PeopleSoft Announces Alliance with IBM

Kyle writes "I just got out of PeopleSoft's opening keynote for PS Connect 2004, where Craig Conway announced a new alliance with IBM. According to Conway, PeopleSoft and IBM will both be investing $1 billion over the next few years to build a joint solution utilizing PeopleSoft's applications and IBM's middleware products. Yahoo Business has an article."

Comments

monopoly

[nocomment]

peoplesoft gets a "get out of hostile takeover card"

Ellison

[angst_ridden_hipster]

... was heard to say "Never mind. I'll just buy them too."

Kind of interesting, actually. These could be the first hairline fractures in the Vast Anti-Microsoft Pro-Linux Corporate Alliance.

It could have potentially profound effects in the world of Corporate Linux. Then again, it probably won't. Expect the MS and SCO FUD machines to spin it that way, though.

Oracle may be big, but going up against IBM is a bad strategy. As the old joke went in the "IBM is gonna buy Apple!" days:

Q: What do you get when you cross Apple and IBM?
A: IBM.

Re:Ellison

[lucabrasi999]

These could be the first hairline fractures in the Vast Anti-Microsoft Pro-Linux Corporate Alliance

Well, I don't know if these are the first fractures. IBM and Oracle have been competing fiercely in the Database market for many years now. IBM has been nearly giving away DB2 in order to steal Oracle customers. When IBM purchased Informix, Oracle used the opportunity to switch more than a few Informix customers to Oracle.

Re:Ellison

[angst_ridden_hipster]

You know, you're right. After I posted, I started thinking ... uh ... DB2? Universe? Oracle?

Still, this seems like more of an escalation of hostilities. IBM and Oracle have always been big wary sumo wrestlers circling one another in the professional services and business support system arenas. I suspect (though I don't have the energy to look up SEC filings) that these components of their businesses outweigh the database portions.

Link dead...

[(H)elix1]

But CNN has it up...

http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/21/technology/bc.te ch .peoplesoft.oracle.reut/index.htm

removed

[AMystery]

A rather short article:
Removed
This article has been removed at the request of the news provider, Business Wire.

If I'd known /. links were so short I might have started reading the articles long ago. Well, live and learn

Also, I went to Business Wire and didn't immediately find the article there. Anyone found it? While I am not overly interested in hostile takeovers of companies I don't use, I am not a bit more interested because of the conspiracy to keep the knowledge hidden.

Peoplesoft's already using IBM

[BRTB]

[disclaimer: I don't work for PeopleSoft, I just admin a few of the PS DB/apps/web servers for a local college]

PeopleSoft's already using a bunch of IBM products for the HR/Financials systems they provide... IBM Websphere is immediately coming to mind as an option for the backend application server, with webpages/java servlets served up by IBM-modified versions of Apache and Tomcat, IIRC. The other choice PS supports is a comglomeration of bloated BEA products (Jolt/Tuxedo, Weblogic) that I've been told are slightly easier to install and configure, but in my experience crash on an almost daily basis, whenever subjected to anywhere close to a high load situation.

Luckily for us, for Peoplesoft SA/HR 8.2 there's an option of using Apache and Jserv for the servlet-engine part. In combination with a little RedHat, that's working perfectly so far. Actually, now that I think about it, the final piece that made that setup stable was to use IBM's version of the 1.4.2 Java VM. Still using Tuxedo/Jolt on Windows for the app-server side; haven't convinced the higher-ups to switch those over to Linux yet, but i'm trying. Database is set in stone as MS SQL Server 2k, thanks to Unisys... ::sigh::

Unfortunately, higher versions of PeopleTools seem to only be supported with the BEA junk at the moment... maybe this new deal will change their tune some?

Re:Peoplesoft's already using IBM

[lucabrasi999]

>higher versions of PeopleTools seem to only be supported with the BEA junk at the moment... maybe this new deal will change their tune some

I doubt it. Tuxedo and Jolt are tied into PeopleSoft's Application Server pretty tightly. It would require PeopleSoft to completely rebuild the App Server layer. Since this is a five year deal, that may happen over time, but I don't think you'll see it occur any time soon. As I recall, the existing WebSphere product that PeopleSoft delivers is nothing but a slimmed down web server (same with WebLogic). You were just getting a tool to throw up a few web pages, you weren't getting any of the funcitonality built within either WebLogic or WebSphere.

This deal appears to focus on the middleware layer. In other words, how you get PeopleSoft to integrate with every other system you are running.

This new deal lists a focus on the following products: WebSphere Portal, WebSphere Business Integration, WebSphere Business Integration Modeler and Monitor, WebSphere Application Server, and DB2.

Of the above, I have only ever worked with is a version of WBI (called WBI Connect Express) -- which is basically an http listener for XML messaging.

I think it's kind of cool. I'd love to move out of the ERP world and start learning some of these middleware tools.

Re:Peoplesoft's already using IBM

[Anonymous Coward]

Disclaimer: This is purely a rumor.

Apparently, there may be a long term push by PeopleSoft away from Jolt and Tuxedo. Why? At this point, Jolt and Tuxedo are 32-bit products. PeopleSoft wants a pure 64-bit solution. Also, if Oracle doesn't buy PeopleSoft, it may purchase BEA. Why would PeopleSoft want to keep using Jolt and Tuxedo of Oracle ends up owning those products?

whopper pie in the sky guess

[Elwood P Dowd]

After Oracle first made it's pennies-on-the-dollar bid, PeopleSoft said, "It's ok, we'll guarantee support, or your money back."

They were hoping it would be a poison pill. But Ellison just said, "That was stupid. You aren't maximizing shareholder value. We'll still buy you, but it'll be a lower price."

And customers still fled PeopleSoft, because "your money back" doesn't compare to implementation costs, which are much larger than purchase price. So, PeopleSoft could have said, "Ok, we'll even cover implementation costs!" and then it would be awfully expensive for Ellison to buy the company and terminate support for PeopleSoft's database products.

But then the chance of a shareholder suit would have gone way up.

I'm curious if this new deal with IBM says, "We both will invest <large value> in this new product. And if either of us breaks contract (like an Ellison owned PeopleSoft might want to) then we owe the other guy <large value>." in order to be a more significant poison pill for Ellison. And this poison pill might be easier to defend in a shareholder suit.

powerbuilder for linux?

[josepha48]

.. maybe.. having used powerbuilder it would be a really cool tool to do java development in. less thought and more development...

kdevelop 3.3 does java

[leonbrooks]

Perhaps you can pitch in and make it outstanding at doing Java?