October 2002
The LawsonGuru Letter is a free periodic newsletter containing provocative commentary about issues important to the Lawson Software community. The LawsonGuru Letter is published by-and is solely the opinion of-John Henley of Decision Analytics. Visit Decision Analytics at https://www.danalytics.com. For subscription information, see the bottom of this message.
The LawsonGuru Letter is not affiliated with Lawson Software.
In this issue:
1. Are you ready for Smart Notification?
2. Focus: The P-Card Shuffle
3. Survey: Was Lawson better off as a private company?
4. Lawson tips & tricks
5. Reader feedback
Before we get started, I want to thank all of you for the enthusiastic
response to the inaugural issue. As I said in that issue, I'll
continue this newsletter as long as there is interest, and you
continue to subscribe. Comments and topic suggestions are always
welcome at mailto:letter@lawsonguru.com.
1. Are you ready for Smart Notification?
For several years, I've consulted for a CIO who's "tagline" is "The right information for the right person at the right time". [Read More...]
Average IT Budget as a % of Revenue
2000: 4.31%
2001: 3.88%
2002: 3.39%
How do you rate?
Source: Information Week, 09/20/02
http://informationweek.com/story/IWK20020920S0002/
2. Focus: The P-Card Shuffle
Is there a reasonable Lawson solution for purchasing cards ("p-cards")? After working through this with my "go-to" procurement consultant, I just don't think there's a good way...[Read More...]
3. Survey: Was Lawson better off as a private company?
It was truly disheartening to learn this past week about more layoffs at Lawson. [Read More...]
Worthwhile Reading
A fascinating article on Google's business model.
Fortune Small Business, September 2002
http://www.fortune.com/indexw.jhtml?channel=artcol.jhtml&doc_id=209291
Working on the Chain: With profits down and perils up, companies are focusing on supply-chain management.
CFO Magazine, September 2002
http://www.cfo.com/article/1,5309,7619||M|366,00.html
Real Time: Businesses aren't even close to harnessing all the benefits of their lightning-speed systems.
Information Week, September 16, 2002
http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020913S0011
Finance on the Front Line: Defense contractors are benefiting from new controls their CFOs have installed.
CFO Magazine, September 2002
http://www.cfo.com/article/1,5309,7609||M|366,00.html
4. Lawson Tips & Tricks
One often-overlooked Lawson feature on Unix/NT is the use of CACHE settings for batch programs. [Read More...]
"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain."
- Maya Angelou
5. Reader feedback
Got an email from a reader who asked: "Will there be any tips and tricks about UNIX/COBOL shops?"
I spend a lot of my time working with UNIX/COBOL clients, and yes, I will do my best to provide some tips for you (see this month's tip on
caching). Of course, it's tough to transfer a reasonable amount of that knowledge in a monthly newsletter. If you want in-depth knowledge transfer, technical mentoring and/or training (for instance, if you want me to teach a class on how to use Lawson's COBOL/4GL), please contact me at mailto:letter@lawsonguru.com.
The LawsonGuru Letter is a free periodic newsletter containing provocative commentary about issues important to the Lawson Software community. The LawsonGuru Letter is published by--and is solely the opinion of--John Henley of Decision Analytics. Visit Decision Analytics at |