Advancements in Infor Technology: October 2024 Release Highlights
Having attended the recent Technology Update Release presented by Infor, I am excited to share the latest enhancements and innovations within the Infor LN platform, specifically focusing on the forthcoming October 2024 release. With over 25 years of experience working with Infor products, I am eager to delve into these technical advancements and their implications for our users.
Enhanced Cloud Data Archiving Capabilities
A significant highlight of the update is the new capability for archiving LN data within the cloud environment. Effective data management has always been crucial for maintaining system efficiency, and this feature ensures that active operational data is systematically separated from archived data. Traditionally, archiving involved relocating data within the LN operational environment to a separate archive company. The new process enhances this by enabling connectivity to the Data Lake, a centralized repository optimized for scalable data storage and retrieval.
The Data Lake integration allows archived data to be stored in designated locations within the cloud, ensuring it remains accessible but does not clutter the primary operational data environment. This advancement addresses the growing needs of cloud customers who generate substantial amounts of data, which can quickly become irrelevant or obsolete. The new archiving solution provides a robust method for managing and storing this data, ensuring optimal performance and compliance with data retention policies.
Expansion of the REST API Library
Innovation and integration are critical drivers of modern business solutions, and Infor continues to bolster its REST API library to support these needs. The October 2024 release includes an expanded collection of APIs, enhancing the platform’s ability to integrate seamlessly with third-party solutions and support innovative services like Generative AI (Gen AI) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA).
REST APIs serve as the building blocks for achieving integration and innovation in the cloud. The expanded library includes new APIs that facilitate deeper and broader functionalities, enabling developers to create more sophisticated and integrated applications. This is essential for leveraging the full potential of Infor OS, allowing businesses to automate processes, enhance data accuracy, and improve overall operational efficiency.
Advanced Analytics for Manufacturing
Infor’s commitment to delivering comprehensive analytics solutions is evident in the enhancements to the LN Analytics for manufacturing. The October release introduces additional dashboarding capabilities and metrics, providing more granular insights into production processes, product lifecycle management, and financial performance.
One of the major enhancements is the ability to run analytics in the same user language as the LN cloud solution, ensuring consistency and ease of use for global teams. This feature supports multilingual deployments, making it easier for users across different regions to access and interpret data in their preferred language.
Moreover, the updated analytics solution ensures that custom modifications are preserved during system upgrades. This means that customers can retain their specific configurations and extensions, avoiding the disruption typically associated with updates. This flexibility allows businesses to continue benefiting from their tailored solutions while staying up-to-date with the latest advancements.
Cloud Suite Enhancements and Gen AI Integration
Infor’s integration of Generative AI (Gen AI) into its platform is another highlight of the 2024.10 release. Gen AI provides advanced capabilities such as contextualizing, analyzing, summarizing, and translating content, significantly reducing the manual workload associated with text authoring and reporting.
A practical application of Gen AI is dynamically generating product descriptions based on attributes like dimensions and color. These descriptions can be automatically translated into different languages, enhancing global customer service. Additionally, the Gen AI digital assistant, available in limited release, offers a robust, context-aware chat experience that increases productivity by automating responses and handling routine inquiries.
Lake House: A New Era of Data Management
Infor’s Lake House is set to enter controlled general availability in October, marking a pivotal step in the company’s broader data vision. As a data warehouse as a service, Lake House facilitates the seamless transition of on-premises data warehouses to the cloud. This service provides continuity and enhances data management capabilities by enabling the migration of legacy data warehouses to a modern, scalable cloud environment.
The Lake House is part of Infor’s larger strategy to provide comprehensive data insights and analytics. By integrating with existing visualization tools like Birst and Enterprise Performance Management (EPM), the Lake House offers robust data analysis and reporting capabilities, supporting informed decision-making across the organization.
Intelligent Document Processing (IDP) with Gen AI
Infor’s in-house Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tool, IDP with Gen AI, will be available in limited release as part of the October 2024 update. This tool enhances document processing by extracting text from business documents and retaining context across multiple pages. The integration of Gen AI provides advanced capabilities, such as recognizing and interpreting document types (e.g., invoices, purchase orders) and extracting relevant information (e.g., invoice numbers, dates, amounts).
The IDP tool supports multiple languages, making it a versatile solution for global businesses. By automating document processing, IDP with Gen AI reduces manual data entry, improves accuracy, and increases operational efficiency.
Conclusion
The Technology Update Release for October 2024 showcases Infor’s commitment to advancing its platform with features that enhance data management, integration, and analytics. These updates reflect Infor’s dedication to providing cutting-edge solutions that meet the evolving needs of its customers.
As someone deeply involved with Infor products, I am enthusiastic about the potential these new features hold for our customers. Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the release date. For those interested in a deeper dive, I encourage you to review the full feature list and reach out with any questions.
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn for more insights and updates on Infor’s latest developments.
By David Cervelli
