Modern software wasn't built for the demands of the AI era. Decades of middleware, fragmented systems, and technical debt have created enterprise networks that can't support the interoperability AI requires. Technical debt accounts for 21 to 40% of IT budgets (Deloitte, 2026), and 90% of enterprise leaders blame it as the primary cause of stalled AI adoption. Gartner projects that 80% of technical debt is now architectural. It can't be patched or refactored. The system itself has to be rebuilt.

Open Prem is the rebuild. Their patent-pending Open Intelligence Interconnect (OII) architecture replaces middleware with a peer-to-peer network where applications communicate directly while you retain central governance. The best of both models: the speed and freedom of decentralized systems with the control and auditability of centralized ones. One policy, one identity, one audit log. Owned by your organization.

Drop it into your environment like a webserver. Snap your applications together. Connect to other environments. ERP, CRM, HRIS, SCM, SAP, EHR. Your standalone tools become a responsive nervous system that synchronizes your entire operation.

Founded in Ohio and backed by the University of Cincinnati's 1819 Innovation Hub, Open Prem is fully open source with enterprise support services. The team is led by co-founders Tessa Manuszak (CEO, mechatronics engineering) and Evan Moore (CTO, ex-Fortune 100 DevOps, AI and security).

AI adoption fails at the infrastructure layer. Every portfolio company we work with eventually runs into the same constraint: the enterprise tech stack wasn't built for the interoperability that AI demands. Open Prem sits underneath that entire stack, solving the problem that makes everything else possible. It's a foundational bet on the infrastructure that enterprise AI actually needs to scale.

WHAT OPEN PREM DOES

Unified Data Plane: Applications speak the same language regardless of stack, interface, or environment. One plane for granular control over your data and infrastructure without the overhead.

Peer-to-Peer with Central Governance: The best of both architecture models. Direct application communication with the control, auditability, and security of a centralized system.

Legacy System Longevity: Extends the life of what already works. Quietly wipes out technical debt across decades of real-world use instead of forcing a rip-and-replace.

Open Source Foundation: Fully open source with a licensing commitment that ensures everything released is for the greater good. Enterprise support services for production environments.

GET IN TOUCH

Want to learn how Open Prem is helping enterprises unify their tech stacks for AI? Reach out to Jason Hauer at jason@hauerx.com.