Three IBM i Solution Editions Unveiled by Infor, IBM

August 9, 2011 Alex Woodie

Infor and IBM last week announced three new IBM i Solution Editions featuring Infor’s ERP suites for manufacturers preconfigured and sized for IBM i servers. The three new offerings are based on Infor’s ERP LX (BPCS), ERP XA (Mapics), and ERP System21.

IBM i Solution Editions are the result of work that IBM does with IBM i application developers to simplify the acquisition, configuration, and roll-out of IBM i solutions running on the latest IBM Power 7 servers. IBM currently offers three choices of hardware, including a four-core Model 720 and a six- or eight-core Model 740 server.

The four-core offering carries a minimum spending level of $6,500, compared to $25,000 for the six- and eight-core Model 720 bundle. Customers can see as much as a 35 percent discount by buying IBM i hardware and ERP software through this program, IBM officials have told IT Jungle.

Infor’s IBM i Solution Editions come with implementation and migration services, and three years of support. Infor will also include several add-ons into the packaged deal, including its CRM for System i offering, as well as its cloud-based data recovery service, which the company has not yet formally announced.

Jack Bullock, vice president and general manager of Infor’s System i division (the company still uses the platform’s previous and better-known name), says the new offerings show the commitment that Infor has for the IBM i platform, which he says is used by 15,000 Infor customers. “Partnering with IBM to deliver this integrated solution to help manufacturers achieve greater profitability and improved business decision making is the latest innovation that Infor is bringing to our IBM i-based customers,” Bullock says in a press release.

All of the IBM i community’s largest ERP application developers–including Infor, Oracle, SAP, and Lawson Software (now a part of Infor)–and many of the smaller software companies writing IBM i-based utilities, high availability, BI, and systems management tools are represented in the IBM i Solution Edition program.

The IBM i Solution Edition has picked up speed since the program debuted a year ago, and today nine vendors are eligible to market and sell IBM i Solution Edition packages anywhere in the world. The North American list of IBM i Solution Edition partners has another 30 vendors on it, while the European list is represented by 48 partners. Italy has its own separate program that includes 39 industry participants concentrating on the smaller Model 720 package.

Infor previously participated in the program with Infor ERP Distribution Enterprise i (A+), which is based on the ERP system previously developed by daly.commerce and its predecessor, Daly & Wolcott.

For more information or to sign up for the IBM i Solution Edition program, see www-03.ibm.com/systems/power/hardware/editions/solutions.html.