Tips for Preparing for Infor Patch Bundles

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It’s that time again!  Infor Cloud is releasing a patch bundle for 2022, which is a pre-requisite for their year-end patching.  There are typically dozens (or hundreds) of patches applied during these bundles, to all the Infor applications hosted in the cloud.  This can be an overwhelming prospect for users and IT staff who are tasked with testing and validation during these patches.

If you haven’t already taken the latest bundle, here are some quick tips for preparing your organization for a patch bundle:

Preparation

  • Release notes: Infor always provides release notes on the patch bundle that they are implementing.  These release notes will be attached to the KB article that is associated with your bundle (which should be referenced in your email communication for the bundle).  If you are having trouble finding the KB article, your Infor account representative should be able to point you to it.
  • Security: Occasionally the bundles will impact Lawson Security, and even more frequently they will implement new forms/fields/tables/columns that need to be secured.  Run some security reports before the bundle so that they can be compared to the same reports after.  Also, search your html release notes for any tokens that will be added, and determine if your organization needs to secure them.
  • Reports: Run reports or queries for data validation, but also search the release notes for database changes, and make sure that you are ready to update any reports that are impacted by those changes.

MSCM

  • Certificate: If you own MSCM, it is almost always going to be updated as part of the patch bundle. There is often an issue with the certificate after this update.  Either the certificate is no longer valid, or it wasn’t generated during the patch.  After the update, make sure you go directly to the CAB file location and that you see a valid certificate there (it’ll be named like your server).  If you don’t see the file, or if you get security errors when trying to connect, open a ticket with Infor letting them know you think your cert is not valid.
  • CAB files: It is best practices to delete all your CAB files from the handhelds and reinstall them after these major updates.

IPA

  • Interface validation: There is a high probability that one or more of your IPA processes will be impacted by the patch bundle. It is important to test every single interface end-to-end.
  • IP Designer: The IP Designer version MUST match the Landmark/IPA version exactly.  So, after a patch bundle, you WILL have to download a fresh version of IPD.

Testing

  • What to test: You are most likely going to need to test everything.  Daily, weekly, monthly, and annual processes should be included in your testing.
  • How to test: Provide users with test scripts for each function, and have a central location for users to log the results. We like to use Monday.com as our central repository for testing.

Validation

  • You can use LID to validate data counts. You should also compare pre-update reports to post-update reports in all applications, including security.

 

Nogalis has assisted many cloud clients through the implementations of these patch bundles, and we would love to assist you as well!  We have some great resources on hand who can provide managed services of your system, training, and project work.  Check out our managed services program, or email our managed services and cloud expert Desi at [email protected] for inquiries about project work.

 

Mooneh Fulfillment & Logistics Optimizes Warehouse Management with SNS and Infor

Infor recently announced that Mooneh, a third-party logistics storage and distribution provider for international pharmaceutical corporates, has deployed Infor WMS (warehouse management system). The project was successfully delivered by SNS, a leading provider of supply chain consultancy and software implementation. Per the press release, the project will establish an efficient and effective warehouse operation, as well as being set to deliver full traceability of all inventory. Additionally, as part of its objective to optimize warehouse operations, Mooneh’s project goals were focused on receiving, storing and shipping efficiently by fully utilizing the warehouse space, as well as seeking to minimize human intervention and travel time for optimized productivity. Further, Infor WMS now manages Mooneh’s entire warehousing operation from receiving goods to storage and shipping.

 

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AS400 Lawson srgen command

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When running SRGEN in Lawson on iSeries/AS400 there are some things to consider. first, make sure you have the lawson source library LAWSRC in your library list. If the LAWSRC source library is not in your library list, your screen rules will not be updated. You should also make sure to put LAWSRC above your modification library and make sure they contain lawson source files as well as the .sr members before you run SRGEN. Lastly, the syntax for running SRGEN is CALL SRGEN PARM(LAWAPP SYSTEMCODE), where systemcode is your Lawson system code (i.e. HR). If you need to create screen rules (.sr) for multiple system codes, separate the system codes with a single space (i.e. HR GL AP IF AR).

How to Keep Your Cloud ERP Secure

These days pretty much every major enterprise resource planning (ERP) provider is pushing for their customers to move from Legacy on-premise systems to Cloud ERP solutions. Eventually on-premise will be phased out and everyone will have to move to the Cloud indefinitely. Many organizations that seemingly rush to migrate to the cloud risk running their solution with no support or security patches available. And while the advantages of having a Cloud ERP is a generous list, these security risks would overshadow them all if not visited right away. Thnakfully, there are simple ways to keep your new Cloud ERP secure that requires simple effort. Kenny Mullican, SMB expert and CIO at Paragon Films, shares an article on the Acceleration Economy Network on how to keep your Cloud ERP secure with some simple best practices.

Authentication. Mullican explains how it is critical that you do two things to keep these events from letting unauthorized users into your Cloud ERP system. You should encourage users to create unique passwords. The more unique characters the better. The second thing is to set up multi-factor authentication for even more added and secure log-ins for your users. You could also implement a mandatory password update every so often.

Software Updates. Although some Cloud ERP systems receive automatic updates with no action needed from the customer, others let you skip or postpone updates. While this can be good for you to allow adequate time for testing, it is imperative that you stay up to date with your software as possible as unpatched software is vulnerable to security and can be easily bypassed by cyber criminals.

Access Rights. Fine-tuning access privileges can be time-consuming, Mullican explains. It is tempting to simply grant full access or administrative privileges to a user to ensure that they can get to everything they need in the system, but this can expose potential criminals to all your sensitive data from any account. It is crucial to set up defined security roles for each of your users to ensure they can see everything they need but nothing else. This way, any security threats would be funneled.

 

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Five Common Mistakes To Avoid After CRM Go-Live

Tal Frankfurt, Founder and CEO of Salesforce partner Cloud for Good, shares an article on Forbes of the many mistakes we can make after we go-live with a new customer relationship management (CRM) system. Many managers think once the system is implemented, nothing else needs to be done. That is a huge mistake, and one of many that happen after a successful implementation. Here are five common mistakes that you should avoid, according to Frankfurt, after your CRM go-live.

  1. Not Allowing For A Stabilization Period. “Implementing new technology is a process that takes time and creates a lot of buildup and excitement for going live. Understanding that success and realized benefits are not always immediate, your organization should plan for a post-go-live period that should at least include additional training for users, knowledge transfer across the organization using the CRM and proper measurement of what the value that the CRM is creating and adjustment needed post-go-live.”
  2. Failing To Continually Support Staff. “As you go live and start to field questions from staff, understand that your users are the greatest source capable of unlocking more and more of your new technology. Listen closely to the feedback they have as it relates to improvements, roadblocks and what’s working well for them.”
  3. Rejecting Evolution. “To this point, your CRM should always be evolving. Your CRM is, at its core, a tool to help support your organization’s unique goals and missions. Naturally, as the goals and missions develop, so too should the technology implemented to support development. How do you continue to create value?”
  4. Stalking Customers And Not Improving Their Experience. “Many organizations believe that more data is the answer for everything the organization needs and that if that data is not in the CRM, it actually never existed. The more data you have is not going to necessarily make your organization a more customer-centric organization. Organizations should focus on understanding their data and then using it to build stronger and healthier relationships with their constituents.”
  5. Not Learning From Failures. “According to Gartner, 55% of CRM implementations fail. For many organizations, it takes time to understand that CRM is not an “IT project” or something one person or a department can and should implement. CRM implementations are valuable when they are cross-departmental, when the leadership team is involved and when the users see an impact on their day-to-day work as a result of increased efficiency or effectiveness.”

Frankfurt concludes that we should not undermine all of the time and effort that went into getting your CRM up and running. We should take the time to ensure that our staff has the right support and that we are readily open to embrace the changes a CRM system can bring to the company. With time, perspective and help from the right staff, Frankfurt notes, a CRM platform implemented mindfully and respectfully will help you reach the next level of your business.

 

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Lawson Admins – How to update the default application globally in Lawson Mingle

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In your organization, you may want to set the default application to Lawson Portal or MSCM for all users when they first login. To do this, follow the steps below.

 

First login to Infor Mingle.

Go to the user icon on the top right and select User Management

Once in user management, open the waffle icon on the top left

You should see all the Lawson apps you have access to here

In order to make Infor Lawson the default application, click and drag that icon and make sure it’s the top left most Icon.

The first icon in the top left will always load by default.

 

As of writing this, this should be the way to set the default app globally but can change in the future.

Reload the page and the default application should stay the same.

R.S. Hughes Selects Infor CloudSuite Distribution to Help Fuel Business Growth and Maintain its Competitive Advantage

R.S. Hughes Co. Inc., a leading North American distributor of industrial supplies and equipment, recently selected Infor CloudSuite Distribution to help fuel business growth, maintain competitive advantage, and improve customer service. Per the press release, with Infor’s CloudSuite Distribution ERP (enterprise resource planning) system, R.S. Hughes will have continuous access to the latest industry-specific capabilities, enabling the company to grow top-line revenues and differentiate its product and service offerings from competitors. Further, R.S. Hughes also expects to realize numerous workflow process improvements, which will help reduce costs and the amount of time employees need to place and process customer orders. This will significantly help R.S. Hughes’ workforce to dedicate more time on mission-critical and strategic initiatives.

 

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Installing a CTP on AS400

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To Install a CTP on AS400, follow these guidelines:

 

Open a green screen and go to command line:

Enter the following commands:

call lawenv

qsh

cd $LAWDIR (or location of tar files)

The Versions file is EBCDIC instead of ASCII. You will use /QOpenSys/usr/bin/tar to unpack package.

Otherwise, you will get this error:

Error: Versions file is wrong CCSID.

If so, you will need to remove all untarred files from directory and start over with QOpenSys/usr/bin/tar

 

/QOpenSys/usr/bin/tar -xvf 9.0.1_patch_84930.tar                  

   x 9.0.1_patch_84930.readme.html, 331911 bytes, 649 media blocks.            

   x Versions, 5816 bytes, 12 media blocks.                                    

   x Tasks, 3034 bytes, 6 media blocks.                                        

   x patch.tar.Z, 2483873 bytes, 4852 media blocks.                            

   $                                                                           

 perl $GENDIR/bin/lawappinstall preview ProdLineName                              

 perl $GENDIR/bin/lawappinstall update ProdLineName                              

 perl $GENDIR/bin/lawappinstall activate ProdLineName                              

 

check for errors

ls $LAWDIR/ ProdLineName/rpg/*rpg/*SRC/*.err

Hit F3 to exit command line

Dspmsg to Display messages

If you find any failed job enter

Wrkjob # for failed job                                                     

 

When is the right time to upgrade an ERP system?

Keeping an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system up to date is critical in maintaining an effective business process. Upgrading an ERP system can be just as daunting a task as selecting one, probably even more challenging. That is because with an upgrade so many things need change and so many pieces are changing at once. But, how do you know when the right time to upgrade is? How do you know if your current ERP system works just fine? Also, what are you upgrading for? These are just a few questions you need to consider when dealing with your ERP systems. Experts from SMC (formerly Solution Minds Consulting) outline some key questions in an article on consultancy.com.au that decision makers should ask themselves to understand when the right time is to upgrade their current ERP systems.

Is your business growing or going through change? “There are several critical events that signal when a business is ripe for upgrading their ERP systems. The most obvious is when an organization is experiencing significant growth or change. A scalable ERP platform will support profitable future growth – meaning you won’t need to increase headcount at the same rate as revenue growth.”

Are you keeping up with your competitors? “If your systems are not up-to-date and lacking in what are now standard features available in newer technology, you will be denied the associated competitive advantages.”

Has your vendor stopped supporting your current technology? “The enterprise software market is rapidly changing and sometimes when a vendor has sold their product there is a sunset clause and you are pushed to ‘upgrade’ to their flagship product, which may not be the best for you. These are signs you need to bite the bullet and take the necessary steps to evaluate your options and potentially upgrade your business systems.”

Are legacy systems expensive to maintain? “Legacy platforms are expensive to preserve and costs will continue to grow over time. Often it is very difficult to find people who can program old code and developers of today are mostly averse to working on antiquated technology when so much more modern technology is available on the market. Decision makers should be asking the question: if legacy software breaks down under a heavy load, how might the business be affected and specifically, can they afford not to upgrade?”

 

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16 Expert Strategies To Help Companies Minimize Cloud Costs

Shifting your company to the cloud is a cumbersome yet rewarding (if done right) process. In this day and age, the pros -improved security and faster service – certainly outweigh the cons – time and costs – costs being the hardest to sell to decision makers, With careful planning and decision making, you can easily avoid unnecessary expenses and keep your implementation costs under control. 16 Forbes Technology Council Tech Experts share their tips on how to minimize costs when shifting to the cloud.

  1. Establish Governance Models Up Front
  2. Take Advantage Of Cloud-Specific Benefits
  3. Adopt Spot Instances
  4. Follow A Multicloud Design And Build Strategy
  5. Consolidate Cloud-Based Offerings
  6. Invest In Private Access
  7. Dedicate Efforts To Monitoring Cloud Spending And Usage
  8. Establish Clear Visibility Into Application Performance And User Experience
  9. Leverage Resource Modeling And Discovery Tools
  10. Ensure You’re Operating Cloud-Native Systems
  11. Let The Team Decide On ‘Nice To Haves’
  12. Focus On Scalability And Growth
  13. Develop Hot And Cold Storage
  14. Negotiate With Your Cloud Provider
  15. Automate Noncritical Systems Shutdowns
  16. Establish A Rules-Based Archival Strategy

 

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