Infor Marketplace Offers Solutions for IBM i
July 26, 2023 Alex Woodie
Infor, which is the biggest ERP vendor for IBM i, didn’t forget about the IBM i when it updated its Infor Marketplace recently. In fact, the software market features a range of solutions that can run on IBM i and work with Infor ERP solutions running on IBM i, the software company says.
Infor originally launched the Infor Marketplace in January 2022 with the goal of streamlining the process of searching for and obtaining software that augments operations for its 65,000 customers. Third-party solutions available at the launch included Avalara’s tax automation software and talent management software from Visual K, while Infor Labs also chipped solutions for document management and Salesforce integration.
A year and a half later, the Infor Marketplace has grown considerably. The digital bazaar now features 169 solutions that Infor customers running a variety of enterprise products can pick and choose from. The Marketplace supports customers running both in the cloud and on-prem.
Big data analytics, AI, and machine learning software are heavily featured on the Infor Marketplace. There are a number of products for the Birst analysis suite, which isn’t surprising considering Infor acquired the company back in 2017. Infor Labs also provides Datafabric Automation Utility, which enables users to upload CSV and JSON data in bulk into data lakes.
Among the recent additions is the Ask ChatGPT Widget from Infor itself, which the company bills as “an intelligent tool that combines the capabilities of ChatGPT with the business context information in the Infor cloud.” According to Infor, customers can ask specific questions of ChatGPT, such as how to promote products they sell or receive feedback on an item or business partner.
IBM i customers will be happy to know there are 12 offerings in the market that are specific to IBM i. The IBM i-specific solutions, which can be accessed here, are primarily aimed at XA, the ERP suite formerly known as MAPICS.
Infor is also pushing a solution dubbed ATx for IDF, which stands for the Analytics Toolkit for Infor Development Framework. This solution, which is developed by Guide Technologies, facilitates the movement of data from Infor’s XA, LX, and System21 databases into analytics environments, such as Birst.
Software marketplaces have emerged as a potentially lucrative way to market and sell software and services to particular customer bases. In Infor’s case, with 65,000 customers (about 10,000 of which are running on IBM i), the concept seems like a good way to activate not only the installed base but get partners in on the action too.
Massimo Capoccia, Infor’s chief innovation officer, says software from Infor partners is key.
“The Infor Marketplace showcases Infor’s large and growing partner network, with more than half of the solutions now consisting of partner-developed apps,” he says in a press release. “This expanding enterprise software ecosystem provides users with the convenience, flexibility and confidence to deploy solutions that make their businesses more successful.”
You can access the Infor Marketplace at marketplace.infor.com/.
RELATED STORIES
Infor Puts CM3 Project On Hold
Infor CM3 to Provide On-Prem Alternative to Cloudy M3
