PeopleSoft To Update World

When Pleasanton, Calif.-based PeopleSoft acquired J.D. Edwards last year, it inherited fanatically loyal customers wedded to the twin workhorses of J.D. Edwards' One World ERP suite (now dubbed PeopleSoft World) and IBM's eServer iSeries hardware. The question on everyone's mind was: Would PeopleSoft continue to support the venerable package?

Now PeopleSoft partners can breathe easier. "We were worried because 50 percent of our customers are on World," said Roger Harris, general manager of MSS Technologies, a PeopleSoft partner in Phoenix. "Our World customers didn't want to upgrade to [PeopleSoft] EnterpriseOne because they were happy with what they had. And we weren't selling many new World systems because of concerns over support. I'm happy to see this renewed investment in the software."

PeopleSoft World Express does more than potentially enliven a moribund business for PeopleSoft's partners, it offers a new revenue source for IBM's channel of iSeries resellers and distributors.

That's because World Express is available in an IBM SMB Advantage configuration. Called IBM eServer iSeries for PeopleSoft World Express, the offering includes World Express, implementation services, customer financing plus IBM hardware and software.

As an SMB Advantage configuration, the package earns IBM partners additional sales and marketing dollars from IBM.

"When our iSeries partners have the lead, they will involve PeopleSoft's channel. When PeopleSoft partners have the lead, they will engage iSeries resellers and distributors," said Joann Duguid, vice president of eServer Small and Medium Business at IBM.

The suite got its "Express" tag by way of 31 pre-configured business processes tailored to the industrial manufacturing, warehouse distribution, construction and home-building industries. It also features an HTML-based user interface. World Express is aimed squarely at businesses with annual revenue of less than $100 million a year and supports some fairly sophisticated processes.

"We've found that small businesses have the same, if not more advanced, computing processes as large companies but have limited working capital and support staff," said Dave Siebert, group vice president and general manager of PeopleSoft World.

PeopleSoft World Express starts at $50,000 for a 10- to 20-user system. IBM eServer iSeries for PeopleSoft World Express begins at $90,000.