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Pronto Software expands AI roadmap as it marks 50 years
Thu, 10th Sep 2026 (Today)
SEAN MITCHELLPublisher
Pronto Software has launched an expanded artificial intelligence roadmap for its Pronto Xi ERP suite as the Australian software company marks 50 years in business.
The update adds generative, predictive and agentic AI tools to the ERP platform, aiming to automate workflows, forecast outcomes and let users query enterprise data in natural language.
New functions include natural language interaction, predictive inventory demand and fulfilment forecasting, voice-enabled business intelligence reporting and dashboards, machine learning predictions for service and maintenance, assisted purchase order approval, automated inventory checks, stock recommendations and B2B eCommerce agents.
The AI functions are built natively into Pronto Xi rather than added through separate integrations. They use customers’ existing operational data and inherit role-based permissions already set in the system.
Pronto has also invested in GPU computing infrastructure within Pronto Cloud to support the AI environment. The AI services are hosted in Pronto Cloud with access controls, encryption and data isolation, and customer data is not used to train shared or public models.
Managing Director Chad Gates said customer demand had shifted quickly as artificial intelligence moved into day-to-day business software.
“AI has moved from curiosity to expectation in an extraordinarily short time,” Gates said. “Our approach is practical, secure and trusted. We are not implementing AI as a marketing exercise. Every capability we introduce is designed to solve a real problem for a real business user, reducing manual effort, improving a decision or eliminating a bottleneck.”
Pronto sees the changes as part of a broader shift in how organisations use ERP systems, moving beyond record-keeping into analysis and workflow support.
“We’re using AI to elevate workers, not replace them. ERP is moving from being a system of record to a system of insight and action, interpreting data, predicting outcomes and, in some cases, taking autonomous action with the right guardrails in place,” Gates said. “Our approach is not only to leverage and protect enterprise data, but also to facilitate interaction with a broad ecosystem of evolving AI capabilities to ensure our customers have access to every opportunity.”
Pronto plans to extend the AI work into financials, manufacturing, project and industry-specific modules. It argues that integrated ERP systems are becoming more valuable as businesses seek to apply AI to structured, governed operational data.
The AI push coincides with a milestone year for the Melbourne-founded business, which began in 1976 as Prometheus Software Developments. Pronto has remained independent, Australian-owned and employee-owned through several waves of change in enterprise technology.
A major turning point came in the early 2000s, when the management team led a staff buyout. That ownership model remains in place and continues to shape its culture and decision-making.
More than 1,500 organisations use Pronto’s software. Its longest continuing customer relationship spans 38 years, while 71 customers have stayed with the company for 30 years or more.
The business also points to long employee tenure as a defining feature. Nineteen current employees have been with Pronto for more than 30 years, with further groups serving for more than 25 and 20 years respectively.
Gates said longevity in enterprise software is unusual, particularly for an unlisted company that has remained outside foreign ownership.
“Fifty years is an extraordinary achievement in any industry, but in enterprise software it is genuinely rare,” Gates said. “Reaching this milestone as an independent, Australian-owned, employee-owned company makes it all the more meaningful. It proves that a disciplined, customer-first approach, combined with a culture of continuous reinvention, is a viable and enduring business model.”
The company received official Australian Owned certification last year. It says that status reflects continued local investment as well as its long-standing customer base across sectors including manufacturing, wholesale distribution, retail, mining, building and construction, food and beverage, and facilities management.
Pronto traces its software roots to work done with local computer manufacturer CMAD. In the 1980s, it rewrote its core platform in a proprietary 4GL language called Pronto, which became the basis for later products including Pronto Xi.
One notable commercial milestone came when Pronto Xi launched as the first Australian ERP system to fully comply with GST requirements. The company later integrated IBM Cognos Analytics into the platform to broaden reporting and analytics functions for mid-market customers.
Gates said the company’s long history of managing structured business data underpins its latest AI strategy.
“AI is only as useful as what it can see,” Gates said. “After fifty years of building that foundation, the technology has moved so rapidly that some think it’s more about the tech than the data, but the opposite is true. Our platform is technology-agnostic and evolves with the times.”
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Image: Chad Gates
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