PeopleSoft

PeopleSoft
Subsidiary
Successor Oracle Corporation
Founded 1987
Headquarters Pleasanton, California, USA
Key people
 David Duffield, Ken Morris
Owner Acquired in 2005 by Oracle
Parent Oracle Corporation

'PeopleSoft, Inc.' was a company that provided Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS), Financial Management Solutions (FMS), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) software, as well as software for manufacturing, and student administration to large corporations, governments, and organizations. It existed as an independent corporation until its acquisition by Oracle Corporation in 2005. The PeopleSoft name and product line are now marketed by Oracle.

PeopleSoft Financial Management Solutions (FMS) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) are part of the same package, commonly known as Financials and Supply Chain Management (FSCM).

History

Founded in 1987 by Ken Morris and David Duffield, PeopleSoft was originally headquartered in Walnut Creek, California before moving to Pleasanton, California. Duffield envisioned a client–server version of Integral Systems' popular mainframe HRMS package.

The company's sole venture backing came from IBM.[1] George J. Still, Jr. from Norwest Venture Partners joined the Board of Directors.[2]

PeopleSoft version 1, released in the late 1980s, was the first fully integrated, robust client–server HRMS application suite.[3]

PeopleSoft expanded its product range to include a financials module in 1992, distribution in 1994, and manufacturing in 1996 after the acquisition of Red Pepper.[3]

Product design

Application architecture

The original architecture for the PeopleSoft suite of products was based on a client–server (two-tier) approach with a dedicated client.[3] With the release of version 8, the entire suite was refactored as an n-tier web-centric design called PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA).[3] The new format allowed all of a company's business functions to be accessed and run from within a web browser.[4]

Originally, a small number of security and system setup functions still needed to be performed on a fat client machine; however, this is no longer the case.

The PeopleSoft application suite can function as an ERP, similar to SAP, but can also be used for single modules - for example, Student Admin. or HCM alone.

Development platform

The architecture is built around PeopleSoft’s proprietary PeopleTools technology. PeopleTools includes many different components used to create web-based applications: a scripting language known as PeopleCode, design tools to define various types of metadata, standard security structure, batch processing tools, and the ability to interface with a SQL database. The metadata describes data for user interfaces, tables, messages, security, navigation, portals, etc. This set of tools allows the PeopleSoft suite to be platform independent.

JD Edwards

In 2003, PeopleSoft performed a friendly merger with smaller rival JD Edwards.[5] The latter's similar product line, World and OneWorld, targeted mid-sized companies too small to benefit from PeopleSoft's applications. JD Edwards' software used the Configurable Network Computing architecture, which shielded applications from both the operating system and the database back-end. PeopleSoft branded the OneWorld product PeopleSoft EnterpriseOne.[6]

Oracle Corporation Acquisition

Beginning in 2003, Oracle began to maneuver for control of the PeopleSoft company. In June 2003, Oracle made a $13 billion bid in a hostile corporate takeover attempt. In February 2004, Oracle decreased their bid to approximately $9.4 billion; this offer was also rejected by PeopleSoft's board of directors. Complicating Oracle's takeover attempt was PeopleSoft's Poison Pill, allowing their customers to potentially receive refunds of 2-5x the amount they had paid in the case of a takeover.[7]

Later that month, the U.S. Department of Justice filed suit to block Oracle, on the grounds that the acquisition would break anti-trust laws. In September 2004, the suit was rejected by a U.S. Federal judge, who found that the Justice Department had not proven its anti-trust case. In October, the same decision was handed down by the European Commission. Though Oracle had reduced its offer to $7.7 billion in May, it again raised its bid in November to $9.4 billion.

In December 2004, Oracle announced that it had signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire PeopleSoft for approximately $10.3 billion. A month after the acquisition of PeopleSoft, Oracle cut over half of PeopleSoft's workforce, laying off 6,000 of PeopleSoft's 11,000 employees.[8]

Oracle moved to capitalize on the perceived strong brand loyalty within the JD Edwards user community by rebranding former JD Edwards products. Thus PeopleSoft EnterpriseOne became JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and PeopleSoft World became JD Edwards World.

Oracle announced in 2005 that Fusion Applications would combine the best aspects of the PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and Oracle Applications and merge them into a new product suite.

Oracle would later slow the release cadence for PeopleSoft applications, instead releasing "Feature Packs" to add functionality.[9][10]

PeopleSoft timeline

References

  1. ↑ "PeopleSoft Inc.- Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on PeopleSoft Inc.". Reference for Business. Advameg, Inc. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "George J. Still, Jr.; Partner Emeritus". Norwest Venture Partners. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Anderson, Lynn (2001). Understanding PeopleSoft8. Sybex. p. 22. ISBN 0-7821-2930-7.
  4. ↑ Anderson, Lynn (2001). Understanding PeopleSoft8. Sybex. p. 58. ISBN 0-7821-2930-7.
  5. 1 2 Kane, Margaret (2 June 2003). "PeopleSoft to buy J.D. Edwards". Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  6. ↑ Hines, Matt (15 December 2003). "PeopleSoft integrates J.D. Edwards software". Retrieved 5 October 2010.
  7. ↑ The Register, "Oracle chokes on PeopleSoft's poison pill", http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/11/11/oracle_chokes_on_peoplesofts_poison/
  8. ↑ "Oracle to PeopleSoft: The pink slip's in the mail". cnet. 14 January 2005. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  9. ↑ Oracle Press Release. "Oracle Announces Oracle’s PeopleSoft Financials and Supply Chain Management 9.1 Feature Pack" (April 11, 2011).
  10. ↑ Oracle PeopleSoft Continuous Delivery Model. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zE4aOobdr0
  11. ↑ Tomei, Derek. "PeopleSoft 8". PeopleSoftCareer. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  12. ↑ Laura Rohde, "Update: PeopleSoft's CEO Conway gets the boot. Board of directors replaces Conway with PeopleSoft founder and chairman Dave Duffield," Infoworld (October 01, 2004).
  13. ↑ Oracle Lifetime Support Policy - http://www.oracle.com/us/support/library/lifetime-support-applications-069216.pdf
  14. ↑ Oracle Press Release. "Oracle Releases Oracle’s PeopleSoft 9.2" (Mar. 18, 2013).
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