Harnessing ERP Software And AP Automation’s Combined Power

Many companies are turning to enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools with accounts payable (AP) automation to harness both solutions’ abilities and level up their businesses’ values, according to PYMNTS.com. By bridging AP automation to ERP capabilities, it enhances working capital management, reduces operational costs and improves productivity. Per the article, the following advantages are available:

ERP and AP Automation Uptake
“Implementing cloud-based ERP software has appealing benefits, but industry analysts find most companies lack the comprehensive AP capabilities necessary for efficient record keeping or rapid invoice and payment processing. AP automation simplifies the invoicing process to the extent that it can cut the cost of processing a single invoice.”

Benefits of Combining ERP and AP Automation Solutions
“Augmenting ERP software with robust AP automation capabilities produces a system that significantly reduces typical human errors, such as duplicate invoice payments, and often provides additional support for innovative payment methods.”

Upgrading ERP Simultaneously With AP Automation
“Embracing AP software solutions by implementing them simultaneously with ERP upgrades can streamline technical integration efforts and maximize worker productivity.”

 

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What do I need to know about LDAPS?

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Microsoft is hardening their security with LDAP channeling and LDAP signing in an update coming soon. Any applications that rely on LDAP connections to Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) or Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) need to be converted to LDAPS. LDAPS is a secure connection protocol used between applications like Lawson and the Network Directory or Domain Controller. Below are the potential impacted Lawson applications mentioned by Infor in a recent KB Article.

Impacted Lawson applications:

  • Lawson System Foundation (LSF) environments using AD LDS instances for Authentication Data Store (RM Configuration).
  • Lawson System Foundation (LSF) environments using an LDAP Bind to Windows Active Directory for authentication.
  • Landmark Environments using an LDAP Bind to Windows Active Directory for authentication.
  • Infor Federated Services (IFS) synchronization connections to Active Directory.

Infor has recommended that on-premise clients configure the impacted applications and have provided KB Articles on how to perform these tasks.

Some important things to note:

  • This change does affect you, even if you have implemented AD FS
    • If you are using Microsoft Add-ins for LSF and Lawson Process Administrator for Landmark, you will have a Thick Client installed that used LDAP Bind.
  • If your networking team takes the Microsoft LDAPS update and enforces LDAPS connections before these changes have been configured, your Lawson applications will fail in the following ways:
    • The LASE process on LSF will fail to start.
    • Login to services that rely on LDAP bind will be unable to login (Landmark Rich Client, MSCM Handheld Devices, IPA Flows to LSF).
    • IFS will be unable to sync users from Active Directory.
  • This change will NOT impact DSP applications
    • DSP application include Infor Business Intelligence (IBI or LBI), Lawson Smart Office (LSO), Mobile Supply Chain Management (MSCM), etc.
    • These applications use Infor Lawson for authentication. They are not bound to LDAP, nor do they have their own instance of AD LDS.
  • You can update your configuration at any time
    • The changes recommended by Infor can be completed before LDAPS connections are enforced, and there will be no negative impact to your system.

Automotive Innovator Achieves Operational Improvements with Infor ERP

Infor recently announced that Raval, an innovator in flow control solutions for the global automotive industry, has successfully deployed Infor M3 enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Infor M3 has helped add significant improvements to Raval’s operational processes including user interface improvements, cardboard packaging management, order pickup processes and adjustments to numerous tax and regulatory requirements needed for its international operations. The implementation, which was carried out by Intentia Israel in collaboration with Raval’s information systems department, lasted several months. Infor M3 went live at all the company’s locations around the world, adhering to schedules and in a transparent manner, without interrupting the company’s day-to-day operations and giving full operational independence to Raval.

 

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Use qcontrol To Increase Compile Efficiency

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When doing a patch compile or a product line compile, it is best to increase the number of jobs that can be added to the queue so they will compile faster.  The default is two jobs.  To increase the number of jobs, use the command “qcontrol -j<machine name>,#”

For example:

 

 

7 Indicators It’s Time for a New ERP System at Your Industrial Business

Investing in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is the best thing you could do for your business to stay productive. However, simply implementing one and never reevaluating it from time to time could hurt your business more than helping it. That’s because with ever growing advancements in business technology, sometimes older systems get outdated. Hugo Britt at thomasnet.com shares seven ways to tell that your ERP system is outdated.

  1. It Isn’t Cloud-based
  2. It Isn’t Mobile
  3. It Lacks Features That Are Now Industry Standard
  4. Vendor Support Has Been Discontinued
  5. It Can’t Integrate New Technologies
  6. It’s Creating Manual Work
  7. It Can’t Keep up with Regulatory Changes

An outdated ERP will incur plenty of loss for a company over time. Consider reevaluating your current system and determine if you need to update to a newer, better-integrated system.

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Changing to a new ERP and using Punch Out?

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Many ERP systems allow for a much longer location ID than Lawson does.

Many Punch Out vendors have limitations on the size of the location ID.  Make sure to validate with any Punch Out vendors you may have before you come up with a new location naming convention. Otherwise you may have to revisit this item later.

Infor and Snowflake Partner to Build Automated Data Warehouses with Birst Full-Stack Analytics & BI Platform

Infor’s latest partnership with cloud data platform Snowflake will help enterprises build automated data warehouses using the Birst full-stack analytics and BI platform. Birst is a single, integrated, end-to-end platform for building automated data warehouses natively on Snowflake, which eliminates the need for separate ELT/ETL (extract, load & transform, and extract, transform & load), data modeling, data preparation and analytics tools. Per the press release,  joint customers can use Birst’s self-service data preparation capabilities to blend end-user-created data with enterprise data in Snowflake, providing true self-service for business users and analysts. Birst and Snowflake both run natively in AWS (Amazon Web Services), which speeds data processing and querying, while obviating the need to export data out of Snowflake.

 

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Stagecoach Digitalises Asset Management with Infor EAM

Infor recently announced that Stagecoach, the largest bus and coach operator in the UK, has selected Infor CloudSuite EAM (enterprise asset management). Deployed and supported by Infor partner Sapphire Systems, the cloud based system will help digitalize asset management at the bus company. Stagecoach has a large and widespread asset portfolio to which they were faced with a need t o modernize their current system by fully digitalizing their asset management practices. Stagecoach choice Infor CloudSuite EAM to support fleet availability, facilitate comprehensive warranty management and expedite vehicle recovery. Per the press release, Infor was selected based on its technology platform, scalability and fit with Stagecoach’s wider digital transformation goals. The software’s user friendliness and speed of performance were also key to the decision.

 

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Prevent wasted data when using ERP technology

Karlee Renkoski shares an article on bakingbusiness.com regarding the way we use data from our enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology. While ERP systems can gather an abundance of customer data, a good amount of companies have underutilized the effectiveness of of the data gathered, according to a 2016 study. The wasted information can be from a number of reasons such as not knowing they had access to such data, or selecting an ERP system and/or vendor (who assisted with implementation) with little or no knowledge of the chosen system. The way to fix this problem comes down to paying more attention in the ERP selection process, implementation and training. Lastly, understanding and analyzing the given data in the best way to help your business grow.

 

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From Data to AI: How these 4 tech trends are reshaping healthcare

The healthcare industry is continuing to digitally transform the sector. Isaac Kohen at medcitynews.com shares an article about the trends in the tech industry that are reshaping healthcare and making a significant impact.

Bigger, Better Data – With the help of wearables and mobile devices, patient awareness and real time aid is readily available for patients and physicians. The article states, “When coupled with other data collection initiatives, healthcare providers have more and more precise data than ever before, and this will transform both the way patients and doctors communicate and the ways that providers can collect patient data.”

Data Privacy, Finally – With the incredible amount of data gathered, privacy is a top priority. Per the article, “Healthcare data breaches are increasingly common, and they are, by far, the most expensive of any industry. Privacy is poised to be a major theme in the year ahead.”

Accountability for Insider Threats – With the progress toward securing data a goal for healthcare providers, the accountability for insider threats will also be a topic. Per the article, “From accidental data sharing to intentional heists, healthcare providers are recognizing that the biggest threat to securing the mountains of data they collect isn’t defending against an outside, existential force. In the year ahead, healthcare providers will be accountable for insider threats.”

AI & Machine Learning Infiltrate Healthcare – The articles states that “AI and machine learning will make a significant impact in several ways, including:

  • Chatbots will provide medical advice.
  • Smartphones will deliver additional data for computational analysis.
  • Integrated data silos will open up new analytical possibilities.”

 

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