Atera CEO: ‘If Your IT Stack Isn’t AI-Native In The Next Two Years, You’ll Fall Behind’

‘We’ll all get used to working with AI daily and it will feel natural. And the AI? It’s always nice, always available and never needs a vacation in Florida,’ says Gil Pekelman, Atera CEO.

Atera has seen significant growth in AI-driven sales and CEO Gil Pekelman said the surge is due to treating AI not as an add-on, but as the product itself.

“AI is no longer just a feature, it is the product,” Pekelman told CRN. “We build AI-native systems that resolve up to a third of IT tickets in real time. The productivity gains are immediate and often met with disbelief until customers see it in action.”

At the heart of the Tel Aviv, Israel-based IT management vendor’s transformation are two flagship tools: Autopilot , a fully autonomous system that resolves common IT issues without human input, and Copilot, an intelligent assistant that accelerates and enhances technician workflows.

“The most common reaction we hear is, ‘How did we ever work without this?’” he said. “In many cases, we’re saving teams up to 13 hours a week per technician.”

Looking ahead, Pekelman envisions a hybrid IT landscape where humans and AI collaborate seamlessly. And with the official launch of Autopilot, Atera is signaling its commitment to what Pekelman calls “agentic AI,” digital agents that don’t just support but take action autonomously.

“Bet on AI, real AI,” he said. “If your IT stack isn’t AI-native in the next two years, you’ll be left behind.”

CRN spoke further with Pekelman about how Atera is transforming its services with its AI platform, revenue growth and how AI is changing the game for IT management.

Since we last spoke in 2024, Atera has reportedly seen an 800 percent increase in AI-driven sales from Q2 to Q3. What do you contribute that growth to?

The short answer is that AI is no longer just a feature, it is the product. At Atera, we've spent over two years deeply integrating AI into our core. We don’t just embed AI into traditional IT software, we build AI-native systems. That growth reflects that our customers are recognizing the difference. When they see what the product actually does, autonomously resolving up to a third of their tickets in real time, the reaction is often disbelief. But it’s real and the productivity gains are immediate.

How exactly does AI function within Atera’s product ecosystem today?

We’ve developed two major AI products, Autopilot and Copilot. Autopilot is a fully autonomous system that resolves about one-third of all IT tickets without human intervention. Think of it as a digital technician that works 24/7, no fatigue or delays. Then there’s Copilot, which is like an AI assistant for IT professionals. It helps them work faster, automate scripts, analyze issues and complete tasks that would have been time-consuming or impossible without AI. Together they reduce IT workloads while boosting capability. Atera isn’t a product with AI inside. It is AI. We’ve moved from simply adding smart tools to reimagining the architecture. We call it agentic AI which is a system of digital agents that don’t just help but take action. Traditional RMM and PSA platforms are already outdated compared to this model. An agentic RMM is like hiring a digital workforce that can fix, analyze and respond instantly.

What has customer feedback been like, especially around efficiency improvements?

The most common response is, ‘How did we ever work without this?’ We’ve had clients report time savings of 11 to 13 hours per week per tech. One example is say someone tries to join a meeting and doesn’t have WebEx installed. The AI detects it, offers to install it and handles the setup instantly. These are daily problems that used to require IT intervention and now just vanish. Customers are amazed. It’s like IT magic but it’s just deeply trained AI doing the job.

How has demand changed for AI-first IT solutions?

Demand has exploded. When prospects see Atera in action, the reaction is usually stunned disbelief. We’ve had customers react emotionally, even using some colorful language, because they’re seeing the future. Once they understand the power of a fully AI-native platform, they realize there’s no going back to legacy tools.

So what’s your vision for IT management over the next three to five years?

IT will be hybrid, humans working side by side with AI. End users will rely on AI like a digital assistant. Technicians will use AI like a supercharged expert colleague. We’ll all get used to working with AI daily and it will feel natural. And the AI? It’s always nice, always available and never needs a vacation in Florida.

With all this momentum, what challenges do you anticipate?

AI is evolving fast. Keeping up with that pace is our biggest challenge. The second is ensuring security and privacy. That’s why we partner closely with Microsoft and operate fully on Azure. All customer data stays private, secure and isn’t used to train public models. That’s non-negotiable for us.

Finally, what’s your message to MSPs about what’s to come from Atera?

Bet on AI, real AI. If your IT stack isn’t AI-native in the next two years, you’ll fall behind. With Autopilot and Copilot, we’re offering not just faster tools, but a fundamentally new way of managing IT. Think zero response times, digital agents working around the clock and a workforce empowered by true intelligence.