Infor’s Networked CloudSuites offering increased supply chain transparency

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) software provider Infor has announced Networked CloudSuites, a step that extends mission-critical business applications beyond the four walls of the enterprise across the value chain.

By delivering core functionality from the GT Nexus commerce network into Infor CloudSuite industry suites, Infor is able to connect the core applications of an enterprise with its logistics, supplier, and finance networks, increasing network-wide visibility, collaboration, efficiency, and responsiveness, making an enterprise more agile and competitive.

"The days when a single company was responsible for all aspects of its products, from sourcing to manufacturing and shipping to point-of-sale, are long gone; commerce today requires an extended network of suppliers, production, 3PLS, and financiers, yet the software that companies rely on has not adapted to this business model," says Charles Phillips, Infor CEO.

"Leveraging the power of the GT Nexus commerce network, Infor is able to offer true multi-tenant, multi-organisation public cloud solutions that provide a single instance of the truth, making an enterprise more agile, responsive, and competitive.

Networked CloudSuites are the next step for Infor CloudSuite, which in early 2014 was the first set of industry-specific application suites delivered on the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud.

These suites unify multiple applications into a single suite for specific industries such as healthcare, public sector, distribution, and various manufacturing industries like aerospace and defence, automotive, food and beverage, and industrial manufacturing.

With built-in functionality from Infor's 2015 acquisition of GT Nexus, Networked CloudSuites expand Infor CloudSuite beyond the four walls of the enterprise with functionality for:

• Logistics network – live shipment tracking, ocean booking, 3PL services, and ocean container tracking
• Supplier network – order issue and acknowledge, advanced shipping notices (ASN), and invoicing
• Finance network – receivables financing, payables financing
• Network platform – community benchmarks and collaborative issue management

Infor expects to begin delivering Networked CloudSuites during the second half of 2017.

With 16,000 employees and over 90,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed to provide companies with customised, industry-specific software.