PeopleSoft Announces Solutions to Address Homeland Security
Introduces PASS and Guardian Solutions for Government, Education and First Responders
NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 26, 2002--At Connect 2002, PeopleSoft Inc. (Nasdaq:PSFT - News) today announced two solutions to directly address homeland security issues. PeopleSoft PASS (Patriot Act SEVIS Solution) will enable higher education institutions to comply with the federal mandate to track and report information regarding the status of foreign students in the United States. PeopleSoft's Guardian solution is a comprehensive suite of applications that enables government agencies and the first responder community to prepare for and react to emergency situations in real time.
"The solutions we're introducing today are part of a broader PeopleSoft initiative for homeland security," said Craig Conway, PeopleSoft's president and CEO. "If there was ever a time to use the technology advantage of this country to defend this country, that time is now."
PeopleSoft PASS Tracks Foreign Student Information
Each year, more than 500,000 foreign nationals enter the U.S. on student visas. There are approximately 200,000 foreign students that are currently unaccounted for. To address this issue, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) launched the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), an automated student tracking system. Beginning in January 2003, higher education institutions must track numerous foreign student "events" pertaining to their student status and regularly report changes to the INS.
PeopleSoft PASS will enable educational institutions to submit this critical information to the INS in real time, and will enable compliance by the mandated January 30, 2003 deadline. The first customers that will adopt PeopleSoft PASS include the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Duke University; the California State University System; University of Minnesota; and the University of Michigan.
"Approximately 10 percent of our enrolled students are foreign nationals," said Dr. Paul W. Barrows, vice chancellor of Student Affairs at University of Wisconsin, Madison. "Reporting to the INS under the terms of SEVIS would be an extremely time-consuming and expensive task if we were only able to use the INS's web interface. With PeopleSoft PASS, we will be able to link all student status information and related databases to quickly and easily comply with the new government regulations at a dramatically lower cost."
"As a proven leader in higher education, PeopleSoft now has an opportunity to extend that leadership position to help customers meet the aggressive INS tracking requirements," said Peter Stokes, executive vice president of Eduventures. "With more than 650 higher education institutions currently using its solutions, PeopleSoft PASS can better equip those customers to comply with SEVIS regulations, leveraging real-time information drawn from current student administrative systems."
The Guardian Solution for First Responders Manages Human Capital
A critical homeland security challenge is ensuring that the right people are in the right jobs -- properly trained and ready to be deployed during any crisis. This has never been more critical for the nation's first responders. Skills must be assessed with new urgency. Background checks must be done as never before.
PeopleSoft's Guardian suite of integrated applications includes solutions for recruitment, skills assessment, and deployment of the nation's first responders. As part of the solution, the Guardian's Command Center and First Responder Consoles will provide a complete 360-degree view of personnel information and skills, enabling agencies to respond to a crisis with the right people and resources.
In addition, Guardian's Command Center Console is being designed to manage the information and communication needs of emergency command centers both in times of crisis and in the daily management of their workforces. It will monitor emergency alerts, track resources and assess personnel skills, allowing users to manage emergency response from any location.
"Every level in government is struggling with how to handle the tens of thousands of people who must be hired, re-assigned, transferred, retrained and redeployed to new homeland defense roles," said Carol Kelly, vice president, Government Strategies Service, META Group. "PeopleSoft is leveraging its extensive experience within the public sector to provide real solutions to organizations that must manage the complex mix of skills required for homeland security. The imperative of matching the right resources with the right skills has long been a strength of PeopleSoft and they are now extending this capability to address the needs of homeland defense."
PeopleSoft has leveraged its vast education and government expertise in the development of the PASS and Guardian solution. PeopleSoft currently manages business and information processes for 13 of the 14 cabinet-level agencies, including the Department of Defense, 15 states, the U.S. Coast Guard, 650 higher education institutions, and more than 340 public and private healthcare organizations.
PeopleSoft PASS will be available in the fourth quarter and the Guardian Command Center and First Responder Consoles will be available in the first quarter of 2003.
About PeopleSoft
PeopleSoft (Nasdaq:PSFT - News) is the world's leading provider of application software for the real-time enterprise. PeopleSoft pure Internet software enables organizations to reduce costs and increase productivity by directly connecting customers, suppliers, partners and employees to business processes on-line, in real time. PeopleSoft's integrated, best-in-class applications include Customer Relationship Management, Supply Chain Management, Human Capital Management, Financial Management and Application Integration. More than 4,800 organizations in 140 countries run on PeopleSoft software. For more information, visit us at www.peoplesoft.com.
Statements made in this press release that state the Company's or management's intentions, beliefs, expectations, or predictions for the future are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that these statements are only predictions and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Factors that may bear on the accuracy of these predictions include economic conditions in the U.S. and abroad, the ability to complete and deliver products and services within currently estimated time frames and budgets, market response to product announcements, and other risks referenced from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Please refer to the Company's periodic reports to shareholders (Forms 10-K and 10-Q) for more information on the risk factors that could cause actual results to differ.
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PeopleSoft, Inc.
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