Lawson Extends Insight To IBM DB2 Universal Database

Business Wire, Feb 2, 1999

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 2, 1999--Lawson Software, The Global Solutions Company, today announced an initiative to integrate the LAWSON INSIGHT(R) Business Management System with IBM's DB2 Universal Database. The agreement will extend Lawson's current support of the IBM DB2/400 database for the AS/400 platform to support across all IBM hardware - from the smallest NT server through AIX (IBM's UNIX operating system) and up to the largest IBM S/390 Parallel Enterprise Server. Commercial availability is scheduled for November 1999.

"Lawson always strives to best serve the customer," said Richard Lawson, president and chief operating officer, Lawson Software. "Many corporations want a way to connect Lawson solutions with their mainframe architecture. With this agreement, they'll have the ability to combine our leading-edge client/server application technology with their mainframe-class processing power and scaleability. This initiative will also help customers save money by extending the life and use of their current mainframe technology."

IBM's DB2 Universal Database is the industry's first multimedia, Web-ready relational database management system - powerful enough to meet the demands of large corporations and flexible enough to serve medium-sized and small businesses. DB2 Universal Database combines power for business intelligence (decision support, data warehousing and data mining) with industry-leading performance and reliability for transaction processing. It delivers on IBM's e-business promise, linking the world's business information with the Internet to realize business value.

"When companies are implementing client/server systems, they also recognize the need to protect their investments in legacy systems, and leverage the power of their enterprise servers," said Jim Kelly, vice president, data management marketing, IBM Software Solutions. "In porting to DB2 Universal Database, Lawson will extend the value of its solutions by giving customers direct access to their data, wherever it resides. The combination of Lawson's applications with IBM DB2 Universal Database will give our mutual customers a powerful, flexible solution to run their businesses."

LAWSON INSIGHT incorporates a set of integrated, fully Web-deployable application process suites for financials, human resources, procurement, supply chain and performance management. The LAWSON INSIGHT Application Designer Suite also leverages Lawson's Self-Evident Applications(TM) (SEA) interface to allow non-technical users to create secure, Web-accessible customized reports, forms and charts. LAWSON INSIGHT incorporates activity-based management, workflow and the company's unique DrillAround(TM) capabilities for cross-application information access. The company's open architecture and full Web deployability provide faster, more manageable implementations.

"Being able to leverage the scaleability of large enterprise servers with a client/server system, and tap into the data there with on-line analytical processing and data warehousing applications, gives us much better access to valuable information about the company," said Chris Lofgren, chief technology officer, Schneider National, Inc., the nation's largest truckload transportation and logistics organization. "Many large companies, even those with client/server systems, still rely on the power and scaleability of mainframes for certain processing operations. Now they can combine the technologies to get an even better analysis of their enterprise and use that information to improve processes."

Shared Medical Systems Corporation (SMS) (NYSE: SMS), Malvern, Penn., the leading provider of information systems and services for the health industry, maintains one of the world's largest installations of IBM S/390 enterprise servers and uses DB2 extensively in its Information Services Center (ISC), which provides remote data processing services to over 900 health organizations. According to Dave Perri, senior vice president of technology and customer services, "In SMS' ISC, we utilize myriad hardware environments, operating and database management systems. As a partner of both IBM and Lawson, Lawson's support of IBM's DB2 Universal Database allows ISC to now offer Lawson solutions to more of our remote processing customers."

Lawson Software, The Global Solutions Company, is a $200 million provider of self-evident, role-based Web solutions for financials, human resources, procurement and supply chain management. With more than 2,500 mid- to large-sized corporate customers, and sales of its healthcare solutions growing at 163 percent, Lawson has distinguished itself competitively through a unique blend of feature-rich customer solutions, technology innovation and user-friendly support. Lawson Software has been acclaimed by technology analysts for its innovative and unique use of leading-edge technologies, like Self-Evident Applications(TM) (SEA) on the Web, and Drill Around(TM) for integrated, cross-application data access.