Infor accelerates time to market by converting application to SaaS with Amazon AppStream 2.0

Infor, founded in 2002 and headquartered in New York City, is a global leader in ERP and industry-specific cloud software products. With over 65,000 customers in 177 countries across the globe, Infor uses Amazon AppStream 2.0 to cost effectively deliver a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) version of their construction payroll application to customers.

Opportunity | Meet customer demand for SaaS applications

As a leader in industry-specific software solutions, Infor offers a cloud-native product, Infor Construction, to support accounting and financials for the construction industry. This comprehensive offering originally had integrations into Infor Construction Payroll, an on-premises software module. Realizing their customers wanted an end-to-end SaaS solution, the company was interested in converting Infor Construction Payroll to SaaS. Given the cost and time estimates required to rewrite the software module as cloud native, Infor turned to the AWS End User Computing (EUC) team to solve the problem. 

Solution | Use Amazon AppStream 2.0 to convert an on-premises application to SaaS

In considering whether or not to convert Infor Construction Payroll from on-premises to SaaS, the company utilized a robust decision-making framework. Infor worked hard to develop lasting relationships with customers based on trust. In fact, the average Infor customer had been with the company for 10-20 years.

Infor determined there was a reasonable risk of customer attrition if they didn’t deliver Infor Construction as a complete SaaS offering. Infor also knew there was an element of change management required from customers when migrating from on-premises to SaaS.

Ensuring a smooth customer transition was a primary tenet in the decision making process. AppStream 2.0 enabled Infor to transition customers from on-premises to SaaS with minimal downtime, allowing end-users to utilize the same familiar user interface and experience.

“We had a multi-tenant construction payroll product that was sitting on top of a client server application. It would take 2 years and considerable investment to rewrite our software to SaaS-based applications. So, we were on the lookout for a cloud solution to help reduce time to market while optimizing costs. Amazon AppStream 2.0 helped us SaaSify our application without rewrite in just 6 weeks. With AppStream 2.0, we are able to deliver a SaaS version of our software quickly, accelerate time to market, and offer our customers a fully integrated SaaS offering.”

Results | Improved customer experience, security, and financials

By using AppStream 2.0 to convert the Infor Construction application to an end-to-end SaaS solution, Infor made the migration process straightforward for customers who chose to migrate. To migrate, customers simply upload their on-premises application image (including data via a SQL Server backup) to AppStream 2.0, customize the user interface, configure the SAML 2.0 authentication, and begin streaming as a SaaS version of the software. Since end users simply access a browser-based version of the familiar application previously hosted on premises, impact to user experience is minimal.

Infor can now make application updates without customer intervention. In addition, Amazon AppStream 2.0 strengthens security for both Infor and its customers, as corporate data and apps are stored in AWS S3 buckets (vs on local devices), while the applications reset to a golden image once user sessions terminate.

“Not only did AppStream 2.0 help grow our customer reach, it allowed faster time to market for new features and removed hardware constraints, both for our customers and ourselves. AppStream 2.0 gave us the most cost-effective way to deliver innovation, allowing us to save millions in comparison to the client-server application approach. With on-premises apps, we had to pay for service even when the instances were unused and idle. With AppStream 2.0, we pay only for what we use.“

Infor set out to find a cost-effective solution for delivering a SaaS version of Infor Construction. In doing so, the company was able to provide customers with a seamless migration path and enhanced security, while maintaining strong financials for the product. After analyzing the impact of using AppStream 2.0 to support their product strategy, Infor noted a 576% increase in 2022 revenue (vs 2021), and is continuing to see strong sales in 2023. By leveraging AppStream 2.0 to power its leading Construction software, Infor allows its customers to utilize the latest features every time they log in, with the scalability and security afforded by the AWS Cloud. In addition, Infor was able to quickly deliver a SaaS product to market, drive increased sales and new recurring revenue, and open partnership opportunities with fellow construction software vendors that were previously not possible.

About Infor

• Infor, founded in 2002 and headquartered in New York City, is a global leader in ERP and industry cloud software products.

Benefits of AWS

• SaaSify applications without refactoring or rewriting code
• Cloud-based solutions increases agility and frees up IT staff for higher-priority projects
• Regional availability, security, and scalability of the AWS Cloud

Will Lang serves as the Principal Product Manager for AWS AppStream 2.0 service. As the product lead for AWS AppStream 2.0, he is responsible for charting out the product vision and direction as well as delivery of products, features, and services to best meet the needs of our customers.