Expert: Infor's purchase of Lawson could mean more development

Atlanta-based business software company Infor Inc. has a past reputation of being more of a holding company, buying up smaller ventures but not doing much with them.

But a new CEO and recent moves suggest they might be shedding that reputation, said Chris Kanaracus, a correspondent for IDG News Service, which supplies news to technology publications and websites.

"They've made a lot of moves recently that suggest they want to take the company in a much different direction, much more of an innovative company," Kanaracus told MPR's Morning Edition on Wednesday.

St. Paul-based Lawson Software this week agreed to a $2 billion buyout offer from Infor and the private equity firm Golden Gate Capital.

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Job cuts are always a possibility during buyouts, but Kanaracus said Infor hasn't disclosed plans.

"Layoffs weren't ruled out; they weren't specified either," he said.

But Kanaracus said he doesn't expect to see job cuts on the development side of the expanded company.

"In previous conversations with Infor they talked about their plans to hire several hundred new engineers to develop products," he said. "I was given a strong indication that they intend to keep Lawson products strong, very much alive."

Former Oracle President Charles Phillips became Infor's new CEO in October.

(MPR's Cathy Wurzer contributed to this report.)