For decades, Infor VISUAL ERP has been the backbone of countless manufacturers. Its strength lies in handling complex production environments, providing reliable scheduling, and supporting the day-to-day needs of growing businesses. But as the manufacturing landscape changes—driven by rising customer expectations, rapid digital transformation, and increasing security risks—organizations face a critical question:
How do you keep VISUAL relevant and competitive in the years ahead?
The answer isn’t to abandon VISUAL. Instead, it’s about future-proofing your ERP system—bolstering it with the right integrations, infrastructure, and support so that it continues to deliver value well into the future.
Here are four key strategies to help you get there.
- Strengthen VISUAL with Strategic Integrations
VISUAL is strong on the shop floor—but it wasn’t designed to be your CRM, eCommerce, or marketing automation tool. Manufacturers who rely on VISUAL alone often face silos: production data doesn’t sync with customer interactions, inventory levels aren’t visible to sales, and marketing campaigns don’t tie directly to order history.
The fix? Integrate VISUAL with modern front-office platforms.
By connecting VISUAL to tools like Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics, Shopify, or Magento, you can:
- Give sales teams instant access to order history, pricing, and availability.
- Provide customer service reps real-time visibility into shipping and invoicing.
- Enable marketing to target customers with personalized campaigns based on actual ERP data.
Solutions like Unity by Datix make this possible without complex, custom coding. Unity is a pre-built, managed integration platform that seamlessly connects VISUAL with CRM, eCommerce, and other key systems. With Unity, data flows automatically and securely, allowing your business to scale without bottlenecks.
Future-proofing starts with tearing down silos—ensuring every department operates from a single source of truth.
- Move Toward the Cloud (Without Replacing VISUAL)
Cloud adoption is no longer a buzzword—it’s the standard for modern business. But many VISUAL users hesitate, worried that “moving to the cloud” means replacing their ERP altogether. The reality is, you can keep VISUAL while still gaining cloud advantages.
Hosting VISUAL on Microsoft Azure provides a flexible middle ground:
- Accessibility: Users can securely access VISUAL anywhere, supporting remote work and multi-site operations.
- Scalability: Add resources as your business grows without costly hardware upgrades.
- Reduced IT burden: Offload server maintenance, patching, and upgrades to cloud infrastructure experts.
- Improved performance: Run VISUAL faster and more reliably, no matter your hardware limitations.
With cloud hosting, your ERP doesn’t have to stay tied to the four walls of your facility. Instead, you gain the agility to adapt, expand, and evolve without a disruptive system replacement.
- Prioritize Security & Business Continuity
Manufacturers are increasingly in the crosshairs of cyberattacks, ransomware, and data loss. VISUAL holds some of your most sensitive and mission-critical information—from order histories to customer data—and a breach or outage can grind operations to a halt.
That’s why backups and disaster recovery (DR) are central to future-proofing. It’s not enough to hope your data is safe—you need confidence that it’s recoverable.
Datix’s EverSafe provides just that. With secure, automated backups and rapid recovery protocols, EverSafe ensures your VISUAL data stays protected against cyber threats, system failures, or natural disasters. Whether it’s a ransomware attack or a server crash, you can restore operations quickly and minimize costly downtime.
Resilience is the ultimate future-proofing tool. With EverSafe, you don’t just safeguard data—you protect your ability to serve customers without interruption.
- Rethink Your Support Model
Many VISUAL users still rely on the old-school “bucket of hours” approach for ERP support: prepay for a block of hours, burn through them when issues arise, and scramble when you run out. It’s unpredictable, expensive, and reactive.
A smarter way forward is adopting a retainer support model.
With the Datix Retainer Program, you gain:
- Guaranteed access to ERP experts when you need them.
- Priority response times (as fast as two hours, depending on your service level).
- Predictable billing with locked-in discounted rates.
- A proactive partner invested in keeping your VISUAL system optimized—not just fixing problems after they happen.
This shift in support model ensures VISUAL isn’t just surviving—it’s continuously improving and adapting to your evolving business needs.
Future-Proofing Is About Extending Value, Not Replacing Systems
The biggest misconception about future-proofing is that it means preparing for a total ERP replacement. For VISUAL users, that’s rarely necessary. Instead, it’s about extending the value of your existing investment—making sure it remains secure, connected, and aligned with your long-term goals.
With the right integrations, cloud hosting, security measures, and support model, VISUAL can continue powering your operations for years to come. The system you know and trust doesn’t need to hold you back—it can evolve right alongside your business.
Conclusion
Your manufacturing operation’s future success depends on how well your ERP supports growth, resilience, and agility. For VISUAL users, the path forward is clear:
- Break down silos with smart integrations.
- Leverage the cloud for performance and scalability.
- Protect your data with reliable backup and recovery.
- Move from reactive to proactive with smarter support.
At Datix, we’ve spent over 25 years helping manufacturers unlock more value from VISUAL. From Unity integrations to Azure hosting, EverSafe backup solutions, and flexible retainer support—we make sure VISUAL isn’t just an ERP of the past, but a foundation for your future.
Ready to future-proof your VISUAL ERP?
Contact us today to learn how we can help.
