A New Era of Digital Transformation with IFS Cloud

For years, ERP was seen as the system that keeps a record of the work. IFS Cloud changes that definition: the platform no longer just records what happened, it carries out part of the work itself. What we see in the field is clear. The companies that get real results from digital transformation treat IFS Cloud as a chance to redesign their processes, not as a software installation.

In this article we look at what the current IFS Cloud brings, what IFS Loops and Digital Workers are, how the platform's new architecture works, and how all of this shapes an implementation project.

IFS Cloud Today: One Platform, Always Current

IFS Cloud brings ERP, enterprise asset management (EAM) and field service management (FSM) together on one platform and one data model. Every process, from manufacturing to maintenance and from procurement to service, runs on the same data, so there is no need for middleware shuttling records between modules.

The defining difference is the Evergreen model. With two major releases a year (such as 25R2 and 26R1) and monthly service updates, the system stays current. Multi-year upgrade projects give way to release management that moves in small, planned steps.

Release 26R1 is the latest example. In manufacturing, MRP Simulation enables scenario-based planning and First Article Inspection digitalizes first-article approval. Sales gains Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ), and sustainability gains IFS Zero for emissions management. IFS.ai Operational Intelligence joins the platform as the layer that turns operational data into foresight.

IFS.ai: AI Embedded in the Process

IFS does not treat AI as a chat window bolted onto the screen. IFS.ai sits inside planning, maintenance, service and supply chain processes and offers recommendations on the screen where the user already works. The value comes from AI acting as a natural step in the workflow rather than as a separate tool.

IFS Loops and Digital Workers

In 2025 IFS acquired the agentic AI platform TheLoops and introduced it as IFS Loops. Its core concept is the Digital Worker: an AI agent that carries out high-volume operational work on its own, within defined rules and permissions.

The first Digital Workers delivered with IFS Cloud 25R2 make the idea concrete:

• Supplier Order Manager: Handles supplier communication and purchase order validation.
• Customer Order Manager: Creates customer orders, validates data and flags errors.
• Material Replenisher: Monitors material requirements and stock availability across sites.
• Inventory Replenisher: Forecasts demand and triggers replenishment based on rules.

Pre-built Digital Workers are also available for planning and dispatch in field service. IFS Loops Agent Studio lets the people who know the business configure, safely test and monitor their own Digital Workers without writing code.

Governance is the critical point. Every action is logged, every decision follows defined rules, and only the cases that need human judgment are escalated to a user. We covered the role of AI in enterprise processes, and why human control remains essential, in AI Is No Longer an Option.

The New IFS Cloud Architecture

The technical architecture of IFS Cloud is a clear break from earlier IFS Applications versions:

• Container-based middle tier: Application services run as containers on Kubernetes, which keeps scaling and updates under control.
• API-first design: Business entities and actions are exposed through OData-based REST APIs. Integrations are built on these APIs instead of connecting directly to the database.
• Aurena user experience: A browser-based, responsive interface with role-based lobbies and mobile access that speeds up user adoption.
• Layered customization: Configurations and customizations live in layers separate from the core code. The Evergreen model is only sustainable because of this separation.
• Deployment choice: The platform can run in the IFS-managed cloud or in an environment the company manages itself.

In practice this means one thing: the less you touch the core, the less every new release costs you.

Implementing Digitalization with IFS

Technology alone does not deliver transformation. What decides the success of an IFS Cloud project is the work done before and after the installation. This is the order we follow in our projects:

1. Process analysis: We map current workflows on the shop floor, together with the people who do the work. The goal is to simplify the process, not to carry old habits into a new system.
2. Standard-first design: We try to meet every requirement with the IFS standard first. Customization is reserved for the points that create a real competitive advantage.
3. Master data and data migration: No go-live happens before part, product structure, routing, supplier and customer data is cleaned. MRP and Digital Workers depend on that data to work correctly.
4. Integration: Connections to the shop floor, e-documents, banks and other systems are built through IFS Connect and REST APIs.
5. Testing and training: End-to-end scenarios are tested with real data, and users are trained according to their roles.
6. Go-live and release management: Go-live is not the end of the project, it is the start of the Evergreen cycle. Impact analysis and regression testing are planned for every release.

Automation only makes sense at the end of this sequence. A Digital Worker placed on top of a messy process multiplies the errors at the same speed. Process first, data second, automation last.

Moving from IFS Applications to IFS Cloud

For existing IFS Applications users, the move to IFS Cloud is a journey planned around a customization inventory, data migration and test scenarios. Together we decide which of the customizations built up over the years can be covered by the standard and which need to be rethought for the new architecture.

We turn your move to IFS Cloud into a setup that delivers value with every new release, not just on go-live day.