PeopleSoft launches ASP initiative
SINGAPORE - Holding true to its promise to deliver complete "web-based" e-business solutions, PeopleSoft has announced an ASP model for the delivery of its applications to customers in the Asia Pacific region.
The announcement was made at the company's Asia Pacific User Conference 2000 at Cairns, Australia.
A PeopleSoft direct channel called eCentre has been launched to host and provide the ASP solutions.
The Asia Pacific eCentre will be based in Australia and will be delivering components of the company's PeopleSoft 8 software suite.
PeopleSoft 8 is the company's newest suite of software released earlier this year and is touted as the first truly "web-based" e-business solution on the market.
In an interview with ZDNetAsia, company executive vice president, Guy Dubois, elaborated that a "web-based" solution must first and foremost have a "purely Internet architecture."
It means that there are no added applications on client devices aside from standard browsers, complete XML-based architecture and a look and feel that is purely Internet.
That ties in well with how the company feels e-business technology will be heading towards in the next few years.
"In the future, users are going to decide exactly the type of services they want," noted Dubois. "You will need an overall integrated software architecture to understand who the customers are, which kind of access are they supposed to have, how are we going to do the billing to them, are we sure they are proper paying customers - all these has to be integrated."
According to Dubois, a third of the company's U.S. customers are already moving to adopt the new software suite.
"The response in Asia has been great," said Frederic Moraillon, PeopleSoft's marketing communication manager for the region, "our alliance partners, the media have actually been quite interested in this technology and what it does."
Aside from rolling out an ASP branch for its business, PeopleSoft has also introduced portal technology for its customers since the introduction of PeopleSoft 8 this year.
Among other announcements made at the user conference are the release of PeopleSoft 8 CRM software, the launch of a customer portal and PeopleSoft MarketPay, a purchasing and payment platform.
To date, the company has 8000 employees and a market capitalization value of US$1.8 billion.
Recently, it reported a record Q3 earning report with US$131.5 million coming from software licensing alone.