The St. Paul, Minn.-based ERP applications maker Wednesday announced Lawson Release 9, which has a new technology stack called the Lawson System Foundation 9 (LSF 9). Based on IBM technology, it replaces the previous stack, Lawson Technology 8.1, and will allow customers to exploit Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) capabilities. LSF 9 will also be a bridge for customers to exploit Landmark, Lawson's next generation set of SOA-based applications, which is slated to ship later this year.
LSF 9 comes bundled with IBM's WebSphere middleware stack, the DB2 Universal Database and Tivoli applications management software, said Maher Hakim, senior vice president of product management. The move builds on Lawson's efforts to make its software more IBM friendly.
'We want to make sure our users have everything they need to run our applications,' said Hakim. 'We've simplified the way we packaged the software by bundling the components with a single point of support. If there's an issue with WebSphere, they can call Lawson and we can support them.'
The IBM technology will boost security and scalability, he said. In some cases, for example, LSF 9 can deliver a 300 percent boost in transaction volume over previous versions of the software. Hakim also said that software wizards make LSF 9 easier and less expensive to roll out.
Lawson is also shipping new versions of its business applications. Lawson Business Management Solutions 9 will offer a new performance management application to help link employee performance to organizational goals and measure results. Moreover, the Lawson Supply Chain Management Suite 9 has been enhanced to allow companies to issue employees special procurement credit cards, allowing a more streamlined purchasing process.
One early implementer likes the IBM stack and the clear SOA roadmap. The tight integration with IBM allows IT staffers to assign user access privileges by roles and classes, said Sonia Burgin, accounting manager for Buncombe County, N.C. The county, whose seat is based in Ashville, rolled out LSF 9 last month, replacing Lawson 8.1.
Burgin said the financials application automates the process of clearing un-cashed checks from the system. Previously, it took an hour to clear a month's worth of checks, a task now completed in just a couple of minutes. LSF 9 also allows users to directly match a purchase order with an invoice.
The county is now in the process of deploying Lawson Business Intelligence 9, which will deliver performance dashboards to county managers.
LSF 9 is immediately available, with the Lawson 9 business applications shipping by May. LSF 9 and the business applications are sold separately, and pricing will vary depending on the application.