Infor’s new assets should leave ERP users happy

Acquisitive ERP-plus systems company Infor last month completed on its Datastream purchase – bringing asset management systems into the fold. Financing of the deal was through a combination of capital from Golden Gate Capital and Summit Partners, cash from Datastream and additional debt financing. Closing of that deal now puts the Infor empire now at 24,700 customers around the world and, along with the recent Geac merger, brings the UK user base to 1,200 and revenues of $100m – a little more than doubled on last year. Additionally, with its Mapics ERP, Brain (Germany) and Geac ownership, Infor is now the largest ERP application vendor on IBM’s iSeries (AS/400 as was). Yet, with its Syteline, Lilly and Infor.com systems it also spans the divide more or less evenly into the Microsoft .Net and Java platforms. Infor’s new vice president of operations Keith Deane says the job for the future is supporting existing users and growing its offering by selling its portfolio of additional functionality across the platforms and industries. “We now want to continue to enhance our acquired technologies,” says Deane. “Over the next fiscal year we plan to grow our licence, maintenance and service revenue through our new synergies. “For example, we’ll take some of System 21 technology, like its Bluestream service management package, and take that to the broader Infor customer base. Also, some Infor modules – like some of the supply chain systems – will be made available to the System 21 base. “Our message to existing users is good. We are entirely focused on manufacturing and we have plans to maintain and enhance all our systems. We’re reviewing the existing Geac development plans now and will reveal the detail of that and our longer term roadmap for the next three to five years at a meeting for users on June 13.” Deane believes there will be little more shakeout of Geac people beyond the departure of chairman Richard Smith, marketing director Alistair Middleton and R&D director Malcolm Rose. “I don’t expect [loses] to be substantial: it was a tight ship.” AS for the Datastream acquisition, Deane says the same comments apply: “We didn’t have asset management capability before, and the requirement is there from our huge user base. Datastream is a leader and we will sell its systems natively but also to our existing customers.”