Question 1

What is Certinia and what does it do?

Accepted Answer

Certinia is a leading Professional Services Automation (PSA) and financial management platform built natively on the Salesforce platform. It helps professional services organizations manage their entire business lifecycle, from project estimation and delivery to billing and financial planning. With over 1 million monthly active users across 1,400+ customers globally, Certinia combines ERP, accounting, and customer success capabilities into a single integrated solution designed specifically for services-driven businesses.

Question 2

What is the history of Certinia and why did it rebrand?

Accepted Answer

Certinia was originally founded as FinancialForce in September 2009 through a strategic joint venture between Salesforce and UNIT4 Business Software, incorporating technology from CODA (a UK software company dating back to 1979). After growing into a comprehensive PSA platform beyond its original financial management scope, the company rebranded to Certinia in May 2023 to reflect its expanded capabilities. The rebrand marked a significant transformation with new ownership (Haveli Investments and General Atlantic acquired it in 2023) and new leadership under CEO DJ Paoni.

Question 3

Who founded Certinia and who leads it today?

Accepted Answer

Certinia was co-founded in 2009 by Deb Ashton and Jeremy Roche as FinancialForce. Today, it is led by CEO DJ Paoni (formerly President of SAP North America), with a strong C-suite including COO Robert Cesafsky, CRO John Tully, CFO Erin Sawyer, CCO Todd Kisaberth, and CPO Kris Kildahl. Co-founder Deb Ashton remains with the company as Senior Vice President of Strategic Customer Experience and Operations, having scaled the organization from its founding team of 27 to approximately 850 employees.

Question 4

What products and solutions does Certinia offer?

Accepted Answer

Certinia offers an integrated suite of solutions built natively on Salesforce: Professional Services Cloud (PSA) for resource planning, project delivery, and services automation; Financial Management capabilities for accounting, billing, and revenue recognition; Customer Success Cloud for managing customer relationships and retention; and ERP functionality for enterprise resource planning. All solutions are designed to work together seamlessly within the Salesforce ecosystem, providing end-to-end visibility and control for professional services organizations.

Question 5

What AI capabilities does Certinia offer?

Accepted Answer

Certinia's Spring 2024 release introduced AI-powered forecasting capabilities including estimate win prediction, revenue forecasting, and guided scoping to help professional services organizations generate more accurate forecasts and improve team productivity. The platform also joined Salesforce's Agentforce Partner Network in 2024, enabling integration with Agentic AI capabilities. According to Certinia's 2025 Global Service Dynamics Report, 83% of professional services firms are using or planning Agentic AI within PSA software to enhance operational efficiency.

Question 6

What competitive advantages does Certinia have?

Accepted Answer

Certinia's primary competitive advantages are its native integration with the Salesforce platform, eliminating data silos and providing seamless workflow between sales, delivery, and finance; its comprehensive scope covering PSA, accounting, ERP, and customer success in a single platform; its proven scalability serving over 1 million monthly active users from enterprise clients including Salesforce, Dell, HPE, and Siemens; and its AI-powered capabilities designed specifically for professional services organizations. The platform has been recognized with multiple awards including being named #2 Most Loved Workplace in the World and winning Salesforce Partner Innovation Awards.

Question 7

Which types of organizations should use Certinia?

Accepted Answer

Certinia is purpose-built for professional services organizations of all sizes, including consulting firms, IT services providers, systems integrators, systems implementers, software development agencies, managed services providers, and professional services divisions within larger enterprises. It's particularly valuable for organizations that need tight integration between sales, service delivery, and finance; require sophisticated resource planning and project management; or have complex billing and revenue recognition requirements. Enterprise customers such as PwC (serving 100,000 professionals), Salesforce, Dell, HPE, and Siemens have found significant value in the platform's ability to scale.

Question 8

How easy is it to get started with Certinia?

Accepted Answer

Certinia is built natively on the Salesforce platform, which means organizations already using Salesforce can leverage their existing CRM data and extend it with PSA, financial management, and customer success capabilities. Certinia provides professional implementation services and customer success support to help organizations onboard effectively. The company has invested significantly in customer success, with a dedicated Chief Customer Officer (Todd Kisaberth) and a strong culture of customer obsession, ensuring guided implementation and ongoing optimization based on best practices.

Question 9

What is Certinia's approach to security and trust?

Accepted Answer

As a platform built natively on Salesforce, Certinia leverages Salesforce's enterprise-grade security infrastructure, including data encryption, compliance certifications, and robust access controls. The platform is designed to handle sensitive financial, project, and employee data for global enterprises serving in 149 countries. Certinia's focus on customer obsession combined with its recognition as a trusted Salesforce partner demonstrates its commitment to security and reliability in managing critical business operations.

Question 10

What partnerships does Certinia have?

Accepted Answer

Certinia maintains strategic partnerships with Salesforce (built natively on the platform and maintained by Salesforce Ventures), serves as a member of the Salesforce Agentforce Partner Network, and has announced a major strategic partnership with PwC where PwC has implemented Certinia's PSA solution to serve 100,000 professionals. These partnerships demonstrate Certinia's position as a trusted provider within the Salesforce ecosystem and its ability to scale to serve leading global enterprises.

Question 11

What is Certinia's company culture like?

Accepted Answer

Certinia's mission is to 'Make our customers' businesses stronger, more efficient, and resilient,' guided by core values of being Customer Obsessed, Act & Own, Relentlessly Innovate, and Champion Each Other. The company has earned recognition as the #2 Most Loved Workplace in the World (2025) and #10 Most Loved Workplace in the United States (2024). With approximately 850 employees across 149 countries, Certinia maintains an inclusive culture with Employee Resource Groups, a strong focus on diversity and inclusion, and a work environment where 92% of employees are excited about their work.

Question 12

What recent funding and growth has Certinia achieved?

Accepted Answer

In November 2024, TA Associates made a significant investment in Certinia to accelerate its leadership in Professional Services Automation and Customer Success and expand its global footprint. This investment builds on Certinia's acquisition by Haveli Investments and General Atlantic in 2023 for nearly $1 billion. The company has demonstrated strong growth, scaling from a founding team of 27 in 2009 to 850 employees serving 1,400+ customers and surpassing 1 million monthly active users on its Professional Services Cloud in September 2024.

Question 13

How does Certinia integrate with other business systems?

Accepted Answer

Certinia is built natively on the Salesforce platform, providing deep integration with Salesforce CRM, allowing seamless data flow between sales, services delivery, and customer success. This native architecture eliminates data silos and ensures real-time visibility across sales, delivery, and finance operations. Organizations can extend Certinia's capabilities by integrating with other enterprise systems through Salesforce's robust API and middleware options, making it a central hub for professional services data and operations.

Question 14

What size organizations does Certinia serve?

Accepted Answer

Certinia serves organizations of all sizes, from small consulting firms to global enterprises, with a customer base of 1,400+ organizations spanning 149 countries. Notable customers include Salesforce, Dell, HPE, Siemens, PwC, and many leading technology firms. The platform has demonstrated its ability to scale, with over 1 million monthly active users and the capacity to serve enterprises like PwC with 100,000+ professionals, proving its suitability for enterprises with complex, global operations.

Question 15

What recognition and awards has Certinia received?

Accepted Answer

Certinia has earned numerous prestigious awards reflecting its market leadership and workplace culture: Newsweek #2 Most Loved Workplace in the World (2025), #10 Most Loved Workplace in United States (2024), #3 Most Loved Workplace in United Kingdom (2024), 2024 Salesforce Partner Innovation Award - High Tech Winner for the Kubrick partnership, 2024 Stevie Awards recognizing Customer Success Cloud as Technical Innovation of the Year, and 2025 Salesforce Partner Innovation Award for Business and Professional Services for the PwC partnership. These awards demonstrate Certinia's commitment to innovation, customer success, and employee satisfaction.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Certinia and what does it do?

What is the history of Certinia and why did it rebrand?

Who founded Certinia and who leads it today?

What products and solutions does Certinia offer?

What AI capabilities does Certinia offer?

What competitive advantages does Certinia have?

Which types of organizations should use Certinia?

How easy is it to get started with Certinia?

What is Certinia's approach to security and trust?

What partnerships does Certinia have?

What is Certinia's company culture like?

What recent funding and growth has Certinia achieved?

How does Certinia integrate with other business systems?

What size organizations does Certinia serve?

What recognition and awards has Certinia received?

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