The dynamic business environment is driving companies to increasingly adopt technologies such as cloud, automation, artificial intelligence and machine learning. Business software like ERP that are industry-specific and hosted on a cloud environment are critical to shaping the future organisations. As Terry Smagh, senior vice-president & GM – Asia Pacific and Japan, Infor, a New York-based provider of enterprise business software, says, clients are not satisfied with modernising their ERP systems but want solutions that are purpose-built for specific industries with built-in last-mile functionality. “At Infor, we understand the nuances of each industry we serve, and develop our applications into complete, fully integrated suites to match them,” he says.

CXOs across industries are sharpening the focus on emerging technologies such as AI/ML to drive business transformation. Recognising this, Infor has been rewriting its industry-focused apps for the cloud and pursuing a strategy that focuses on “beautifully designed, multi-tenant vertical applications”, he says.

An enterprise-grade AI platform is important to accelerate innovation and drive measurable business outcomes. For instance, ChatGPT has been attracting a lot of attention, and Infor’s approach is to allow customers to use their own ChatGPT credentials if they wish to expose their data via Infor APIs. New-age platforms like ChatGPT are useful for organisations to collect additional publicly available data about their customers. Infor is also looking at internal uses for ChatGPT like language translations. ‘One-size fits all’ solutions no longer serve the purpose as business leaders are looking for best-of-breed applications that are available on an integrated platform. Organisations want to hyper-automate their operations, get faster procurement and increase personalisation for their customers.

“To address this need, we are bringing highly specialised solutions with deep product functionality for our customers,” Smagh told FE in a recent interview. “The demand for Infor solutions is growing exponentially, we have seen it growing in verticals like automotive, aerospace, food and beverage distribution, and industrial manufacturing. Organisations are looking for technology that can help them grow in the foreseeable future.”

India is an extremely strategic hub for Infor, for its skilled talent and global technology development. “We launched our latest development centre in Hitech City, Hyderabad in October last year, to support innovation, drive engineering, and research & development,” Smagh adds. It is now doubling down on its investments in India by engaging the talent pool at its Hyderabad centre and has 4,000 employees across multiple business functions in India.

SHARPER FOCUS

Traditional ERP systems have long implementation cycles
CXOs want to reach markets faster with high return on investment
Infor’s specialised  solutions see uptake in food & beverage, distribution, industrial manufacturing verticals