Pushing education forward with education technology standards

The U.S. Department of Education recently released the 2016 National Education Technology Plan (NETP). With mobile devices and high-speed Internet access serving as platforms for numerous advanced education technologies, NETP pushes education technology standards forward. Education standards include two components: a specific education competency and a grade level. They define what students should learn and when they should learn it. Technology creates a platform for the development of new tools and its standards benefit in the education sector, simplifying unnecessarily complex features. This could mean developing specific text-to-speech tools that would function similarly across all education software, making learning simpler and improves the experience for students and teachers as well.

 

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Egbert Taylor Group Takes to the Cloud with Infor

Egbert Taylor Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of four-wheeled metal bins, recently deployed Infor CloudSuite Industrial (SyteLine). The cloud-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) application is expected to help improve decision-making, drive growth and boost customer service by improving the sales order process and enhancing visibility into the availability of new products, stock and production capacity. Additionally, the cloud would capitalize on lower upfront costs, reduce risk and ensure that the business always has access to the latest version of Infor CloudSuite Industrial. Phil Lewis, VP solution consulting for Europe Infor, says “By putting the technology behind these processes into the cloud, they can remain agile and incrementally expand the benefits of Infor CloudSuite Industrial throughout the business as it grows, without disruption.”

 

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Infor Continues to Experience Significant Growth in Healthcare

Infor shared their successful and continuously growing healthcare business unit at HIMSS 2016. Healthcare applications covering a broad spectrum in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) have contributed to nearly 450 new and expanded relationships in 2015. These include Children’s Health, UNC Health, Jackson Health System, Confluence Health, Memorial Health System and Liberty Healthcare Management. Additionally, Infor’s healthcare division completed 153 percent more cloud-based new business transactions in 2015 than in 2014. “Infor continues to be a top choice for healthcare organizations because we are a team of industry subject matter experts that understands the nuances, intricacies and demands it takes to operate a healthcare enterprise from a business perspective while keeping patient care at the heart of every decision,” said Mike Poling, general manager, Infor Healthcare.

 

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Infor Announces End of support for Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and IBM Operating Systems

“This announcement is applicable only to on-premise software deployments.  It does not apply to products deployed in the cloud. 

Effective May 31, 2017, (previously announced as May 31, 2016) Infor will no longer provide corrections for issues to Infor Lawson application and technology products, including Infor Lawson System Foundation (LSF) releases 9.0.1.X and 10.0.X.0 and subsequent versions, which are caused by running the applications on these server operating systems:

  • Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008 SP2
  • Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008 R2
  • IBM® i v6R1

Effective May 31, 2017, (previously announced as May 31, 2016) Infor will no longer provide corrections for issues to Landmark Technology Runtime 10.X.X.0 release and subsequent versions  which are caused by running the applications on these server operating systems:

  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2

Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 reached Microsoft’s mainstream support end date in January 2015 as communicated on the Microsoft Support Lifecycle site.

IBM i v6R1 reached IBM’s end of support date in September 2015 as communicated on the IBM Support Lifecycle site.

After May 31, 2017, Infor LSF and Infor Landmark Technology Runtime customers running on the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 SP2/R2 server operating systems or the IBM i v6R1 server operating system run the risk of encountering issues in their environments that will require an update to a then-currently supported server operating system. 

To help mitigate that risk, Infor strongly recommends that Infor LSF and Infor Landmark Technology Runtime customers update their server operating systems to a currently supported version prior to May 31, 2017, as published in the Infor Lawson Compatibility Matrix document.”

-Via Infor Xtreme Support Update | February 2016

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Infor Releases New Version of Industry-Focused Supply Chain Solution

The release of Infor’s Supply Chain Execution (SCE) solution, version 10.4, promises to deliver enhanced performance and efficiency, including multiple language support, along with on-premise and cloud deployments. Infor SCE 10.4 combines warehouse management, transportation execution, 3PL billing and labor management in a single, unified solution. It is designed to help users optimize inventory, warehouse space and labor in the warehouse while streamlining the complex supply chain business processes. Some core enhancements to the new version include dynamic slotting tailored for retail and omni-channel fulfillment and enhanced inbound quality control. “The new Warehouse Management functionality along with updated dashboards and personalization makes Infor SCE 10.4 the perfect solution for our customers with complex supply chains,” says John Bermudez, VP Product Management at Infor.

 

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ERP match-making tips for your organization

Choosing the right Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system can be overwhelming as it can be a key asset to your company. Here are five (5) important factors you should consider when shopping for ERP to find the best system for your organization.

  1. Determine the needs of your business
  2. Evaluate various ERP solutions
  3. Evaluate the total cost
  4. Develop a realistic implementation plan
  5. Track the potential business benefits of the new system

Seek advice from your employees. Not only will they be working on the system on a day-to-day basis, they are best suited to advise on where operational gaps exist and how you can fill them by having your firm choosing the right ERP software.

 

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Infor Invests $25 Million in Retail Cloud Provider Predictix

For their first move in 2016, Infor invested in a $25 million partnership with Predictix, a ground-breaking provider of cloud-native, predictive, and machine-learning solutions for retailers. Predictix will allow Infor to enhance CloudSuite Retail with modules that support demand forecasting, merchandise financial planning, assortment planning, network flow optimization, and allocation and markdown optimization. CEO of Predictix Molham Aref says of the partnership, “Infor will provide Predictix access to the scale and resources of an enterprise software giant with the mentality of a forward-looking, entrepreneurial start-up. Predictix customers will benefit greatly from the cutting-edge work coming out of Hook & Loop, Infor’s internal creative agency that is pushing the boundaries of product design and user experience.”

 

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The Future of CRM Software

The next generation of Customer Relationship (CRM) software needs new strategies and supporting technologies to proactively respond to more empowered customers. Here’s what’s needed for the future of CRM software.

  • A New Purpose – CRM software must transition from an internally focused, sales driven, customer data management application to an externally focused, conversation driven, customer engagement application.
  • More Customer Engagement – since most customers are socially active online, CRM software should focus on these outlets and methods of conversations so they can act and engage appropriately.
  • Improved Customer Experiences – CRM software should help improve customer experience at every customer facing interaction.
  • More Customer Intelligence – Knowing what each customer ‘Likes’, forwards, retweets or comments on creates a highly specific customer social graph.

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How to make the most of cloud-based CRM

IDC and Gartner indicate that 62 percent of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software will be in the cloud by 2018. Because cloud-based CRM has the power to transform your sales and marketing process, you need to include these in your CRM strategy:

  • Be social first – Interact with customers over Facebok, Twitter, or whatever medium they frequent to cultivate better relationships
  • Emphasize mobile – Employees become more productive when they can get quick access to CRM software on a mobile device
  • Make simplicity a priority – Cloud-based CRM solutions are easy for anyone to manage from anywhere

Remember to choose a CRM cloud solution that will help you achieve greater sales and build a more successful business.

 

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3 Key Cloud Trends for 2016

Now that 2016 is here, let’s take a look at three key cloud trends so we can take advantage of them thoughtfully and effectively.

  1. The continued rise of cloudops – Cloudops are the new name of IT Ops that focus on cloud services like security, management and monitoring.
  2. The continued explosion of containers – Containers are a solution to the problem of how to get software to run reliably when moved from one computing environment to another.
  3. More focus on training and certification – The number of training companies focused on cloud is exploding because the cloud is taking over.

We will look at 2016 to be a year of evolution than revolution, and the cloud will surely take precedence.

 

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