Who this is for
IT leaders, operations managers, and CFOs running any Infor ERP product who need to plan their cloud migration or manage ongoing platform maintenance.
Question this answers
What does upgrading or migrating our Infor product involve, and how do we plan for it?
What you'll leave with
- Infor's product landscape and cloud strategy
- Upgrade paths for major Infor products
- How to handle customisation and integration challenges
- Key risks across Infor's multi-product environment
Platform overview
Infor is one of the largest enterprise software companies in the world, but unlike Oracle or SAP, it didn't build one monolithic product. Instead, Infor acquired dozens of ERPs over two decades — SyteLine, M3, LN, VISUAL, Lawson, Cloudsuite — and now operates them as industry-specific CloudSuite products.
In Australia, the most common Infor products are SyteLine (now CloudSuite Industrial) for discrete manufacturing, M3 for food and beverage or fashion, LN for complex manufacturing, and Lawson for healthcare and services. Each has its own code base, customisation model, and upgrade path.
Infor's current strategy is cloud-first on AWS. Every product is getting a CloudSuite equivalent, and on-premises versions are being gradually sunsetted. The technology stack includes Infor OS (ION integration, Ming.le collaboration, document management) as a shared platform layer.
Common version & support issues
Product fragmentation. Because Infor is many products under one brand, support experiences vary. SyteLine support is different from M3 support is different from LN support. Quality and responsiveness depend on which product team you're dealing with.
On-premises sunset pressure. Infor is investing in CloudSuite, not on-premises versions. New features, performance improvements, and innovation go to cloud first (or cloud only). On-premises customers get maintenance releases but are falling behind.
Version age. Many Australian Infor installations are running versions from 5-10+ years ago. The gap between installed and current versions is significant, which means the eventual migration is complex.
Australian market size. Infor has a smaller Australian partner ecosystem compared to Microsoft or SAP. Finding local support and implementation expertise can be challenging for some Infor products.
Upgrade and migration paths
CloudSuite migration. The primary path for most Infor products. Migrate from on-premises to the CloudSuite equivalent on AWS. This involves data migration, configuration mapping, customisation re-evaluation, and user retraining. It's a migration project, not a simple upgrade.
On-premises version upgrade. Upgrade to the latest on-premises version while staying on-premises. Less disruptive than cloud migration but doesn't address the long-term platform direction. A stepping stone, not a destination.
Adopt Infor OS. Part of the CloudSuite move involves adopting Infor OS — ION for integration, Ming.le for collaboration, and other shared services. This adds capability but also adds complexity and infrastructure requirements.
Alternative platform migration. If your Infor product doesn't have a strong CloudSuite roadmap or if the migration cost is excessive, evaluate alternatives. This is particularly relevant for legacy products that Infor acquired but may not be investing in heavily.
Customisation & integration challenges
Product-specific customisation. Each Infor product has its own customisation model:
- SyteLine: IDOs (Intelligent Data Objects), forms customisation, Mongoose framework
- M3: MAK (M3 Adaptation Kit), scripting, personalisation
- LN: BPM studio, form extensions, sessions
- VISUAL: Forms customisation, SQL customisations
Each model has different upgrade implications. Some customisations carry forward to CloudSuite; others need rebuilding.
ION integration. In CloudSuite, Infor uses ION (Intelligent Open Network) for integration. ION uses BODs (Business Object Documents) — an XML standard for business transactions. If your current integrations use direct SQL, flat files, or proprietary APIs, they all need migrating to ION or REST APIs.
Third-party connections. EDI, warehouse management, shipping, and BI tool connections all need updating during a cloud migration. The change from on-premises network access to cloud API access affects every external connection.
Data migration. Moving decades of transaction data, master records, and configuration from on-premises databases to CloudSuite requires careful extraction, transformation, and validation.
Risks and decision points
Key risks
- Product investment level
Not all Infor products are getting equal CloudSuite investment. Verify your product's roadmap.
- Customisation volume
Heavy product-specific customisation means complex, expensive migration.
- ION learning curve
The ION integration platform is powerful but has a significant learning curve.
- Partner availability
Infor partner coverage in Australia varies by product. Confirm support availability.
- Multi-product environments
If you run multiple Infor products, each has its own migration timeline and requirements.
How HELLO PEOPLE can help
- Customisation audit: Product-specific review of all customisations with CloudSuite migration assessments
- Integration modernisation: Replace direct SQL and file-based integrations with ION-compatible or REST API connections
- Custom applications: Build portals, mobile apps, and dashboards that connect to your Infor environment
- Data migration: Extract, transform, and validate data for CloudSuite migration
- Platform evaluation: Independent assessment of CloudSuite migration vs alternative platforms
Frequently asked questions
Which Infor product am I running?
Infor has dozens of products acquired over the years. The most common in Australia are Infor SyteLine (now CloudSuite Industrial), Infor M3 (formerly Movex — food and beverage, fashion, distribution), Infor LN (formerly Baan — complex manufacturing), and Infor VISUAL (discrete manufacturing). Your upgrade path depends entirely on which product you're on.
Is Infor moving everything to the cloud?
Yes. Infor's strategy is cloud-first via AWS. All CloudSuite products are cloud-native, and Infor is pushing customers off on-premises versions. The timeline varies by product, but the direction is clear.
What is Infor OS?
Infor OS (Operating Service) is the cloud platform that connects Infor products. It includes ION (integration), Ming.le (collaboration), Infor Document Management, and other shared services. When you move to CloudSuite, you're also adopting Infor OS.
How long does an Infor cloud migration take?
Varies significantly by product and complexity. Simple SyteLine to CloudSuite Industrial migrations might take 4-8 months. Complex M3 or LN environments with heavy customisation can take 12-18 months. Get a scoping assessment specific to your product and configuration.
Can we keep running our on-premises Infor product?
For now, yes. But Infor is reducing on-premises investment with each release. Support continues for current versions, but new features go to CloudSuite first. Over time, staying on-premises means falling behind.
Key takeaways
- Infor isn't one product — your upgrade path depends entirely on which Infor product you're running
- The direction is CloudSuite (AWS). Plan for cloud migration, not just version upgrades.
- Infor OS (ION, Ming.le) is a significant new layer to learn when moving to CloudSuite
- BODs (Business Object Documents) are Infor's standard integration format — learn them if you're on CloudSuite
- Heavy customisation in on-premises Infor products means expensive cloud migration. Audit before committing.