Plumtree Offers New HR Solution

Hilary Jules, director of alliances at San Francisco-based Plumtree, said the human resources solution is based on the needs of 80 percent of the company's customers and will be followed by other line-of-business solutions delivered with other partners.

During the past year, Plumtree has branched out from its role as a pure-play portal vendor to become more of a multiproduct company by offering gadget suites and server products, Jules said. "Customers want the portal, but they also want a set of integrated foundational services," she said. "This is a move in line with our strategy going forward."

The Plumtree Portal for Employee Services bundles new integration products with Plumtree's flagship portal platform, as well as Plumtree Collaboration Server, Plumtree Studio Server and the Plumtree Framework for Microsoft Excel, the company said.

The new integration products include enterprise-class gadget suites for SAP HR and PeopleSoft HRMS, as well as a Plumtree Gadget Suite for Employee Services.

"Many of our customers are ERP customers of either PeopleSoft or SAP, and many use [those vendors' HR modules," said Jules. "So we knew it was important to have out-of-the-box integration for that employee self-service functionality."

Vendor partners currently working to develop gadget suites for the new solution include Extensity, Placeware and Workbrain.

David Link, vice president of eWorkplace at Cedar Consulting, said his firm's partnership with Plumtree not only adds Plumtree customers to its own roster, but also meets the needs of its customer base.

"Companies are now recognizing the portal as a centerpiece around HR applications," said Link. "Human capital is the essence of competitive advantages, so there's real opportunity here for us and for customers."

Pricing for the solution has not been established.

Plumtree will continue to serve as the technology expert on accounts for its partners, while solution providers will serve as vertical consulting experts, Jules said.