Firm cites strength of Lawson's core Human Capital Management applications and focus on strategic HR functionality

ST. PAUL, Minn.--Lawson Software (Nasdaq:LWSN) today announced that independent industry analyst firm Forrester has positioned Lawson as a Leader for the U.S. midmarket in its Sept. 28, 2006 research report, "The Forrester Wave^™: Human Resource Management Systems, Q3 2006," by Paul Hamerman.

Lawson was cited as a Leader for the strength of its core Human Capital Management applications for U.S. and Canadian companies, in addition to its recently introduced performance management offering and focus on further developing strategic HR functionality.

According to Forrester’s accompanying analysis of Lawson, "Lawson Is Tackling New Frontiers In HR Management Systems," the Lawson Human Capital Management suite offers "deep and scalable functionality in core HR transactional processes, including payroll, and an expanding strategic process capability." The report also states, "Even with the scalability to attract large customers, Lawson also has a good presence within the U.S. midmarket."

In addition to its Leader position in the U.S. midmarket, Lawson also was cited as a Strong Performer for multinational enterprises. Forrester cited how Lawson's recent acquisition of Swedish ERP provider Intentia International AB provides Lawson with an opportunity to expand internationally.

The Forrester Wave report evaluated 10 Human Resource Management System (HRMS) vendors across 92 criteria, including the vendors' current HRMS offerings, product and technology strategy and vision, strategic alliances, and market presence. Vendor offerings were evaluated for both the multinational enterprise market and the U.S. midmarket.

Forrester identifies HRMS as a comprehensive suite of applications for workforce management, and evaluated vendors by how their offerings help organizations manage personnel costs, operate efficient HR business processes, comply with employment laws and regulations, and optimize the value of their employees. Forrester evaluated these vendors beyond core HR functionality to capabilities including employee development, recruitment, performance management and workforce analytics.

"Interest in our Human Capital Management applications is unquestionably increasing," said Larry Dunivan, vice president of global Human Capital Management products, Lawson Software. "Our positioning in this report confirms that Lawson is delivering the essential and core HR applications organizations require, along with more strategic functionality, such as performance management. We also believe customers are turning to Lawson because we know their industries and we’re easy to work with, a combination that leads to a strong return on their investments with us."

To evaluate HRMS vendors, Forrester used a combination of three data sources to assess each of the 10 vendors' products: vendor surveys, product demos and customer reference calls. Once interviews and surveys were completed, and facts were checked, Forrester developed a high-level analysis along with detailed product facts. Each product was scored by each criterion against a consistent scale for all products, using a customizable weighting scale. This score was then used to develop the high-level summary of the vendors' product's strengths and weaknesses, along with the final evaluation report.

More than 1,000 companies use Lawson Human Capital Management applications to automate administrative HR processes and help HR staff focus on more strategic, value-added employee initiatives. Lawson Human Capital Management applications provide organizations with the information they need to maximize workforce potential, while helping HR leaders contribute to organizational excellence with applications that directly support business operations. For a demonstration of Lawson Human Capital Management, please visit www.lawson.com/hcmdemo, and for an overview and demonstration of Lawson Performance Management, please visit www.lawson.com/lpmdemo.

About Lawson Software

Lawson Software provides software and service solutions to 4,000 customers in manufacturing, distribution, maintenance and service sector industries across 40 countries. Lawson’s solutions include Enterprise Performance Management, Supply Chain Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Customer Relationship Management, Manufacturing Resource Planning, Enterprise Asset Management and industry-tailored applications. Lawson solutions assist customers in simplifying their businesses or organizations by helping them streamline processes, reduce costs and enhance business or operational performance. Lawson is headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., and has offices around the world. Visit Lawson online at www.lawson.com.