt-driven chatbot. Instead of repeating instructions, the AI starts predicting what’s needed next—whether that’s pre-configuring workflows, flagging anomalies, or suggesting optimizations.
In theory, the longer a company uses it, the more valuable it becomes.
Beyond NetSuite: A Roadmap for a Unified Enterprise Layer
AskCipher’s current focus on NetSuite makes sense—Appficiency is one of the most active implementation partners in the ecosystem—but the roadmap goes much further.
Upcoming expansions include:
- Support for more enterprise platforms (ERP, CRM, project management, and service tools)
- Multi-system orchestration across entire workflows
- Continuous learning tuned to each customer’s operating model
If AskCipher evolves into a true cross-platform interpreter—one AI layer governing ERP, CRM, and operational tools—it could become a major contender in a space where companies like ServiceNow, Salesforce, and SAP are racing to build their own unified AI layers.
Why This Matters: ERP AI Is Entering Its “Interface Era”
Enterprises are drowning in AI tools, but most aren’t reducing friction—they’re adding it. The industry is ready for fewer dashboards, fewer tabs, and fewer specialized apps that don’t talk to each other.
AskCipher’s approach taps into a major trend:
- AI as an interface, not a feature
- ERP as an adaptive system, not a static platform
- Implementations as learning processes, not manual reconstructions
- Data privacy as a design principle, not an afterthought
If Appficiency executes well, this could give mid-market businesses something the enterprise world has been chasing for years: an ERP experience that feels less like work.
