Terry Blake, Infor, at Inforum 2014 with Dave Vellante
@theCUBE
#Inforum14
Looking to replicate what Apple, Inc. did for the consumer IT segment, Infor Global Solutions believes in the beautification of enterprise software and giving users a great experience. To pursue this goal, Infor has invested significant time and resources, including several key acquisitions, in the design of their software, employing an Internet design firm, Hook & Loop, which has about one hundred creatives in its New York City office. The strategy of bringing a pleasant experience to enterprise software seems to be paying off, as Infor is growing faster than others in the sector, reporting over 73,000 customers.
In his quest for enterprise software beautification, not only did Infor’s in-house Hook & Loop team design Infor products and prototypes, it has always designed the entire event setup for Inforum 2014, explained Terry Blake, VP of Corporate Communications for Infor Inc., in a live interview with theCUBE co-hosts, Dave Vellante and Jeff Kelly at the New Orleans, LA conference.
Explaining Infor’s consistent investment to bring beauty to enterprise software, Blake said “the overall consumerization of IT is the initiative that has hit the entire industry. As Apple has shown, it’s important to bring an experience to the business users that they enjoy. If you enjoy it, you use the software more.”
This year’s Inforum will focus on key main themes, cloud, the investments in the company’s product suite, and beauty, explained Blake. Showcasing the latest designs, Infor will make major announcements around cloud, he added. The event’s venue and New Orleans “really represents what Infor is all about. We work hard, we like to have fun. Nothing speaks more about community than New Orleans does.” With all the Infor customers attending, “it’s a love fest,” Blake said, referring to the event as the “Woodstock of software.”
On market rivals and key acquisitions
Commenting on Infor’s competitor Workday, Inc., Blake stated that “all enterprise software vendors have been looking at who’s coming into the space. The big guys like Infor, we’ve got an answer, and we’re answering in a big way to companies like Workday.” Infor has already revealed plans to go after Workday in the marketplace, and they have the means to do so. “We’ve invested significantly in the product, we have more functionality than Workday can ever deliver,” said Blake.
Asked to comment on Infor’s strategy of microtargeting within industries, Blake explained that within each industry, for example manufacturing, most players are very different. A baker is different from a brewery. “Their processes are unique to their industry. We differentiate against the guys that release one size fits all applications,” he explained. “We’re going down into the micro-verticals.”
As far as acquisitions are concerned, Blake said that Infor has made “probably as many [acquisitions] as Oracle has made over the past ten years. We followed a roll up strategy. We’re known as a company acquiring other companies.” CEO Charles Phillips brought a complete change in strategy, introducing microverticals, beauty and technology that’s agile and not based on a proprietary system. “Everything that you see now fits into those three themes,” Blake added.
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Terry Blake (Day 2) | Inforum 2014
Terry Blake, Infor, at Inforum 2014 with Dave Vellante
@theCUBE
#Inforum14
Looking to replicate what Apple, Inc. did for the consumer IT segment, Infor Global Solutions believes in the beautification of enterprise software and giving users a great experience. To pursue this goal, Infor has invested significant time and resources, including several key acquisitions, in the design of their software, employing an Internet design firm, Hook & Loop, which has about one hundred creatives in its New York City office. The strategy of bringing a pleasant experience to enterprise software seems to be paying off, as Infor is growing faster than others in the sector, reporting over 73,000 customers.
In his quest for enterprise software beautification, not only did Infor’s in-house Hook & Loop team design Infor products and prototypes, it has always designed the entire event setup for Inforum 2014, explained Terry Blake, VP of Corporate Communications for Infor Inc., in a live interview with theCUBE co-hosts, Dave Vellante and Jeff Kelly at the New Orleans, LA conference.
Explaining Infor’s consistent investment to bring beauty to enterprise software, Blake said “the overall consumerization of IT is the initiative that has hit the entire industry. As Apple has shown, it’s important to bring an experience to the business users that they enjoy. If you enjoy it, you use the software more.”
This year’s Inforum will focus on key main themes, cloud, the investments in the company’s product suite, and beauty, explained Blake. Showcasing the latest designs, Infor will make major announcements around cloud, he added. The event’s venue and New Orleans “really represents what Infor is all about. We work hard, we like to have fun. Nothing speaks more about community than New Orleans does.” With all the Infor customers attending, “it’s a love fest,” Blake said, referring to the event as the “Woodstock of software.”
On market rivals and key acquisitions
Commenting on Infor’s competitor Workday, Inc., Blake stated that “all enterprise software vendors have been looking at who’s coming into the space. The big guys like Infor, we’ve got an answer, and we’re answering in a big way to companies like Workday.” Infor has already revealed plans to go after Workday in the marketplace, and they have the means to do so. “We’ve invested significantly in the product, we have more functionality than Workday can ever deliver,” said Blake.
Asked to comment on Infor’s strategy of microtargeting within industries, Blake explained that within each industry, for example manufacturing, most players are very different. A baker is different from a brewery. “Their processes are unique to their industry. We differentiate against the guys that release one size fits all applications,” he explained. “We’re going down into the micro-verticals.”
As far as acquisitions are concerned, Blake said that Infor has made “probably as many [acquisitions] as Oracle has made over the past ten years. We followed a roll up strategy. We’re known as a company acquiring other companies.” CEO Charles Phillips brought a complete change in strategy, introducing microverticals, beauty and technology that’s agile and not based on a proprietary system. “Everything that you see now fits into those three themes,” Blake added.
