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Comprehensive Guide To Understand Infor ERP

Chai
February 7, 2021 |

Turn operational information into business intelligence with Infor ERP. While scaling your organization you also introduce a lot of complexity into your business. As your organization expands, so does its workload. Initially, you’d be comfortable using Excel spreadsheets and emails to run things smoothly, manual work will become tedious. The burn-out will reflect on your business and its employees. What’s worse is that it could lead to a circumstance where your business cannot keep up with the customer demand. It is extremely dangerous for any business in any growth phase. 

Initially, investing in enterprise resource planning software (ERP) is a smart move. An ERP system will collate all fragmented parts of your business into one unified and integrated solution. There are two benefits here:

  1. The ERP will streamline your business processes turning your business operations increasingly agile, cost-effective, and efficient.
  2. You can convert customer and operational information into business intelligence. It would allow for improved business decision-making and effective organizational control over resources and production. 

With an ERP system, you can identify and generate growth opportunities ensuring overall business and customer success.We go in-depth about exploring the Infor ERP System; its pricing, industry modules, tech-specs, and its implementation. If you’re a finance manager, entrepreneur, operational head, or any key decision-maker in the market for an ERP, this article is for you. 

What is Infor ERP System? 

Infor ERP is a robust suite of enterprise resource planning (ERP) applications and features designed to grow distribution and manufacturing companies to run core business operations. Infor System offers a comprehensive suite of industry modules focused on manufacturing, service, and distribution industries. 

Infor is the third-largest ERP solutions provider in the world. It generates annual revenues of nearly $3 billion and has over 90,000 customers worldwide. Infor employs over 15,000 people globally, across 168 offices, with its headquarters in New York City.

Its core offering is Infor’s CloudSuite. Each CloudSuite provides its own unique set of features for all business operations. These integrated features offer transparency in the business, from accounting and human resource management to sourcing, projects, customer relationship management (CRM), and supply chain.

How does Infor ERP System work? 

Usually, any enterprise resource planning software uses a centralized database where all the business information funnels. It not only reduces manual labor but also simplifies any existing workflows or disparate processes. With access to real-time data flowing in from all business operations, an ERP can turn operational information into business intelligence. It increases productivity and profitability. 

Infor ERP System is unique in that it has specific business solutions for specific industry requirements. It is a different approach from other ERP providers. It typically offers a single solution that attempts to be all things for every situation. The infamous  “one size fits all” approach often requires an on-premise, monolithic-type system that is expensive to launch, difficult to operate/maintain, and highly susceptible to failure. 

Here are just two benefits of Infor Systems’ industry-focused solutions:

  1. It offers a solution laced with industry-specific rich functionality. Infor System is designed to fulfill your requirements as is, versus needing multiple third-party bolt-ons and expensive customizations.
  2. The team of 24/7 available consultants, specialists, and community helping to implement the software understands the specific business requirements the Infor modules are built to address.

Infor System also provides ERP complementary products that eliminate the need to have multiple vendors. This drastically trims the interfacing between third-party products and creates a complete solution. Infor System uses Infor ION to allow its easy integration with its product suite. Infor ERPs complementary products allow you to grow into best-of-breed solutions including:

Infor System has several core features that include Accounting, Purchasing, CRM, Supply Chain Logistics, and more. All are integrated into one unified dashboard and a singular repository in a system. You can visit the official Infor website to learn more about each module in detail. 

Who Can Use Infor ERP System? 

This is an essential question, who uses Infor ERP System? Infor ERP System is focused mainly on small and midsized companies. However, it can scale to cater to the needs of larger organizations. Below is a list of its notable customers:

  • Grant Thornton LLP
  • Avaap Inc.
  • Pfizer
  • Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District
  • First Transit Inc.
  • Pilot Flying J
  • Reynolds Catering
  • Herman Miller

Infor ERP System provides full functionality for small and medium-sized businesses and enterprise-level organizations. Some of its key features include:

Advanced Planning & Scheduling – Infor ERP lets users immediately determine if they have the workforce, machines, tools, and materials needed to manufacture a product. With this, Infor ERP spurs productivity, increases on-time delivery, and enhances order accuracy.

Human Capital Management (HCM) –  Infor ERP provides HCM solutions that support a user’s requirement for a comprehensive view of the talent base so the right staff can be attracted, onboarded, hired, and retained. 

Industry Analytics –  Users can navigate and measure multidimensional data with a set of predefined chart templates or drill down into data on an ad-hoc basis. This also includes dashboards that can be configured with industry data models, operational metrics, strategic KPIs, and a library of widgets and charts. 

Workforce Planning – This feature lets users manage production line requirements, as well as address real and forecasted coverage gaps. In addition, workforce planning helps organizations discover how many individuals are required for both direct and indirect labor to best conduct a demand forecast. Infor ERP System is now the fastest-growing ERP solution for SMBs as positioned by studies such as Gartner and Nucleus Research.

What Are Infor ERP Systems Modules? 

Infor ERP System offers several core modules and solutions that can run on different verticals of your business from a unified and integrated dashboard. This provides holistic coverage of all business operations. 

Some of the core Infor ERP System modules are: 

  • Financial Management.
  • Customer Management.
  • Project Accounting.
  • Manufacturing.
  • Payroll.
  • Extended Functionality.

You can also customize these solutions to fit the specific business requirements. To know more about Infor ERP System, continue reading…

Using Infor ERP System? 

If you think that learning and using a new ERP, especially Infor ERP System will be difficult or laborious, you could be wrong. Infor ERP System is a powerful ERP product and has great community support. 

Of course, if you want to utilize the ERP to its full potential, learning will be essential. Below are some resources that you can use to master the Infor ERP System: 

  • Official Infor ERP System guide here;
  • Official Infor ERP System community resources here;
  • Official Infor ERP System blog platform.

Comparing Infor ERP System To Other ERP Solutions? 

Are you still wondering whether Infor ERP System is the right ERP solution for your business? 

Unlike other ERP vendors in the market, Infor ERP System has worked diligently to create continuously improved software for every industry. As mentioned their ERP is not “one type fits all” and no one industry is considered more important than the other. 

With specialized software available for every industry vertical, including fashion, equipment rental, healthcare, hospitality, food and beverage, manufacturing, public sector, automotive, aerospace, and defense, they provide improved functionality for each industry. 

All software features/functionality, the latest innovations, and modules are specifically designed for that business niche including social applications and mobile access. This helps eliminate the requirement for specialized customizations.

Why don’t you check out what the users have to say about the Infor ERP System on some of the few review sites? To further ease your decision-making you can compare sites like Capterra or G2 to measure Infor ERP System to other ERP solutions by industry, ratings, customer views, pricing, organization size, features, and more.

Infor ERP System Pricing

Infor doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing information.
Contact the vendor directly for a quote.

How Long Does It Take To Deploy Infor ERP System? 

Traditionally, the Inform ERP System is designed for midmarket growth businesses and small to medium-sized businesses. Infor ERP System’s deployment provides the scalable, and repeatable framework to deliver successful deployment between 45 to 90 days, depending upon specific business requirements and the level of customizations. 

Deployment Model

Deployment is the way you access your software for use in your business. The stakeholders may vary such as management and employees. There are a variety of ways your ERP system can be deployed:

  • On-Premise: A traditional approach, where you have a server machine in your building and your users access the software directly from your location. No “cloud” is involved.
  • Cloud, Multi-Tenant: Your ERP database is in a shared or “multi-tenant” environment that exists completely online (no hardware involved)—you just need internet access to use the software. Even as you’re sharing infrastructure with other users of the same ERP solution, you cannot see any data other than your own. 
  • Cloud, Single-Tenant: Also known as a private or hosted cloud, where your database is in its own, private online environment. No sharing.

How To Integrate Infor ERP System Into Your Business? 

By using an integration platform as a service you can integrate Infor ERP System into your existing business. You can use the DCKAP Integrator integration platform. Here you can integrate and extend the capability of your Infor Cloud ERP by other key applications such as (CRM, SCM, E-commerce Marketplace, and Third-Party Integration) Use this comprehensive guide to learn how to integrate the Infor ERP System into your business.

DCKAP Integrator Cloud Connector delivers a paradigm shift in revenue by synchronizing Infor ERP System with all front-end and back-end systems. You need to make sure that these data points are integrated while connecting the Infor ERP System. DCKAP Integrator already provides a pre-built package that integrates all these data points.

It is also a GDPR-compliant platform that ensures the complete security of your data through encrypted transactions and SSL certifications. Additionally, the DCKAP Integrator platform provides you with best-in-class UI and UX, with drag-and-drop features and minimal coding effort.

In Conclusion

Infor ERP Systems’ competitive advantage lies in its industry-specific tailored integration as it successfully positions itself as a multi-cloud strategy. With the growing partner ecosystem, the Infor ERP System brings greater efficiency to all kinds of businesses across industries.

Infor provides industry-specific modules and applications, designed for agility and built with innovative technology. Infor CloudSuites, organizations can manage and monitor the routine maintenance, performance, and deployment of company assets, while taking advantage of the physical and financial features they need to control operating infrastructure.

Infor’s software products are primarily targeted toward small to midsize businesses and large enterprises in diverse industries, such as health care, the public sector, distribution, food and beverage, manufacturing, production, aerospace, and hospitality.

When compared to client-server solutions, Infor ERP System is slightly less expensive to install and maintain. This is great if you’re in the market for a tool that allows you quick plug-and-play. The CloudSuite platform is designed to minimize network traffic and work over slow Internet connections.

The only shortcoming? Infor ERP System doesn’t have complete functionality with Excel. While users have the option to export to Excel, specific screens don’t have an export feature. There are also tensions about running reports and background tasks that can consume large amounts of IT resources, slowing operations for other users, so they must be performed after hours.

In summation, if you’re in the market for a possible ERP solution for your business, Infor ERP System is a robust choice.

Chai

Chai was a product marketer at Cloras (now DCKAP Integrator) ☁️ He is a coffee evangelist, a bibliophile, and constantly forgets to water his house plants.

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