If you follow industry news, attend prospect events, or read our partner Infor's website, you know that vertical industry expertise is a favorite topic for Infor executives, leaders, and strategists. Industry-specific functionality is part of our critical foundation and a strong differentiating feature for our software solutions, we say frequently. But, have you thought about why? Do you know where our industry expertise comes from and how we leverage it into valuable selling points? Let’s look closer at what “industry expertise” means, why we are highly focused on it as a strategy, and how it will propel Infor forward.

The backstory

To understand where we are going, it helps to know how we got here. History provides context. In the evolution of ERP solutions, there’s a long and winding road that providers and users travelled before today’s Software as a Service (SAAS) model became the accepted best practice. In early days of ERP solutions, massive monolithic solutions with complex architecture and rigid code structure were the norm. Large enterprises invested heavily and hired consultants to customize the operational features. The heavily modified systems were costly to update.

Then came cloud computing. But, for companies to take advantage of the benefits of multi-tenant cloud deployment, they needed to have their industry-specific functionality already built into the solution—so modifications wouldn’t be needed. Modifications slow down deployment and can get in the way of upgrades.

Infor had been heavily investing into industry-specific features of the core ERP solutions. The solutions contain the functionality needed for industry specific applications—making it easier to migrate to the cloud.

We thought this was an interesting article. Published by Forbes this month it talks about how it’s a virtual certainty that this year will end with physical stores sales not only being up year over year (again) but also, according to eMarketer, contributing more incremental sales growth than e-commerce.

Great news but for all retailers? Here's what Mitchell Chi, ICCG's General Manager - Americas, Enterprise Software has to say...

My thoughts about the collapse of the middle…

Did you know that 83% of retail shoppers enjoy socializing with friends centered on physical stores? Some retailers, when pressured to increase margins, focused on cutting wages, training and staff. They shifted spending to store displays, traditional advertising, and  a poor product assortment. These retailers deserved to die. Good riddance. 

But all of this makes the mid-market ripe for a low cost, “social retailer.” One like Primark. Great selection, well trained staff and FUN. My go to store for weekend, lay around the house clothing. 

The latest release of Infor Fashion PLM offers new tools to help you plan, develop, comply, approve, and collaborate with partners in the design and pre-production process. In addition, the new Fashion PLM Cloud Edition offers a multi-tenant solution built on the Infor OS platform, which also leverages Infor ION and Infor Ming.le for seamless and social collaboration.

We've highlighted ten reasons that your company should upgrade to the latest version of Infor Fashion PLM. Continue reading the blog to learn.

Trying to keep up with endlessly changing trends and demands in the global fashion market puts fashion companies under enormous pressure to create innovative products at a moment's notice.

But when it takes the average fashion company six months to go from design to sales floor, some companies find they're always chasing after the industry leaders that can get new products on the racks in as little as 15 days.

Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise today announced the appointment of John Greenaway as Chief Revenue Officer – EMEA, effective immediately. Greenaway previously served as a Channel Director at Infor for the last 10 years, where he was responsible for growing revenue across EMEA. As Chief Revenue Officer - EMEA, Greenaway will champion ICCG’s efforts to expand its software consulting and implementation footprint into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Independent Computer Consulting Group (ICCG) a Global Information Technology Solutions Provider for the Enterprise today announced the appointment of Annette Cunningham as Chief Operating Officer – EMEA, effective immediately. Cunningham previously served for 4-1/2 years as a Regional Vice President of Sales at Infor managing a team of industry-leading sales people and channel partners. As COO, Cunningham will lead ICCG’s efforts to expand its software consulting and implementation footprint into Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.