There are a lot of exciting things happening in the ERP market today. We are entering a new era with modern business systems that create new conditions for long-term business efficiency. My name is Leif Skog; I work at Navcite and will share my experiences with Infor M3 Cloud Edition. At Navcite we help companies optimize their ROI with the help of Infor M3.
Infor’s modern solution creates exciting opportunities for customers using older versions of Infor’s solutions, such as Movex and M3.
Infor M3 has recently been praised by Gartner, among others, which considers the system a leader in its Magic Quadrant report from October 2023..
In this blog post, we focus on:
- What characterizes a so-called modern business system?
- Why is Cloud Edition generally the more efficient solution for companies to move to?
- What are the specific areas where efficiency gains can generally be expected?
- Migrating to Infor M3 Cloud Edition: benefits for companies running older versions.
- Practical approaches to streamlining operations with Infor M3 Cloud Edition
We will end with some words from Ted Jädestam, Senior Channel Account Manager at Infor Nordics for even deeper insights into Infor Cloud Edition. Ted delves into the following about Cloud Edition:
- Technical architecture and compatibility
- Security aspects
- Scalability and performance
- Customization possibilities
- Global scalability
What characterizes a so-called modern business system?
As exemplified by next-generation ERP solutions such as Infor M3 Cloud Edition, the modern ERP system is characterized by several key features that meet today’s business needs. First, these systems offer impressive scalability and flexibility. This means they can grow and adapt to your business needs without requiring extensive upgrades or costly investments in new hardware. Being cloud-based, they also enable easy collaboration and inclusion of staff from different locations, promoting global workflows and efficiency.
Another essential feature of modern ERP systems is their use of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). By leveraging these technologies, systems can analyze and interpret data to surpass human analysts, provide predictive analysis, and enable proactive decision-making. This allows businesses to anticipate trends, adapt to market conditions, and make informed decisions to maximize profitability.
The integration capabilities of modern business systems are also of great importance. Integrating with different systems and applications creates a coherent and seamless working environment that promotes efficiency and productivity. By reducing manual work and eliminating duplication, they also increase the automation of workflows and processes across different systems and departments.
Security is another crucial aspect of modern ERP systems. Advanced encryption methods and security protocols protect sensitive information from unauthorized access and data breaches, reducing the risk of data theft and loss of trust from customers and stakeholders. In addition, cloud-based business systems offer built-in backup and data protection features, reducing the risk of data loss.
Finally, ease of use is a crucial feature of modern ERP systems. By offering an intuitive layout, clear icons and menus, and the ability to customize and configure, they create a working environment that is easy to navigate and suits users’ specific work style and preferences. In addition, cloud-based ERP systems allow users to access the system from different locations and devices quickly, improving user experience and efficiency.
In summary, the modern ERP system is characterized by its scalability, use of advanced technology, integration capabilities, security, and ease of use, enabling efficient and successful business operations in today’s fast-moving business environment.
Why is Cloud Edition generally the more efficient solution for companies to move to?
Infor Cloud Edition offers a wide range of benefits that make it a more effective solution for companies to consider when considering upgrading their business systems. By taking a closer look at process development, user experience, integrations, maintenance, and mobility, we can highlight how this platform can help optimize business results and meet future challenges.
Process development: Effective process development is at the heart of business success. By collaborating with experienced specialists, companies can reduce their costs by up to 20% and increase productivity by 28%. Infor Cloud Edition offers customized solutions tailored to each company’s unique needs, ensuring efficient and optimized business processes.
User experience: A positive user experience maximizes productivity and generates positive business results. Companies can experience up to a 400% increase in conversion rates by focusing on user-friendly interfaces and intuitive workflows. Infor Cloud Edition offers technical functionality that is not only efficient but also user-friendly, minimizing learning time and optimizing the user experience.
Integrations: Integrations are fundamental to smooth business processes in today’s digital landscape. With well-planned integrations, companies can experience an efficiency increase of up to 14%. Infor Cloud Edition enables seamless integrations across the business, eliminating bottlenecks and increasing the precision of processes.
Maintenance: Effective maintenance processes are critical to long-term operational efficiency. By investing in predictive maintenance strategies, companies can reduce their maintenance costs by up to 25%. Infor Cloud Edition offers advanced technologies for monitoring and predicting maintenance needs, resulting in significant savings and increased reliability.
Mobility: In today’s mobile world, access to information is critical to business success. By developing mobile applications and adapting existing solutions, companies can improve the flexibility and efficiency of their workflows. Infor Cloud Edition enables flexible workflows and quick access to critical information, essential in today’s rapidly changing business environment.
What are the specific areas where efficiency gains can generally be expected?
When migrating from an on-premise Infor solution to Cloud Edition, you can expect several specific efficiencies. Here are some common areas where improvements can be expected:
Scalability and flexibility: Genom att använda en molnbaserad lösning kan företag skalas upp eller ner efter behov utan att behöva investera i ny infrastruktur eller göra omfattande konfigurationsändringar.
Cost savings: By moving to the cloud, companies can avoid the costs of purchasing, maintaining and upgrading hardware. Instead of making large initial investments, they can pay for the services they use on a subscription basis.
Automation and manageability: Cloud solutions typically offer higher levels of automation for operational and maintenance tasks, reducing the need for manual management and freeing up time and resources for other business areas.
Updates and new features: With a cloud-based solution, businesses can benefit from regular updates and the addition of new features without having to carry out extensive upgrades themselves. This ensures that they always have access to the latest and most up-to-date software version.
Availability and redundancy: Cloud solutions usually offer higher availability and redundancy than on-premise solutions, reducing the risk of downtime and data loss.
Samarbete och mobilitet: Molnbaserade lösningar möjliggör enkel åtkomst till data och applikationer från olika platser och enheter, vilket främjar samarbete och mobilitet bland anställda.
Migrating to Infor M3 Cloud Edition: benefits for companies running older versions.
When upgrading to Infor M3 Cloud Edition, there are several significant benefits for customers currently using older versions of Infor M3. One of the main benefits is the scalability and flexibility that cloud-based solutions offer. By using Cloud Edition, customers can quickly adapt their resources to the needs of their business and scale up or down as needed without having to invest in new infrastructure.
Another benefit is the increased automation and manageability that cloud-based solutions offer. With advanced automation capabilities for operations and maintenance tasks, the need for manual handling is reduced, freeing up time and resources for other areas of the business.
A third benefit is the vendor’s availability of regular updates and new features. By using Infor M3 Cloud Edition, customers always have access to the latest version of the software without performing extensive upgrades themselves.
Security and compliance are also key benefits of cloud-based solutions. Infor M3 Cloud Edition offers advanced security features and adheres to strict compliance standards, reducing the risk of data breaches and security incidents.
Finally, cloud-based solutions like Infor M3 Cloud Edition promote mobility and collaboration by enabling easy access to the system from different devices and locations. This can improve the organization’s productivity and efficiency by allowing users to work anywhere and anytime. By taking advantage of these benefits, customers using older versions of Infor M3 can improve their operational efficiency, reduce operational costs, and remain competitive in a rapidly changing business environment.
What does upgrading from older versions to Infor M3 Cloud Edition mean?
Upgrading from older versions of Infor M3 to Cloud Edition involves transitioning from an older, traditional deployment method to a modern cloud-based infrastructure. Here are some essential aspects to consider:
Technology Modernization: Older versions of Infor M3 may have scalability, performance, and functionality limitations. By upgrading to the Cloud Edition, companies can access the latest technology and infrastructure to optimize performance and security.
Cloud services: By migrating to the cloud, businesses can take advantage of the benefits of cloud services, including elastic scalability, automatic backup, redundancy and global availability. This reduces the need to manage infrastructure internally and enables a more flexible and cost-effective operating environment.
Updates and maintenance: With Cloud Edition, the vendor manages updates and maintenance of the Infor M3 platform. This means the company no longer needs to spend time and resources managing the update process internally, reducing the risk of downtime and ensuring they always use the latest version of the software
Mobility and collaboration: Cloud-based solutions enable easy access to Infor M3 from different devices and locations, promoting employee mobility and collaboration. This can improve the organization’s productivity and efficiency by allowing users to work anywhere and anytime.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO):Over time, an upgrade to Infor M3 Cloud Edition can lead to a lower total cost of ownership through reduced operational costs, reduced need for internal IT resources, and increased scalability and flexibility.
By upgrading to Infor M3 Cloud Edition, companies can benefit from modern technology, improved security, increased flexibility and simplicity in managing their business systems, which can provide competitive advantage and support growth and innovation.
Practical approaches to streamlining operations with Infor M3 Cloud Edition
When using Infor M3 Cloud Edition, there are several ways to streamline operations with the support of the system:
Process automation: Infor M3 offers opportunities to automate business processes, which can reduce manual labor and increase efficiency. Companies can free up resources for more value-added activities by automating routine tasks.
Data analysis and reporting: Infor M3 Cloud Edition includes robust data analysis and reporting tools that can help companies gain insights into their business and make informed decisions. By using these tools, companies can identify trends, understand customer behavior, and optimize their operations.
Mobility and collaboration: Infor M3 Cloud Edition enables easy access to the system from different devices and locations, promoting mobility and collaboration among employees. By using mobile apps and collaboration tools, teams can work effectively, no matter where they are
Supply chain optimization: Infor M3 offers extensive functionality for managing supply chain processes, including planning, purchasing, production, and distribution. By optimizing supply chain processes, companies can reduce costs, improve customer service, and increase their competitiveness.
Customer relationships: Infor M3 Cloud Edition integrates with CRM systems to manage customer relationships and marketing activities. By collecting and analyzing data on customer behavior and preferences, companies can create tailored offers and improve the customer experience.
By upgrading to Infor M3 Cloud Edition, companies can benefit from modern technology, improved security, increased flexibility and simplicity in managing their business systems, which can provide competitive advantage and support growth and innovation.
This is what Infor Nordics says about Cloud Edition
Interview with Ted Jädestam, Senior Channel Account Manager at Infor Nordics
Technical architecture and compatibility
- How does Infor M3 adapt to the cloud environment?
Infor CloudSuite is customized for different industries to meet specific customer needs. The solution is delivered as a cloud solution with continuous updates, meaning customers are always on the latest version. Costly and time-consuming upgrades are history. As explained, the architecture consists of three parts. 1. All technology is delivered by the world’s largest cloud service provider, Amazon Web Services, which ensures high security and reliability. Infor OS is the middle layer, which includes an integration engine, workflow, data warehouse, and AI and Machine learning functionality. With this solution, customers will always be at the forefront and can utilize the latest technology, such as AI and Machine Learning, right from the start.
Security aspects:
- What security measures does Infor M3 follow in the cloud to ensure data security and privacy? How is security managed at the user level and the infrastructure level?
Infor takes security very seriously. Infor has several international certifications covering physical, infrastructure, network, and application security. You can read more about this at www.trust.infor.com.
Scalability and performance:
- How does Infor M3 scale in the cloud in terms of increased data volume and user load?
Infor’s services reside in data clusters that auto-scale with an increased load without customers noticing any difference.
Customization possibilities:
- How are customizations and integrations handled when moving to the cloud? Are there any restrictions or special considerations for maintaining existing customizations?
Since Infors CloudSuite is a standard solution, which is continuously upgraded, there is no customization in the source code. The standard practice is configuring the solution via broad and deep functionality. Any special needs are handled via extensions outside the standard solution and communicated via API. Mostly, configuration is enough, but some customers use extensions.
Global scalability
- How does Infor M3 Cloud Edition adapt to global business needs, especially regarding multiple geographic locations and different legislations?
Infor CloudSuite offers multi-company management, currency management, and internal trading as standard functionality, facilitating group administration and saving time. Infor also provides access to packages to meet country-specific regulatory requirements.
Strategy for the future:
- How does Infor view cloud technology’s future and plan to keep its products relevant and innovative in a rapidly changing technological environment?
Infor has a clear cloud strategy and invests heavily in our industry-specific cloud solutions. Our partner, Amazon Web Service, is a leader in cloud technology, which means that Infor’s technical platform is at the forefront, with the industry’s largest supplier making the technology investments. For our customers, this means they can start using the latest technology, such as AI and Machine Learning, from the start. The only thing needed is data.
