Infor Reaches Out to SAP with ION Connector
December 13, 2011 Alex Woodie
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Infor yesterday unveiled a software connector that integrates its Infor10 ION middleware with ERP systems from SAP. It also revealed plans to support Oracle applications with Infor10 ION during 2012. With dozens of acquisitions under its belt, Infor has had to get proficient at enterprise application integration just to allow its own applications to communicate with each other. Now it’s expanding the work it’s done internally, with ION, to third-party applications. Infor says that its new SAP connector (officially called the Infor10 ION Connector for SAP) will soon be available. Initially, it will work with three Infor10 offerings, including PLM Process (Optiva), EAM Enterprise (from Datastream), and Supply Chain Execution. The company plans to add support for a fourth, called Infor10 Supply Chain Planning, during the first quarter of 2012, with more to follow. None of the SAP-connected applications run on IBM i, but many of Infor’s IBM i customers use some of the Infor10 apps, notably PLM Process and EAM Enterprise, with their core ERP systems running on IBM i. (The SCP and SCE apps are “new” apps that were created from a variety of acquired products, and which run under Windows.) The key ingredient in the integration, of course, is ION itself, a Java-based platform that’s half enterprise service bus (ESB), half business process management (BPM) workflow tool, and fully woven into all of Infor’s favorite systems (which are anointed with the “Infor10” name). The ION suite today is made up of several sub-components, or “services,” including: ION Connect, a business process execution tool; ION Business Vault, a business data repository that serves up search data, reports, and data synchronization; ION Workflow, which is used for modeling workflows involving documents and tasks; and ION Event Management, which works with Workflow to provide automation and management for tasks and alerts. Duncan Angove, Infor’s president of products and customer service, explains the benefits of hooking up with Infor through ION. “Infor10 ION Connector provides companies that run both Infor and non-Infor applications the pre-built connectivity, business process monitoring, data sharing, and enhanced workflows that enable them to make fast, informed decisions and speed the process of business,” Angove said in a press release. RELATED STORIES Infor Re-Brands Datastream EAM, Adds New Feature Infor Hits the Road with New ‘Infor10’ Brand Three IBM i Solution Editions Unveiled by Infor, IBM Infor Unveils Plan to Double Channel Revenue Lawson Accepts Golden Gate Takeover, Bucked Down to Private Infor’s New System i GM Brings Enthusiasm to Job Infor Taps Ex-Oracle Prez Phillips as its New CEO
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