Irish technology consultancy TEKenable has identified a new wave of ERP investment among Irish organisations driven by the demands of AI adoption, with businesses discovering that fragmented systems, disconnected data and manual processes are preventing them from realising the benefits of artificial intelligence.

The trend, reported by TEKenable, reflects a growing recognition that AI is only as effective as the data infrastructure that supports it.

Vishal Sharma, Director of ERP Practice at TEKenable, said: "Everybody wants to do AI. But the most important thing is finding the right use cases. If you don't have good data, AI will not give you the results you seek."

Sharma identified system fragmentation as the most common challenge facing organisations, with many businesses operating across a mix of spreadsheets, legacy applications and disconnected databases. Finance and procurement teams frequently spend significant time reconciling information rather than analysing it, while leadership teams lack access to consistent, real-time operational data.

"Teams are spending significant time on data reconciliation and getting information together rather than getting the intelligence they need to focus on the business at hand," Sharma said.

Modern ERP platforms are addressing this by embedding AI directly into everyday business processes, enabling employees to query operational data using natural language. Intelligent agents can process supplier invoices, extract document information, perform matching checks and support approvals with minimal human intervention, while automated expense management tools improve consistency and compliance.

TEKenable pointed to a recent multinational ERP transformation spanning operations across Ireland, the UK, Europe and North America as evidence of the potential returns. Following implementation of a unified ERP platform, the organisation reported a 30 to 35% reduction in manual processing, efficiency improvements of approximately 25%, and significantly reduced month-end reporting cycles.

Sharma said the most successful ERP projects are business transformation initiatives rather than technology upgrades, requiring organisations to reassess processes and governance before considering software design.

"Now is the time to have a clean slate, reimagine processes for the next 10 to 15 years and make sure you're ready not just for the short term but for medium and long-term growth as well," Sharma said.

He added: "ERP is no longer just recording information and reporting on it. It is evolving from a system of record to a system of intelligence."

Explore the full analysis for further insight into TEKenable's ERP and AI integration approach for Irish businesses.