PeopleSoft unveils Government Portal

Government agencies interested in building portals for use by their employees, citizens and business partners have a new option with Tuesday's unveiling of the PeopleSoft Government Portal.

The pre-built, packaged solution integrates PeopleSoft Inc. applications, third-party software and external content specifically for government agencies, said Martin Kong, marketing manager of PeopleSoft Financials. It is designed to serve as a platform for e-government in which users can access all available features through a single Web sign-on.

No government agencies were involved directly with testing the new tool, but "during the development cycle, PeopleSoft incorporated business and functional requirements from education and government customers," Kong said.

"Government customers wanted a centralized access to their information," he said. "Using this portal platform, employees, elected officials and citizens can access Internet-based applications, integrated legacy systems and Internet content from a customized home page using a single sign-on."

Based on PeopleSoft 8's Internet architecture, Government Portal allows content to be defined entirely by the government agency. The portal's security architecture restricts access to the information defined by the user's specific role and needs.

The PeopleSoft portal can be fully integrated with the Pleasanton, Calif.-based company's financials, e-procurement, budget planning and human resources management software, enabling fast implementation cycles at a low total cost of ownership, Kong said.

PeopleSoft's federal customers include the Energy Department, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the U.S. Mint.

"The top three targets for this new portal solution are existing PeopleSoft public-sector and federal government customers; government agencies planning on — or in the process of — building e-government; and government agencies and organizations looking for a portal technology to serve as the central access point for their IT systems," Kong said.

The portal is available immediately; pricing depends on the size of the government organization and the combination of products or application suites they license together, he said.

In other PeopleSoft news, the company announced today that its PeopleSoft Student Administration will provide the administrative backbone for student records and course registration for the Army University Access Online portal that PricewaterhouseCoopers is developing.

The PeopleSoft component is a suite of integrated solutions that automates every aspect of student administration from recruitment through admissions, student services, financial aid, fund-raising, grant-writing and alumni relations.

In addition, PeopleSoft Consulting will work closely with PricewaterhouseCoopers to build a distance-learning solution that leverages the best practices of both organizations.