Lawson Software debuts next-generation lawson.insight line

Lawson Software, the Enterprise behind the Internet, debuted and announced the commercial availability of lawson.insight, its next-generation flagship e-business software product line. The lawson.insight line adds new deliverable e-commerce and e-business functionality, and re-packages Lawson`s enterprise software solutions into three categories: e-business transaction engines, role-based Self-Evident Applications (SEA) and solution extensions.

"lawson.insight is engineered to help companies achieve competitive advantage through e-business operational improvement of financials, human resources, distribution, procurement, and analytic processes. Lawson made the announcement at its annual conference and user exchange, CUE 2000: Discover-e, in San Diego.

In addition to lawson.insight, Lawson also announced the branding of lawson.consulting, the company`s implementation project management and consulting division, and lawson.community, digital exchanges powered by lawson.insight solutions, customisable to meet the information and process flow requirements of large and growing e-business enterprises.

"Lawson`s new strategic focus builds on the company`s reputation for delivering robust, integrated, Internet enabled enterprise resource planning solutions for financials, human resources, distribution, procurement and analytics," says Cliff van Tonder, country manager for Lawson Software Africa.

"These traditional best-of-breed solutions take their place as the underpinning applications that, through ASP channels, can be generically resold and reused as extensions of Lawson customers` businesses under their own brands. This strategy enlarges Lawson`s revenue model and product extension capabilities," continues van Tonder.

"Today`s market leaders are those providing the backbone, the infrastructure for the emerging digital economy, and Lawson`s new solution additions and strategic direction positions it to become the leading provider of enterprise software powering e-business," says Jay Coughlan, president and chief operating officer, Lawson Software. "In the electronic marketplace, your business can`t wait. Companies have to leverage world-class technology and e-business automation to gain a competitive advantage now. Lawson can deliver that advantage today, as the e-business solutions powering the enterprise or digital community."

Putting application and information access at the lawson.insight user`s fingertips is the e-console, a unified, role-based interface to Lawson`s e-business engines. The e-console is engineered to unite Lawson`s Self-Evident Applications in a single workspace. Combined with any variety of Lawson`s solution extensions, the engines drive transactions and streamline processes throughout the enterprise via tight front- to back-office and cross-application integration. lawson.insight offerings include:

• Self-Evident Applications

  - Combine engines and extensions via a role-based, zero-training portal interface for human resources, workforce analytics, recruiting, resource management, broadcasting, analytics, financial reporting, customer service, purchasing, procurement, payables, warehouse, requisitions, sales force and pipeline process management.

• e-Business Engines

  - Provide the transaction software infrastructure for enterprise-level business-to-business e-commerce in the following categories:

• Financials

  - general ledger, multi-book ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, asset management, lease management, enterprise consolidations, project and activity accounting, billing and revenue recognition, pay-to-bill, cash and treasury management, enterprise budgeting and strategic ledger.

• Human Resources

  - benefits administration, human resources analytics, payroll, event management, health and safety, position management, time accrual, attendance management, tips, training administration, career management, recruitment and selection.

• Customer Relationship Management

  - marketing, sales force, service and support automation.

• Distribution

  - accounts payable, accounts receivable, billing, franchise management, inventory control, order entry, purchase order, requisitions and work order.

• Procurement

  - accounts payable, asset management, inventory control, purchase order and requisitions.

• e-Business Extensions

  - Provide the technology solutions for integrating disparate, distributed systems into a real-time e-business processing environment, including:

• Enterprise Workflow Extensions

  - basic workflow, advanced workflow, e-process flow.

• e-Commerce Extensions - business component integrator, trade communication services, site builder and Net.Commerce business pack.

• Open Component Extensions

  - Java, Lotus Domino, HTML/XML/JavaScript, COM+ and Palm OS.

• Analytic Extensions

  - budget architect, analytic warehouse, analytic workbench, analytic objects, analytic architect, viewers and explorers. Many top analyst firms have noted Lawson`s ability to continually re-invent itself to meet the challenges of technology paradigm shifts. Today, top industry analysts are also validating Lawson`s current strategic direction and the company`s ability to execute on that vision based on the strength of its architecturally superior solutions.

"Lawson Software`s re-launch of its enterprise business applications reflects the demands of the growing digital economy for Internet-enabled e-business process automation," said Karen Moser, Aberdeen Group. "The entire look and feel of the already easy-to-use Lawson system is being migrated to a Web browser interface. Because Lawson has built its software with the Internet and the needs of rapid technology adoption in mind, Aberdeen expects that Lawson will be very successful in its ability to power end-to-end e-business and e-services."

A recent International Data Corporation report states that application developers would benefit from refining their e-business strategies to account for the wide array of new application delivery models, including application service providers (ASPs) and business process outsourcers (BPOs).

"Emerging application delivery models are quickly becoming just as much a part of meeting customer need as the application itself," said Dennis Byron, research director, IDC. "Lawson`s strategy reflects all of these factors. Lawson wants to enable closed-loop business process automation in a flexible way that lets the Lawson '.community` determine what packaged solutions are delivered, how much customisation is done and what channel is used to deliver them. While many other application suppliers are focused on the channel du jour, the Lawson architecture already fits different delivery models like conventional licensing, ASP, systems integrator or business process outsourcer."

Last month, Lawson previewed a key component of its strategic direction, announcing its new LawsonTone outsourcing program at a Boston press conference. The event featured testimonials from seven Lawson customers already gaining savings and return on investment running Lawson solutions in an outsourced Web model, including ASP and BPO partners hosting Lawson solutions.

Lawson is building an extensive network of outsourcing options via its LawsonTone remote computing program, which plays a key role in Lawson`s strategic direction. LawsonTone partners include prominent leaders in the application service provider and business process outsourcing industries, including Agilera.com, digithink.net, The Revere Group, Shared Medical Systems Corporation (SMS) and USinternetworking (USi).

Lawson further prefaced the launch of lawson.insight last month by introducing new e-commerce extensions at a Boston press conference. Lawson`s collaborative commerce extensions leverage advanced Internet and integration technologies that greatly improve the performance of e-business processes. The new products and services announced include:

• Trade Communication Services

  - facilitates cross-enterprise integration by providing communication and data file transfer functionality between Lawson-resident application servers and external servers.

• Payment Server Integrator

  - allows Lawson applications to conduct transactions with credit card payment applications such as CyberCash and IBM Payment Server, through either front- or back-office applications.

• Site Builder

  - a comprehensive set of advanced development and integration tools for building Web storefronts and Web sites fully integrated with Lawson`s world-class business management system. Site Builder modules include the Model Builder, Page Designer, Report Publisher, Personaliser, Catalog Services and Transaction Services.

• Auction System

  - a complete solution for hosting and managing on-line auctions.

• e-Resource Management

  - centralises enterprise directory-type information into a single, comprehensive repository for secure sharing across the enterprise; interfaces with mail, workflow and security systems to make corporate resource information available to a wide variety of internal and external users and systems.

• Mail Server

  - connects e-mail systems directly with the Lawson system to facilitate system-to-user communication such as automatic e-mail notifications triggered by workflow processes, and person-to-person collaboration from any point with e-mail access.