Leading Financial Services Organizations Continue to Partner with Infor to Transform Financials in the Cloud

Leading organizations across North America are trusting Infor’s cloud and digitalization vision for the banking industry, increasing the tech giant’s customer base in financial services by 400% over the past 12 months. These customers include CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank and SunStream Business Services. In the past 12 months Infor has shown significant leadership in the financial services and banking industry. Per the press release, by adopting a continuous accounting framework, finance practitioners can increase the quality, accuracy, and efficiency of their financial operations. Infor’s CloudSuite Financials applications drive unparalleled levels of usability, connectivity, and insight. With CloudSuite Financials’ critical business applications, organizations can experience automatic upgrades that deliver the latest advances in enterprise functionality, such as maintaining the global general ledger, assisting in close management, access to intercompany billing and streamlining receivables and billing.  Commercial businesses across industries such as financial services understand the benefits that cloud solutions offer in terms of greater operational flexibility and reduced costs.

 

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How to Improve Operational Efficiency During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Many organizations have experienced various difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Whether they are short-staffed due to furloughs or staff in mandatory quarantine, or searching for ways to be more productive while employees are working at home, this may be an opportunity to address some operational inefficiencies within the organization.  Here are some things to consider:

  • Manual processes: All software applications promise automation but few organizations ever achieve the goal.  Infor Process Automation (IPA) offers a workflow-based solution to automate nearly any process in Lawson.  You can use your own business logic to build a process that can do everything from onboarding automation to payroll automation.  This can be a great time and cost saver.
  • Process improvement: In addition to eliminating manual processes, there are also ways to use Lawson more effectively to improve efficiency. Your functional users and support staff cannot be expected to understand every aspect of the software and how to optimize processes within the application.  Hiring a managed services partner that knows and understands the application will be an investment in your future.  Once you can optimize your processes, you will free up time for employees to be more productive.  The initial time and cost will be minimal compared to the eventual benefit.
  • Empowering employees: Many employees have gone from doing 100% of their work in an office setting, to doing 100% of their work at home.  There are many solutions for allowing employees to connect to your network and do their work.  Since Lawson is web-based, it is a prime candidate for providing access externally over the internet.  To maintain a secure application, it would be best to configure Lawson to authenticate using with a secure method such as AD FS, and to implement multi-factor authentication.
  • Managed Services: A good Managed Service firm can help you administer Lawson and other Infor products, and even provide functional assistance, at the fraction of the cost of an FTE.  If you find that your organization is short-staffed during this period, it might be the perfect time to try a Managed Services model.

Lawson Managed Service

For more information about how Nogalis could help your organization save money (including process improvement and managed services), contact us any time.

IZB Residence CAMPUS AT HOME Moves to Infor Cloud for Better Guest Experience

Infor is introducing Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS) and Infor Sales & Catering (S&C) in the cloud at the IZB Residence CAMPUS AT HOME. The hotel in Martinsried on the outskirts of Munich, Germany, plans to optimize its work processes for flexibility and mobility and thus offer its guests the best possible service. According to the press release, introducing a flexible hotel management system that complies with the latest technology standard is the key to operate at high capacity. IZB Residence CAMPUS AT HOME management chose Infor HMS because it allows staff access to guest information to quickly evaluate individual bookings and optimize their stays. The solution suite’s integration with existing operating systems also helps optimize accounting, revenue management, and work order processes. Operating in the cloud enables running a more efficient model and leveraging the use of mobile devices, which also saves resources compared to a conventional on-premises installation. HMS also provides easy integrations with other solutions through a variety of interfaces.

 

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Top 10 benefits of ERP

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all areas of the economy, which highlighted the need form businesses to transform traditional supply chain models. Worldwide, 75% of companies have reported supply chain disruptions as a result of COVID-19. With the appropriate use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) technology, solutions exist that enable business continuity for small and medium enterprise owners in this fragile economy. An article on IT Web by Seidor Africa explains the impact ERP has for businesses fighting to stay running during this pandemic.

According to the article, the benefits of an ERP solution include:

  1. Increased ROI: Return on investment is achieved through integrated information sharing, increased efficiency, real-time data access and governance, improved inventory management and reduced costs.
  2. Improved analytics: Analytics allows for more informative decisions, helping companies to work through stressful times.
  3. Real-time information: Real-time information is available across any part of the business.
  4. Improved productivity: By enhancing business workflows, employee performance is improved.
  5. Increased customer satisfaction: An ERP system helps companies deliver goods to customers faster, improve productivity and implement inventory control. It can foster better customer communication at a time when customer retention is vital.
  6. Compliance and risk management: ERP systems facilitate regulatory compliance.
  7. Flexibility, scalability, longevity: With cloud-based ERP there is no need to go through numerous different software systems and implementations in the future.
  8. Standardisation: Standardised business processes ensure increased control and reliability of information.
  9. Improved reporting: With instant visibility analysis capabilities, companies can manage and monitor financial performance in real-time.
  10. Improved inventory management: Stock availability and location information is available in real-time, whether in transit, in the warehouse, in the online store or in the shop.

 

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Lawson APINVOICE database table contains usernames instead of NTIDs

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You’re being audited or want to review previous invoices and you notice that usernames were being stored in the APINVOICE database table. Usernames of employees that no longer work for your organization or may have had a name change, thus not matching up their NTIDs found in your listusermap. This makes it near impossible to hold previous and existing employees accountable for older invoices.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Download and apply patch CTP-121954 from Infor Concierge cloud portal.
  2. A new token AP900 is added to Lawson Security. Add this token access to an existing class/role.
  3. Login to Lawson Portal, go to AP900, add a new job for each company your organization has.
  4. Backup the APINVOICE table.
  5. Submit the AP900 Job, this job can take anywhere from minutes to hours to complete.
  6. Verify all usernames have been converted to NTIDs.

 

Five questions to answer for a successful ERP implementation

Deciding to integrate and enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution is just the first step of the decision-making process. Choosing the best solution and implementing it is a feat of its own. You don’t want to rush it, and you want to make sure it’s money and time well spent. IT expert Steve Brooks shares an article on Enterprise Times that has managers consider five key questions they need to consider and have an answer for when finding and implementing an ERP solution for their company. These questions were derived by an interview with Peter Wong, Senior Director of professional service at Rootstock Software, who believes answering these questions will aid in a successful ERP implementation for your firm.

  1. Why are you looking to replace the old ERP solution?
  2. What are you trying to achieve with the new solution?
  3. Who should you involve in the project?
  4. How should you complete the project?
  5. How long should the project take?

To hear the whole interview, click on the link below for the podcast.

 

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Infor and Nippon Systemware Forge Alliance to Market Infor CloudSuite Industrial ERP for Japan’s Manufacturing Industry

Infor CloudSuite Industrial, Infor’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) package for the manufacturing industry, inked a new partner agreement to help Nippon Systemware’s (NSW) Japanese customers accelerate their digital journey. This partnership will enable both Infor and NSW to provide even higher value-added solutions that span both the engineering chain and supply chain. Per the press release, NSW has a long history of achievement and expertise across the engineering chain, managing data related to design and manufacturing in the manufacturing industry. Infor and NSW will continue collaborating in the areas of Infor CloudSuite Industrial and other solutions for the manufacturing industry as both parties help build core business solutions that support digital transformation for customers.

 

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Cannot Delete, Requisition is Awaiting Approval

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Often users submit a requisition in Lawson and later find an error in the order and need to re-submit. When trying to delete via RQ10, they get the error “Cannot delete, requisition is awaiting approval.” Luckily this is an easy fix.

  1. Go to RQ13 and inquire on the company and requisition number. Then click Unrelease and confirmed it released.
  2. Go back to RQ10.1 and inquire on the same requisition. You’ll now see that its status is “Unreleased”. Now press Delete.

Done! Now go ahead and resubmit a new requisition with corrections.

Five Must-Do’s When Assessing ERP Data Security

If there is anything that the current pandemic has caused, it’s panic. Businesses had to scurry to either close down or adjust their way of day to day operations and sometimes that panic can make them vulnerable. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) data security should be a carfeully monitored, especially when most employees have been ordered to work from home with remote networks (that may or may not be as secure as their work networks). Marcus Harris,  with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, share an article on lexology.com  about ERP data security and how important it is to ensure maximum safety. There are five must-do steps that organizations need to take in checking ERP data security and then close any gaps that are revealed:

  1. Assume nothing. Begin with the premise that the outcome is unknown. Making assumptions will put an organization at risk.
  2. Use every tool to assess risks. Recognize that no single tool will solve the problem of ERP data security. It is far safer to also assess risks that may arise elsewhere, using things such as network detection and response software.
  3. Keep an open mind. Relying on the history of what you have always found in the past creates its own bias. It is vital to look at the data from all angles.
  4. Don’t judge in advance. No matter how keen one’s judgment and experience might be, a holistic approach – and solution – to solving a problem is needed. Professionals need to see everything happening on a network.
  5. Beware of what the eye sees. Be wary. A small discrepancy that isn’t usually perceived as a genuine threat could well be masking a more lethal attack.

 

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Infor Turns High Touch into High Tech with New Contactless Applications for Hospitality

Infor recently revealed a fully contactless suite of applications for the hospitality industry, specifically designed for hotels and resorts, casinos and gaming, restaurants and food services, and event sales and table reservations. Infor Hospitality Cloud Solutions are designed to address hotel operational needs for social distancing and contactless processes – including mobile check-in/check-out, digital keys, and the ability to order room service via one’s own device. This is especially essential because of the current pandemic. Per the press release, Infor Hospitality Management Solution (HMS), Infor HMS Online Check In, Infor HMS Online Check Out, and Infor POS Order Now have been added to the Infor Hospitality Cloud Solution Suite to deliver convenience, clarity, and care with every stay. New to the suite are web-based tools that allow guests to manage their check-in and check-out experiences according to preference. With real time accessibility, this tool will help hoteliers keep pace with the current pandemic safety measures as well as the busy lives of their guests.

Additionally, Infor’s restaurant technology (Infor Point of Sale) has been enhanced with the Self- Service Order Now solution to online food ordering. Guests can order food online on their smart device in the comfort of their hotel room or in a restaurant facility without having to interact with staff keeping social-distancing norms. These are just some of the many new enhancements to Infor’s technology suites to help staff and customers stay safe during these difficult times.

 

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