Sappire’s Lee Robbins looks at some of the new features and functionality in Infor SunSystems’ latest release, 6.3…
Myself and a colleague were having a bit of a debrief following the success of our recent Sapphire LIVE customer conferences which took place in London, New York and California last month, and one of the popular feedback topics was around the latest release of Infor SunSystems. In sessions which took place within a series of tracks following the main keynotes, one delegate described SunSystems 6.3 as “having a bit of a moment” while another suggested it had “come of age”.
Whatever the narrative, there is clear consensus from the customer base that the latest version of Infor’s flagship financials application is breaking new ground and represents a truly modern, cloud-enabled, collaborative and scalable system.
So why now?
Well, there are a couple of reasons behind the timing, depending on who you talk to. Of course the Government’s Making Tax Digital Initiative is certainly helping to put Cloud-based financials on the map for those who have previously shied away. And one theory is that while SunSystems was in fact one of the first Infor applications to be available in a hosted environment, take up has been limited. This is partly because of a reluctance to move to the Cloud based on conservative views and fears around Cloud generally, and partly because specific security restrictions inhibit the availability of certain functionality contained within SunSystems in a Cloud environment.
Against this backdrop, the latest version has seen the introduction of new functionality to address these areas. As you would expect, it is fully compliant with Making Tax Digital. And in terms of functionality, the best example is the direct ODBC interface connection, which allows users to connect to any ODBC compliant database in the On Premise version, and is replaced with Infor’s lightweight middleware ION, via API, in the Cloud version.
In summary, these are our top 10 features for Infor SunSystems 6.3:
- Available via Cloud or On Premise
- Deployed via Infor OS, Infor’s latest generation technology platform, to allow customers to better leverage analytics, mobility and social business.
- Easy-to-use, collaborative and intuitive user experience, and integration between other Infor and non-Infor systems.
- Flexible deployment options and seamless mobile access complete the circle to deliver a truly modern experience.
- Web-based home pages: Customisable homepages facilitate relevant content pertinent to a user’s roles and responsibilities.
- Infor Document Management: Documents can be automatically and contextually uploaded to records, quickly and easily. These can be located easily, and incorporated into the accounts payable process, whereby scanned invoices are automatically placed into the approval workflow via Infor ION.
- Purchase requisitioning module: With this new capability, SunSystems can be used as a complete requisition to cheque solution.
Currency rate types: Currency rate types can be added to currency period rates and daily rate records, allowing different rates to be maintained for different purposes.
Static data records status: Users can select the option of setting new static data records such as Chart of Accounts, Customers, Suppliers, and Bank Accounts, to “draft” when the records are created, with pre-set permissions to enable separation of duties, or enabling workflow approvals. - Configuration Manager: A new web-based application for configuration management means adjustments are much quicker and easier to make.
There’s no doubt that the bar has been set for version 6.4, and we can’t wait to see what else is in store in the coming year.
