Jive Software launching comms platform for US Department of Veterans Affairs
Jive Software has inked a deal entailing a major deployment with the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
The social business software provider is launching a new collaboration and communications platform, dubbed VA Pulse, specifically for the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA).
VA Pulse has been designed to connect medical professionals on a number of levels, such as search functionality for finding appropriate specialists and other resources. VHA employees could also use VA Pulse for collaborating and sharing text and multimedia content (i.e., training videos, video conferencing, etc.) with remote doctors.
The VA health care system spans approximately 152 medical centers, 1,400 community-based outpatient clinics, 126 nursing home care units and 35 domiciliaries — all of which are supposed to serve more than 22 million veterans and their families.
More than 300,000 VHA clinicians and staff across 1,700 sites nationwide will have access to the platform.
The VA has already tested Jive's platform with 1,000 users to date, which Jive boasted as a success. Thus, VA Pulse is now rolling out to all VHA employees over the next three years.
This deal could be a win-win for both. In the wake of consecutive losses on quarterly earnings reports, reports about looking for a buyer and the recent departure of its CEO, Jive needs a high-profile customer score like this.
As for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the federal agency has endured a media storm of negative attention and criticism over the last year — specifically concerning appalling wait times and disgraceful customer service practices suffered by patients. A good deal of change is expected, and technology will play a large role.
Like many other government agencies, the VA has been taking steps to upgrade its infrastructure in light of shifts toward the cloud.
In May 2013, the VA tapped IBM to upgrade its approximately 50-year-old human resources system. In a 10-year, $123 million deal, IBM's plan at the time called for a new HR system built upon Oracle PeopleSoft human capital management apps and Monster Government Solutions along with IBM's own software products, such as the InfoSphere big data platform and Tivoli integrated service management software.
Financial terms of the Jive Software deal were not disclosed.