We’re witnessing the emergence of a new generation of intelligent business platforms. Over the past year I’ve evaluated dozens of these apps and platforms. My background in both business and technology allow me to help steer businesses to become more intelligent — and avoid the complications technology can introduce.
The Next Generation of Business Software:
AI Is Finally Bringing Together Documents, Data, Analytics and Applications
There are changes afoot. Let’s look at how it’s evolving:
- Twenty years ago we stored files.
- Ten years ago we stored data.
- Five years ago we built dashboards.
Today…
We’re starting to converse with our business.
That, to me, is the real revolution.
The companies that win won’t necessarily have the largest data warehouses or the most sophisticated machine learning models.
They’ll be the ones that employ business platforms to help them be dramatically more informed. With insights. With suggestions. Producing a more intelligently run company.
The Problem
For decades business software fragmented into separate silos.
- Excel
- Word
- CRM
- Databases
- Dashboards
- Reporting
- Automation
- AI
Each required specialists.
Each stored information differently.
Each had different permissions.
Each became another thing employees had to learn.
Now a new class of platforms is emerging.
Instead of asking:
“Where is the data?”
they ask
“What are you trying to accomplish?”
That is a profound change.
Two Philosophies Are Emerging
Enterprise Platforms
These are generally for large enterprise situations. They begin with data engineering, and they’re complicated. They require weeks to implement. They can be the right choice for very large organizations. As they say, “Enterprise platforms solve enterprise problems.”
They assume the organization already has mature data infrastructure.
Examples:
- Databricks
- Snowflake
- ThoughtSpot
Incredibly powerful. Expensive. Require experts. Built from the database upward. Strong contenders for very large organizations.
Intelligent Workspace Platforms (Simpler, Yet Still Powerful)
These begin with people. They handle everything in one cohesive place, and they can be set up in hours, not weeks.
Documents.
Spreadsheets.
Knowledge.
Meetings.
Conversations.
Examples
- Coda / Superhuman Docs
- Notion
- Glean
- Definite
- Omni
- Akkio
- Hex
- ClickUp (AI)
- Fire AI (possibly)
These grow from work outward instead of databases inward.
My background is both in business management and technology. From my perspective of what works smoothly and actually helps a company get better at what they do, I’ve looked at these platforms carefully and drawn some conclusions. Following is a table of the 9 best platforms. Notice which ones are better suited to Enterprise or Small to Medium-Sized Businesses (SMB).
My personal interest lies in helping small and medium-sized businesses discover platforms that deliver enterprise-level capability without enterprise-level complexity.
I’m writing a more detailed section for each of the platforms over the coming days. Here’s what we’ve got so far.
AI Powered Business Platforms I’ve Looked At
Table is scrollable horizontally and sortable by column.
| Platform | Enterprise | SMB | AI Quality | Ease of Learning | My Impression |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snowflake | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐ | Excellent | Difficult | Heavy tech overhead |
| Databricks | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐ | Excellent | Very Difficult | Heavy tech overhead |
| ThoughtSpot | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Excellent | Moderate | Analytics specialist |
| Glean | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Excellent | Easy | Enterprise knowledge search |
| Notion | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Very Good | Moderate | Powerful but sprawling |
| Coda / Superhuman Docs | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Excellent | Easy | Current favourite |
| Definite | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Excellent | Easy | Very promising; poor onboarding |
| Omni | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Very Good | Moderate | Worth watching |
| Akkio | ⭐⭐⭐ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Excellent | Easy | AI-first analytics |
Paul’s Field Notes
My discoveries and take on each of the platform listed in the table.
1. Databricks
What it is
Databricks is one of the industry’s leading enterprise data and AI platforms. Originally built around Apache Spark, it has evolved into a comprehensive environment for data engineering, analytics, machine learning, and AI development. It is designed to bring together large volumes of structured and unstructured data within a single collaborative platform.
Who it’s for
Large organizations with dedicated data teams, engineers, and data scientists. Companies building sophisticated AI models or managing complex data infrastructures will appreciate its capabilities. It is generally far beyond what most small businesses require.
What impressed me
The breadth of the platform is remarkable. Databricks represents some of the best engineering in modern analytics, and its Lakehouse architecture has influenced the entire industry. For organizations operating at scale, it’s difficult not to admire what it can accomplish.
What concerns me
With great capability comes considerable complexity. The learning curve is steep, implementation often requires specialists, and the platform assumes a level of technical maturity that many organizations simply don’t have.
Paul’s Perspective
A remarkable battleship—but one that requires an experienced crew. Notable: hey placed as a “Visionary” in Gartner’s recent Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms.
2. Snowflake
What it is
Snowflake is a cloud-native data platform that enables organizations to store, organize, analyze, and securely share massive amounts of business data. Over time it has expanded beyond data warehousing into AI, application development, and collaborative data ecosystems.
Who it’s for
Medium to large organizations with substantial data assets and formal analytics initiatives.
What impressed me
Snowflake’s architecture is elegant, highly scalable, and trusted by thousands of enterprises. It has helped redefine what modern cloud data management can look like.
What concerns me
Its strength lies in infrastructure rather than day-to-day business experience. Most business owners aren’t looking for a sophisticated data warehouse—they’re looking for answers.
Paul’s Perspective
Similar in complexity to Databricks. An exceptional foundation for enterprise analytics, but not where most small businesses should begin.
3. ThoughtSpot
What it is
ThoughtSpot combines business intelligence with conversational AI, allowing users to ask questions in plain language and receive interactive dashboards and visualizations.
Who it’s for
Organizations that already have reliable data but want analytics to become accessible to business users rather than analysts alone.
What impressed me
ThoughtSpot helped move analytics closer to ordinary business users. Asking questions instead of writing SQL is a meaningful shift.
What concerns me
It still begins with data infrastructure. The experience is more approachable than traditional BI tools, but it’s still largely analytics-first rather than work-first.
Paul’s Perspective
A thoughtful bridge between enterprise analytics and business usability. They placed as a “Leader” in Gartner’s recent Magic Quadrant for Analytics and Business Intelligence Platforms.
4. Glean
What it is
Glean is an enterprise knowledge platform that connects information scattered across dozens of business applications, allowing employees to search, discover, and interact with organizational knowledge through AI.
Who it’s for
Knowledge-intensive organizations struggling with information spread across documents, email, Slack, CRM systems, and internal repositories.
What impressed me
Glean addresses one of the biggest challenges facing modern organizations: finding information. Rather than replacing existing systems, it intelligently connects them. Glean has an attractive interface and way about it. It’s quite intuitive.
What concerns me
Its greatest strength also defines its market. It shines inside larger organizations with numerous disconnected information sources, making it less compelling for many smaller businesses.
Paul’s Perspective
One of the smartest approaches I’ve seen to organizational knowledge. But the onboarding is not easy. I want to just download a free trial and get working with it right away. Not with Glean. They force you into a dialog with them first and a demo. I thought to myself, “If I’m genuinely interested in your product, why can’t I just sign up and start using it?”
5. Coda (Superhuman Docs)
What it is
Coda reimagines the humble document by combining text, databases, automation, AI, and applications within a single collaborative workspace.
Who it’s for
Growing businesses, consultants, startups, and teams looking for one flexible environment where information and work naturally come together.
What impressed me
This platform changed my thinking. Rather than forcing users to move between documents, spreadsheets, and separate applications, Coda allows them to coexist within a remarkably elegant workspace.
What concerns me
New users may underestimate how much the platform can actually do. Don’t worry, it can do a lot. I was also a bit concerned about whether I would feel trapped by having all my new documents within its infrastructure. My concerns were allayed by the fact that you can export individual documents or export your whole collection of content quite easily.
Paul’s Perspective
This is my current benchmark for what modern AI-powered business platforms should aspire to become. It is intuitive, easy to use (actually fun to use), and it’s going places. My sense is that it will grow in features and scale with a company quite nicely.
6. Definite
What it is
Definite is an emerging AI-powered analytics platform focused on making sophisticated business intelligence dramatically easier to use.
Who it’s for
Organizations that want meaningful data insights without assembling a team of engineers.
What impressed me
Simplicity. Definite consistently feels designed for business people first and technology second. That’s refreshing.
What concerns me
Like many young companies, its future will depend on execution, market adoption, and continued product development.
Paul’s Perspective
Perhaps the most intriguing newcomer I’ve evaluated so far. But they don’t have a good onboarding methodology. Like Glean, be prepared to wait for human validation and go do something else for a day or two before you can be gratified with access.
7. Omni
What it is
Omni combines modern analytics with collaborative workflows, giving organizations an approachable way to explore business data while maintaining strong governance.
Who it’s for
Mid-sized organizations seeking sophisticated analytics without the complexity of traditional enterprise platforms.
What impressed me
Omni appears to respect both technical teams and business users, striking an appealing balance between flexibility and usability.
What concerns me
It’s entering a highly competitive market where differentiation will become increasingly important.
Paul’s Perspective
A platform well worth watching as this category evolves.
8. Akkio
What it is
Akkio makes predictive analytics and AI accessible to organizations without requiring data science expertise.
Who it’s for
Small and medium-sized businesses interested in forecasting, customer insights, and AI-assisted decision making.
What impressed me
Akkio demonstrates that sophisticated AI doesn’t always require sophisticated users.
What concerns me
Its focus remains primarily analytics. I continue to be drawn toward platforms that integrate documents, workflows, and business processes alongside analytics.
Paul’s Perspective
A practical demonstration that AI can genuinely democratize analytics.
9. Notion
What it is
Notion has evolved from a note-taking application into a flexible workspace combining documents, knowledge management, databases, project management, and AI.
Who it’s for
Individuals, startups, and growing organizations looking for a highly customizable digital workspace.
What impressed me
Its versatility is extraordinary. Few platforms allow users to organize information in so many different ways.
What concerns me
Sometimes flexibility becomes complexity. New users can spend as much time designing their workspace as using it.
Paul’s Perspective
An extraordinarily capable workspace that occasionally suffers from its own ambition.
Bonus: One more platform: Fire AI. Emerging. Very interesting.
10. Fire AI
What it is
Fire AI is an emerging platform focused on helping organizations deploy AI across business workflows through automation, intelligent assistants, and practical applications.
Who it’s for
Businesses looking to integrate AI into everyday operations without investing in extensive technical infrastructure.
What impressed me
I appreciate the ambition. Fire AI recognizes that organizations want outcomes rather than technology demonstrations.
What concerns me
Like many younger platforms, its long-term differentiation remains to be proven in a rapidly evolving market.
Paul’s Perspective
A promising entrant that deserves continued observation as both the product and the market mature.
Conclusion: The Future Is Becoming Smarter.
The business software industry is undergoing one of the most significant transformations I’ve witnessed during my career.
For decades, software became progressively larger, more specialized, and more complex. Organizations purchased separate applications for documents, spreadsheets, databases, project management, analytics, customer relationships, automation, and business intelligence. As each new need emerged, another application was added to the growing technology stack.
Artificial Intelligence + convergence with better designed software/platforms are rapidly reversing that trend. The new generation of business platforms is bringing these capabilities together into far more unified, conversational, and intuitive environments. Instead of forcing people to learn software, software is beginning to learn people.
These developments, in my opinion, are the real story.
This isn’t simply about adding AI to existing applications. It’s about rethinking how people interact with information, collaborate with colleagues, and make business decisions.
Some organizations will continue to require enterprise platforms such as Databricks and Snowflake. Their capabilities are extraordinary, and they solve problems that many global organizations face every day.
My own interest, however, lies elsewhere.
I’m fascinated by the emerging platforms designed for growing businesses—organizations that want sophisticated capabilities without enterprise-level complexity. These companies don’t need a larger battleship. They need a faster, more agile speedboat.
As I continue evaluating AI-enhanced business platforms, I’ll undoubtedly refine some of my opinions. New products will emerge. Existing platforms will evolve. The competitive landscape will continue to shift.
One thing, however, seems increasingly clear.
The winners won’t necessarily be the platforms with the most features.
They’ll be the ones that make technology feel almost invisible.
The best business software won’t demand that people adapt to it.
It will adapt to the people who use it. And make them smile.
– Observations by Paul Singer paul [at] paulsingerconsultant.com