Syteline is a foundational ERP pillar in Infor’s suite of applications. SMBs in the discrete manufacturing space have used on-premise Infor Syteline for years. But as the market shifts from on-premise onto the cloud, how will this impact Infor Syteline customers?
Syteline’s history may not be as vast as other Infor products, but the solution has been through many iterations to become the product we know today.
Infor Syteline is about 30 years old. Symix originally developed a product named Syman which is the forerunner to Syteline. Eventually, the product was sold to Frontstep and then MAPICS in 2003, a product standing for Manufacturing, Accounting, and Production Information Control Systems developed by IBM. MAPICS invested heavily in the product, even using IBM technologies to further develop its capabilities. IBM’s approach to the MAPICS product paid off when it was acquired by Infor in 2005. That is when Syteline became a staple Infor ERP application.
Customers can rest easy knowing Infor Syteline is still an actively supported product and Infor has no plans of ending it anytime soon. However, there is only one version receiving Mainstream Maintenance from Infor:
Infor Syteline version 10 is the only supported product, with support for the latest SQL and windows versions.
Versions 7, 8, and 9, fall under the Sustaining Maintenance policy, with an end date that is yet to be determined. These versions no longer receive crucial hotfixes or product updates.
With the release of Version 10, Infor went “versionless” for Syteline. This means there will be no new versions of the product and Version 10 will receive monthly releases. Infor Syteline falls under the policy for Continu ous Update Products. According to Infor:
“Continuous update products” offer updates on a regular cadence in the form of cumulative, supplementary updates. As such, the most current update will be supported under Mainstream Maintenance until it is replaced with the next cumulative update. Once a new update is released, the new update will be subject to Mainstream Maintenance and will supersede prior updates. Upon the issuance of a new update, all prior updates will move into Sustaining Maintenance. This means that issue corrections will be provided only for the most current supplementary update; so, it is important to keep up with the latest updates. Extended Maintenance is not applicable to products categorized by Infor as continuous update products.”
Infor automatically handles these releases, but customers can still choose to reject the update. However, as a Continuous Update Product, this is not recommended.
Although Infor Syteline is still being actively supported or maintained, depending on your version, some businesses may still have a business case for changing ERPs. The most obvious upgrade path would, of course, be to explore options on to Infor CloudSuite Industrial, the cloud version developed from the original Syteline.
Infor has developed tools for supporting customers migrating from Infor Syteline on-prem to Infor CloudSuite Industrial. Customers can either take the leap fully from on-prem to the cloud or they can benefit from the Syteline integration. Syteline on-prem can integrate with CloudSuite Industrial to develop a hybrid model where customers can slowly transition to the cloud. Infor guarantees immense value when customers upgrade to CSI where they can benefit from the research and development coming from Infor. From document management to better workflow management, customers purchasing the cloud package receive a slew of new tools at no additional cost.
Alternatively, Infor Syteline customers in need of a new ERP can also consider the other options available on the market to meet their needs. We recommend consulting with an expert, like ERP Advisors Group, to identify your business needs and other viable solutions. From there, you can make an informed decision in order to select an application that will meet your current and future needs.
If you need help determining your path forward with Infor Syteline, schedule a free consultation and talk to an expert today!