The INFOCUS 2025 keynote, presented by Paul Houtkooper and Jon Green, set the stage for an action-packed week of learning, networking, and innovation. With a tailgate party atmosphere, the session brought energy, humor, and a strong focus on the future of JD Edwards (JDE). Let’s dive into the highlights that showcase where JDE is today, and where it’s headed.

The Power of Community and Culture

At the heart of INFOCUS is the community. Paul and Jon emphasized that JD Edwards’ strength lies in its culture—one that is customer-centric, innovation-driven, and rooted in decades of collaboration. Attendees were encouraged to contribute their ideas, share challenges, and connect with peers. The “napkin story” from JDE’s early days—when developers sketched product ideas on restaurant napkins—served as a reminder that innovation often starts with small, shared ideas.

Continuous Innovation and Commitment to Customers

JD Edwards continues to evolve with Oracle’s support, offering a rolling 10-year Premier Support policy through at least 2036. The team reaffirmed their dedication to delivering enhancements, updates, and long-term stability. With more than 32 releases and 1,000 enhancements since EnterpriseOne 9.2, JDE is proving its commitment to continuous delivery.

Key Strategic Focus Areas

Paul and Jon outlined three major investment areas driving JDE’s future:

1. Enterprise Automation – Building on the success of Orchestrator, JDE is moving beyond task automation to end-to-end business process automation. Release 25 introduced the Process Modeler, giving customers visibility into bottlenecks and opportunities for process optimization. Release 26 will take this further with templates and enhanced analytics.
2. Sustainability Framework – With global reporting needs in mind, JDE is delivering tools to help customers capture and manage environmental data accurately. This ensures compliance and enables seamless integration with third-party reporting solutions.
3. AI Enablement – JDE’s digital platform, anchored by Orchestrator, is ready for the AI era. From predictive insights to automated decision-making, customers are already leveraging AI to reimagine workflows and enhance business outcomes.

Customer Success Stories

Two standout customer stories brought these strategies to life:

• PCL Construction consolidated 26 separate instances of JDE into one global system. This monumental project allowed them to unlock new features, streamline payroll, and position themselves for future innovation.
• Adnams Brewery shared how AI and automation revolutionized their operations. By leveraging Orchestrator and AI-driven solutions, they accelerated development, cut bottlenecks, and achieved enterprise-level results that would have otherwise required years of effort.

These real-world examples underscored the importance of adoption, not just staying current. As Paul put it, “Don’t run JD Edwards like 2005 when you’re on the 2025 version.”

Demos and Future Capabilities

The session featured live demonstrations of:

• Enterprise Automation with process modeling and templates.
• System Administration enhancements powered by AI for faster troubleshooting.
• Widgets for richer data visualizations and AI insights directly in the JDE interface.
• AI-powered agents enabling pricing recommendations, semantic search, and document analysis.

These innovations highlight JDE’s roadmap toward intelligent, automated, and adaptive ERP systems.

Looking Ahead

With Release 26 arriving later this year, JD Edwards customers can expect aligned update naming, simplified adoption processes, and more focus on accelerating business transformation. The message was clear: stay current, adopt continuously, and unlock the full value of JDE’s innovation.

As INFOCUS 2025 wrapped up, Paul and Jon reminded attendees of the importance of community-driven ideas. From napkin sketches to AI-powered ERP, JD Edwards’ story is one of evolution—and its future remains bright.

Want more?

Explore more content and resources to help you get the most from your JD Edwards investment:

• Be sure to check out the INFOCUS 2025 Event Hub (coming soon) for presentation slides – available exclusively to Quest members.
• Explore the Orchestrator Strategic Content Center for more Quest-exclusive resources.
• Visit the Quest Learn Library for blogs, how-to demos, and on-demand sessions.
• Connect with peers in one of our Quest JD Edwards Community User Groups to swap stories, ask questions, and share tips with other users facing the same challenges.

Not a Quest member yet? Join today and tap into the ultimate Oracle customer network.