PeopleSoft dismisses 'jealous' Oracle

Enterprise software giant PeopleSoft is adding analytics, process modelling and mapping functions to its product line-up, chief executive Craig Conway told delegates at a PeopleSoft event in London yesterday.

Analytics functionality is already included in the latest version of its customer relationship management product, CRM 8.9.

A year on from PeopleSoft's acquisition of JD Edwards, Conway said the integration of the two companies had been almost universally welcomed.

"Customers love it, analysts love it; everybody except one company," he said.

That company, Oracle, and its chief executive Larry Ellison, had been left "overwhelmed by jealousy", Conway told a chuckling audience.

Conway then outlined how PeopleSoft's product line-up would reflect what it has identified as changing market trends.

"Looking to the future, the most immediate impact on PeopleSoft will be the same as on all of us: the global economy," he said.

But he added that the company is also trying to respond to a number of trends in the enterprise application software industry, the first being the need for a flexible and adaptable architecture.

Companies have to respond quickly to changing demands and competitive or regulatory pressures, he said.

PeopleSoft's customers are demanding more intelligence about the business, and this is reflected by the prescriptive analytic capabilities in its CRM 8.9 release, he added.

"Not just analytics, but diagnostic and prescriptive analytics will be built into our future products," said Conway.

PeopleSoft will look to increase its market share by driving new applications, improving total ownership and reaching more mid-sized companies.

Other new features of PeopleSoft CRM 8.9 are bundled as a number of components.

These include customer portfolio management, wealth management, helpdesk frameworks for human resources or IT support functions, and services management for contact centres, sales and marketing, including strategic account planning capabilities and partner relationship management.

PoepleSoft CRM 8.9 and its new modules will be generally available today.