Technological innovation, solid alliances with industry leading vendors and strong customer ties have driven Lawson Software`s consistent growth. Cliff van Tonder, General Manager of the South African operation, outlines Lawson`s continuing initiatives in the increasingly important electronic commerce arena
Lawson Software, named by Red Herring magazine to be the "world`s strongest private enterprise resource planning (ERP) company" - has entrenched its stake as a leading open systems electronic commerce player with its recent announcement of IT`S Enterprise Portal Solution, Lawson Insight II SEAport users one-click access to all their enterprise applications and information.
A fully Web-based, customisable and integrated desktop, Lawson Enterprise Portal is "a gateway to the world for employees", says Cliff van Tonder, General Manager of Lawson Software SA.
"It`s a Secure personalised desktop on the Web, accessible from any Internet-connected computer," says Van Tonder. "It provides the most efficient realtime, on-line access to business-critical information from the Internet, intranets, extranets and corporate databases, as well as to enterprise software applications."
Lawson`s Portals launch builds on a solid base of open, e-commerce initiatives. According to Van Tonder, since Lawson`s creation in 1975 the vendor has focused on technology innovation.
In 1996, the company forged into the on-line world with its announcement of Web-deployable applications. "Since the Web emerged as a valuable tool for commerce, Lawson Software has led the way in Web deployment of business management applications," says Van Tonder.
Later that year, Lawson followed its on-line debut with the announcement of the availability of self-service applications.
A move to self-evident applications followed in 1997. This removed the need for prohibitive investments in training, because the Lawson system could be operated in the same intuitive manner as users found their way around the Web with little or no formal training. Empowering users to access information independently enabled IT professionals to focus on more strategic pursuits.
Other innovations include Performance Indicators, as well as Drill Around functionality, which provides integrated, cross-application data access.
Recent introductions include Lawson Insight II, spanning human resources, financials, procurement, supply chain management, collaborative commerce and enterprise budgeting. A Value Management Solutions component includes financial performance management and an analytic suite.
Lawson Insight II is structured to help companies achieve operational excellence by managing overall global business performance on a realtime basis and combining process and performance management into a single integrated system. The bottom line is information on which to base better-informed resource management decisions.
Users can tailor Lawson Insight II Business Management System to meet organisations` and individuals` unique technology requirements, using Lawson Open Component Solutions.
This facility enables users to select from desktop options and tools, including Lotus Domino, Java, JavaScript/HTML, Microsoft ActiveX and Lawson`s traditional client/server interface.
"This means that Lawson is 100 percent deployable and customisable via industry-standard development environments," says Van Tonder, "providing unprecedented flexibility in ERP implementation.
"A non-proprietary environment enables users to almost immediately begin performing development enhancements to the Lawson system without requiring extensive knowledge and training in a proprietary development language."
In addition to technological innovation, Lawson has forged alliances with leading industry vendors. The newest of these is integration with Sun`s i-Planet, which makes enterprise information, applications and resources available to authorised users from anywhere, anytime, on demand from any Java-enabled browser.
Lawson also collaborates with IBM on its net.commerce initiatives, as well as with Hewlett-Packard.
The Aberdeen Group highlights Lawson as a company able to continually re-invent itself, its business solutions, its integration of leading edge technology and its market value proposition.
Lawson also consistently recognises key emerging business and technology trends, especially those which add value beyond core business functionality, according to Aberdeen.
Lawson Software is a $238-million provider of Web solutions for financials, human resources, procurement, supply chain and performance management. The company distinguishes itself through a blend of feature-rich customer solutions, technology innovation and user-friendly support.
"Whether it`s technology that creates workflow channels, or self-service that empowers employees, Lawson Software continually raises the standard for enterprise management solutions, which ultimately raises our clients` operational excellence levels," concludes Van Tonder.
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