U.S. Department of State Selects Infor to Improve Risk Management Capabilities

Infor recently announced the U.S. Department of State’s (DoS) selection of Infor Risk & Compliance (IRC) to help reduce risk and automate compliance obligations. Per the press release, DoS selected IRC and Infor’s implementation partner New River Systems and MIL Corporation in particular to automate and centralize its risk mitigation process to increase efficiency and help ensure that all risks were identified and remediated to be in compliance with audit requirements, reduce the risk of fraud, reduce the amount of time spent on reviewing segregation of duties (SoD) conflicts, and reduce funds spent on external auditors. Additionally, the DoS was recently granted an Authorization to Operate (ATO) – the result of a formal process that authorizes operation of a product and explicitly accepts the risk to agency operations – for its Infor solution. Further, the Infor Risk & Compliance solution will aid the DoS in extracting enterprise resource planning (ERP) application data, analyzing the extracted data, and reporting violations or exceptions identified during analysis, saving staff time and increasing efficiency. Specific role access and monitoring existing user accounts and role assignments will create more control over access. The department will be able to automate the process of evaluating access to sensitive data, reducing internal business process risks.

 

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Inbasket not showing tasks to approve in Lawson

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Problem: A user doesn’t see their tasks to approve in Lawson

Example of Inbasket missing tasks on left column:

 

In Process Server Administrator or Lawson Rich Client, verify the user didn’t have a recent name change and that their task filters are setup correctly in Landmark:

 

Regularly generating reports and maintaining your requisition process level filters is key to avoiding these work flow issues which can delay important equipment, supplies etc. for weeks.

 

To avoid these pitfalls, some organizations hire Lawson consultants that offer managed services to perform such maintenance to prevent these recurring issues. It’s a common alternative instead of solely relying on a single Lawson employee who is expected to have wide set of expertise on all these systems.

Infor Helps Triballat Noyal Overhaul its Computer Systems

The French family-owned leader in organic ultra-fresh products and pioneer of soy, Triballat Noyal group, recently deployed Infor M3 enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution as part of a large-scale project to overhaul its information systems and its teams. Per the press release, the Triballat Noyal family group’s huge development of its activities in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and England questioned a large part of its business processes. They decided to rationalize its activities using an IT solution capable of improving the steering of operations and the management of the production facilities, shortening the time required to close its accounts and supporting its international development. Additionally, the project to overhaul the ERP system was handled by Infor and its partner LTTD Consulting. Further, multiple challenges were presented in terms of infrastructure as well as security, support, functionalities, business applications and data management. The requirements and specificities of the activities of the various business units and markets addressed by the Triballat Noyal group have all been taken into account in the project.

 

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Updating the ADFS Token-Signing Certificates

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When the ADFS Token-Signing certificate is updated on the ADFS server, it will have to be imported to Lawson and Infor OS.  The networking team should let the Lawson team know when the certificate is being updated in ADFS.

The networking team will need to export the certificate and provide you with the “.cer” file before these tasks can be completed.

Update the Certificate in Lawson

  1. Log onto the Lawson Server
  2. Start a ssoconfig -c session
  3. Go to “Manage WS Federation Settings” > “Manage Certificates”
  4. Select “Delete IdP certificate”
    1. Enter the IdP service name for your ADFS configuration
  5. Select “Import IdP Certificate”
    1. Enter the IdP service name for your ADFS configuration
    2. Provide the full path where you have the token-signing certificate saved

Reboot the server

 

Update the Certificate in Landmark

  1. Open a LMK command line window
  2. Type in secadm -m
  3. Type the password
  4. Manage WS Federation Settings > Manage WS Federation Certificate
  5. Select “Delete IdP Certificate”
    1. Enter the IdP service name for your ADFS configuration
    2. Property name is IdPSigningCertificate
  6. Exit
  7. Select “Import IdP Certificate”
    1. Enter the IdP service name for your ADFS configuration
    2. Provide the full certificate path
    3. Property name is IdPSigningCertificate

 

Update the Certificate in Infor OS

Log into the Infor OS server as the LAWSON user

Double-click on the desktop icon for InforOSManager

 

Go to Identity providers on the left side

Double-click on the identity provider

 

Select “From URL” to import the new certificate and metadata

Provide the URL: https://<adfsserver>/federationmetadata/2007-06/federationmetadata.xml

Click “Load”

Make sure the certificates load (there may only be one, but there should be at least one)

 Reboot the server

 

8 ways to avoid business disruption from a new ERP system

Implementing anything new to your business is a huge and challenging process, often disrupting your day-to-day operations. With major implementations such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, it’s no exception. A major disruption that can occur during an ERP implementation is employee training on the new system, resulting in less time to complete their normal work. But how do you avoid potential disruptors so you don’t lose valuable time and money? Tech consultant Eric St-Jean shares an article on TechTarget on how to avoid business disruption from a new ERP system.  To limit disruptions, St-Jean says, project leaders should take the following steps as they begin planning for an ERP system implementation.
  1. Develop a detailed schedule. “The schedule will help guide the project and ensure key deadlines are met while also providing project team members with information about their time commitments.”
  2. Allocate sufficient resources. “To avoid overloading project team members, the project leader should carefully calculate how many project members the implementation will require. Doing so will help ensure that employees aren’t neglecting ongoing business needs.”
  3. Create checklists. “The project leader should use checklists to track tasks so project team members know what others have completed and can plan next steps.”
  4. Develop a roadmap. “The roadmap should include key dates and high-level tasks for each stage of the project. The roadmap can also highlight future phases, which could help managers and others who take care of workforce planning.”
  5. Conduct ongoing risk assessments. “The risk assessment process will enable the project leader to stay on top of potential issues and those that have already affected the business. The organization may be able to limit unplanned interruptions that could negatively affect the company and project team members.”
  6. Provide clear communication. “The project team should provide employees with clear and concise communication about the implementation as often as possible. The team should tailor messaging so employees get the details they need without overloading them.”
  7. Plan post go-live support. “Once the ERP system is live, the project team will need to be able to provide all-hands-on-deck support. As employees begin using the new system, they’ll likely have questions and run into issues, so subject matter experts should be available to help.”
  8. Provide multiple training options. “The organization could offer some in-person training, live online courses, e-learning courses and documentation. Employees could save time by only taking training that is directly related to their role. Micro-learning options could also be helpful.”

 

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EPS Tech Sets its Sight on Success with Infor

EPS Tech, a leading Israeli provider of advanced embedded electronic systems to the defense and industrial markets, recently chose Infor CloudSuite High Tech & Electronics and Infor PLM to improve process efficiencies across the business. Per the press release, the multitenant cloud, enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, which is powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), and delivered by Infor’s partner, Intentia Israel, will span all business processes at the firm’s Tzur-Yigal facility. It will deliver real-time visibility and increased collaboration across the end-to-end supply chain. Additionally, EPS Tech went through a thorough assessment of the market and a competitive tender process before choosing Infor CloudSuite High Tech & Electronics for its industry-specific functionality. Further, an integral part of the implementation will be its Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) capabilities, designed specifically for discrete manufacturers, which will be fully integrated into EPS Tech’s production and assembly processes, providing full transparency across the product lifecycle.

 

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WorkUnits Not Running

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Problem Description

WorkUnits are not moving forward after a user takes an approve action in the inbasketRoot

 

Cause

The Lawson user was set to have “Run as” disabled. This prevents WorkUnits from successfully updating their PfiQueueTask records to move forward. This occurred as part of a sync that was executed a week before. The ISS SCWebAppAdmin had the Lawson user flagged as run as “No“, when the sync occurred the Landmark Lawson actor was updated. This did not impact the system until a week later when the Landmark system was restarted after applying windows patches.

 

 Solution

Change the Lawson user to “run as enabled”

and push that new setting and do a rolling restart on LPA/LmrkAll node to restore functionality.

 

 

 

Central Ohio Transit Authority Drives Digital Transformation with Infor

Infor recently had a successful go-live with Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), the public transit system and mobility solutions provider for greater Columbus and Central Ohio. Working alongside Infor Global Professional Services (GPS), COTA will use Infor’s CloudSuite applications – an upgrade from their on-premise solution – to further align to its mission in using modern enterprise software that will allow its teams to be more nimble, informed and efficient. Per the press release, COTA has integrated its core business processes, enabling the organization to automate tasks, including confirming sufficient parts inventory to help ensure COTA transit vehicles stay in service. Additionally, the organization has also increased productivity, streamlined the financial budgetary edit process, and improved financial reporting, both internally and externally. Further, Infor GPS helped COTA realize the benefits that Infor’s modern solutions enable for its business. They plan to partner again to deploy additional solutions in the future, including Infor Global HR and Infor Payroll, which will be rolled out in phases along with new functionality in finance, supply chain and talent management.

 

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505 – Internal server error when accessing Lawson Inbasket

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This problem can occur after updating Lawson and Landmark from an older version and or when organizations update previous users to a newer naming convention.

 

Problem: A user is trying to access their Inbasket to approve orders but receive the error below:

 

  1. Validate the user is setup correctly in Lawson Security
  2. Validate the user is setup correctly in Landmark via Rich Client or Process Server Admin
  3. The RMID in Lawson Security must match the Landmark Actor ID.
  4. If Step 3 does not resolve the error, look into the IOS.log and see how the users RMID is appearing there and make sure the Actor ID matches the casing there.

This can be a tricky issue to resolve, especially for organizations with a single Lawson professional to debug while they are swarmed in daily tickets and also tasked with maintaining recurring process flows.

Alternatively, organizations will hire a Lawson consultant team that have a wider range of expertise who offer managed services at a fixed monthly rate. This would be more ideal for larger organizations with many daily tickets or workflows to maintain or even smaller ones who don’t need a single dedicated Lawson professional but still need weekly maintenance/support.

 

Is It Time to Replace Your Legacy ERP System?

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have been around for decades as a game changing tool to help organizations manage various business processes. We are in the digital age with many of our personal and professional resources being entrusted in the digital space. It’s no surprise that ERP systems have shifted over to the cloud, providing businesses with more accessibility. It’s also no surprise that there are a large number of businesses still running legacy, or on premise, ERP applications. The current pandemic had many people shift to a work from home environment, forcing businesses to create a remote workplace. While the cloud is not a new technology – or the primary choice over on premise  solutions – it became a more appealing solution for the sudden switch to remote/hybrid work spaces. Though not every business realizes when it’s time to switch over. Technology expert Claus Jepsen shares an article on readwrite.com pointing out the signs that will let your know if  your legacy ERP system needs to be replaced – preferrably in the cloud.

  1. You’re spending more time and money modifying the configuration and customization(s) of the ERP to accommodate changes in your business processes.
  2. You’re finding data integrations increasingly complex.
  3. Employees are unhappy with the ERP system.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, Gartner coined the term “composable ERP” to describe an ERP approach that incorporates agility and flexibility by integrating multiple applications and platforms. This modern strategy, Jepsen notes, enables mid-sized enterprises to adapt quickly when markets are disrupted (i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic). The cloud makes it possible for businesses to be flexible and control scalability, something the pandemic challenged all of us to consider.

Making the decision to replace your legacy ERP system is only half the battle. Now you’re tasked with finding the right cloud-based solution, determining if it fits in your budget, choosing a reputable vendor, and deciding what tools within an ERP system will increase your overall productivity.  Jepsen concludes when you take all of these factors into consideration, they is a vast savings potential that a modern, cloud-designed ERP can provide, which can be an exciting possibility within a business’s reach.

 

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