One Lawson user said at the vendor's Customer and User Exchange Conference here this week that the merger hasn't yet quelled his concerns that Lawson will be acquired by a large vendor, such as Microsoft Corp., SAP AG or Oracle Corp.

'Our fears are still there,' said Dennis Dahlen, system vice president of finance at Banner Health. The Phoenix-based nonprofit health care organization runs Version 8 of the Lawson applications. 'Our fears are less than what they were a year ago. But, for sure, that fear is always there.'

Another user, Chuck Kentfield, senior software engineer for human resources at Pacific Life Insurance Co. in Newport Beach, Calif., said he expects a smooth transition because Lawson isn't planning to offer two different product lines under a single label.

Kentfield also said that he expects the product lines of both vendors to eventually use the technology that will underlie Lawson's next-generation Landmark applications.

Lawson CEO Harry Debes did say that the initial plan calls for keeping the current applications of both companies in place and retaining the bulk of the management team.