Infor OS (Operating Service), alongside Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the backbone of Infor’s Cloud strategy. However, for SunSystems® users with an on premise deployment, what does it offer?
We get asked “why should I take Infor OS and what will it do for me?” What follows is a non-technical explanation and some examples of what it can do for your business.
On-premise vs. Cloud implementation
To begin, let’s consider your deployment choices and how you manage it. Infor OS is a comprehensive digital transformation platform with a huge amount of functionality. It can be deployed on premise, however this requires a significant amount of computing horsepower; at least one dedicated server and the requisite consultancy time to configure it and manage it going forward. For the larger enterprise, this isn’t going to be an issue but for most SMEs it is likely to be both cost and skill prohibitive.
The alternative is to take Infor OS Cloud, a subscription-based service fully supported and managed by Infor. The subscription includes regular updates, which are applied automatically, 24x7x365 support and an unlimited user count. With the latest version of SunSystems® 6.4 (which we recommend all customers should upgrade to) it is possible to link Infor OS (Cloud) and SunSystems® (On premise) together into a seamless Hybrid solution, thus giving you the best of both worlds.
User experience enriched by integrated tools
Now let’s turn to some benefits of deploying Infor OS with SunSystems®:
- Single Sign-On and User Experience – Infor OS makes single sign on a reality for SunSystems® users, once logged into your windows desktop your journey through SunSystems® is made easier and more intuitive. The system can be used to launch all applications both Infor and non-Infor. Users can have a homepage, which can be configured to suit their specific requirements, including web widgets that allow quick links to other applications and websites. The whole user experience is more contemporary, dare we say, even enjoyable.
- Infor Document Management – as part of Infor OS there is a built in fully functional document management system that allows you to store any kind of business document, index it and retrieve it. For example, you may wish to scan in purchase invoices and link them to the AP transaction so they can be viewed in context when making an inquiry, no more going to paper files or a separate DMS. Contracts, statements, sales invoices, purchase orders, remittances can all be stored and retrieved from within SunSystems®.
- ION Workflow – while SunSystems® allows you to create some basic authorisation it stops short of allowing you to create comprehensive routing and authorisation matrices incorporating business rules. With ION Workflow it is possible for users to create workflows associated with transactions such as purchase orders, sales orders, invoices, journals, account codes, analysis codes, almost any transaction or record that needs some kind human intervention to move it from one stage to the next.
- Infor Ming.le – this is best described as social media for business. Users can collaborate and share information quickly and easily across the enterprise without having to rely on email. By marrying business processes to employee communications, Ming.le collaboration capabilities allow it to contextualise intelligence and increase efficiency, enabling employees to work smarter and faster. For SunSystems® users this might include following a transaction from inception to completion with alerts being fired off at various stages. It could be segregation of duty with the next user in the chain being alerted on their action or a message containing a hyperlink to a report that requires some explanation.
- Mobile – as part of Ming.le it is also possible to expose certain processes and functions through a mobile interface. For example, authorising purchase orders, invoices or journals. With Infor OS this becomes a reality which adds to productivity and efficiency.
- ION Integration – SunSystems® has a number of integration tools built in such as transfer desk and SunSystems® Connect (SSC). Whilst these do a good job, they can suffer from performance issues particularly in high volume environments. Administration can also be onerous as they are point-to-point integrations. With ION (Intelligent Open Network) a more robust “hub and spoke” approach can be taken with all data being exchanged through one central point where it can be validated, enriched and audited before being passed onto its destination. Business Object Documents (BODs) are used to move data in and out of SunSystems® in a controlled environment and the OneView functionality allows you to monitor where the data is throughout its journey.
A hybrid solution for the best of both worlds
One final thought, for SunSystems® users, most will have add-in or third-party applications such as Professional Advantage B4B, Advanced Bank Reconciliation, Collect, Sharperlight, etc and the chances are you’d like to keep these and make a move to the Cloud. By adopting Infor OS Cloud and linking it to your on premise deployment of SunSystems® in this Hybrid model you can do exactly that, giving you the best of both worlds.
