If you’ve been following along in our 3-part blog series, you’ll now know why we think having an all-in-one solution is great for business, especially its impressive features and capabilities, but what good is it if you can’t access your data? Or, if teams are reporting they’re having trouble sharing information with other departments? Or, the user interface (UI) is too complex for the average user? In our final blog series, we’re diving into how all-in-one solutions can build better business collaboration, enhance data analytics, and improve UI designs.
IOT in ERP
The Internet of Things (IoT) is basically one giant robot – the biggest robot on the planet. It’s anything artificial intelligence (AI) powered that connects to the Internet. From your Apple smartwatch to your lightbulb that you turn on/off with your phone, all the way down to self-driving Teslas. These, and many more, are all part of the IoT. To paint a visual for you, in 2021, there were more than 10 billion active IoT devices. Another way to think about IoT, is that it works by bringing in outside processes so, “You can connect to something external and feed data back to look at it differently,” describes Jon Zaloum, a Senior Consultant in Business Solutions at BT Partners.
So, what does IoT have to do with Infor, you ask? Infor CloudSuite Industrial (CSI), an all-in-one solution, leverages the IoT in ERP and turns complex business data into something meaningful. The IoT digitally transforms your Infor CSI data and brings it to life in a new way that is intelligible.
Infor CSI seamlessly connects to the IoT so that you get a complete networked business analytics platform that provides heightened visualizations of all your data. From this, you can find ways to improve performance and gain efficiencies and growth. Using the power of the IoT and Infor CSI, you can effortlessly translate your data into a map, a graph, a chart, or an interactive dashboard so that anyone, anywhere, at any time, can see the insights and make informed decisions that are aligned with strategic goals.
IoT can refer to anything from PLC-connected devices on the shop floor that are relaying production data to the ERP, to connected smart modules that can be installed in consumer products that relay information through the cloud. For example, this could be an ignitor on a stove that is programmed to count the ignitions and when it reaches a threshold, it relays information to a supplier and orders a replacement part. Or, a sensor on a refrigerator that can sense when the compressor is about to fail and schedules a service call before the unit shuts down. All of these are examples of how Infor CSI and the IoT are working to help manufacturers automate & streamline services both internally and for customers. Not only does this improve service and save a lot of time, but it can eliminate shop floor downtime, manual data errors, and obviously improve customer satisfaction for increased sales overall.
Enhanced Team Collaboration
Poor communication, or lack thereof, is damaging to an organization. Doesn’t matter where it’s coming from (or where it’s not coming from), whether it’s from the top down, or in between team members. Lack of communication in the workplace creates a breeding ground for lower employee productivity, unmet expectations, missed deadlines and goals, distrust, and confusion. Businesses are always looking for ways to better communicate because the effects of not having it are harmful.
Infor CSI’s intuitive and clean user interface allows staff to better collaborate and share their perspectives and insights with each other. This helps tear down confining silos by pulling people, their ideas, skills, and experience together. With this platform, you’re able to gather data and prepare it in a variety of formats where people from all levels, can interpret the information. More eyes on the data increases problem-solving and the likelihood that an underlying, often hard-to-spot, issue or trend is discovered.
There are a lot of reasons why businesses like the all-in-one solutions. A big reason is because it’s a great way to bring people together so they can explore data together. With 83% of employees relying on using technology for collaboration, that’s a sure sign of its power. Infor CSI gives teams the ability to zero in on the data and pull meaningful, actionable insights. This collaborative data analysis has the potential of building a community of individuals all focusing on a common goal of identifying, gathering, and analyzing data insights with the sole purpose of driving business growth. What CEO doesn’t like that?
Improved Return on Investment
The price of an all-in-one solution can be a deterrent for a lot of small to mid-sized organizations. However, what people may not realize is by leveraging all of Infor CSI’s capabilities, like its analytics and UI, you can build collaboration and increase ROI. Long-term, you can turn an otherwise added expense into a steady revenue stream.
Infor CSI has the superhero power of giving you a heads up when something is about to go down so you can proactively plan for it or find a solution before it becomes an actual problem. The opportunity to act before something happens can save you a lot of headaches and money…and most businesses know the value of that. They’re willing to pay for the advantage of knowing ahead of time when something needs replacing to avoid something breaking and causing problems. It can also lead you to new opportunities for growth that you’d otherwise not know about. So, while the upfront investment may seem like a lot for some, the ROI will pay for itself and then some.
This wraps up our 3-part weekly newsletter blog series on the powers of Infor CSI ERP system. If you’re exploring your tech stack or ERP options, feel free to reach out with any questions. We’re here to help you through the sometimes stressful decision-making process of finding a solution that meets all your needs and more.
