Office applications Toolkit

PeopleSoft introduces support subscription package

Alorie Gilbert CNET News.com

Published: 17 Nov 2004 16:05 GMT

PeopleSoft has rolled out a new pay-as-you-go service that promises to cut technical-support costs for its business efficiency programs.

PeopleSoft Application Management Services gives businesses the option of letting PeopleSoft monitor, patch and tune its software for them for a monthly fee.

The move, announced on Tuesday, follows the introduction of similar subscription services from PeopleSoft competitors such as Oracle, SAP and Siebel Systems. SAP introduced subscription hosting services for its software last month through an agreement with Hewlett-Packard. Oracle, which has been trying to acquire PeopleSoft for more than a year, offers such services through its Oracle On Demand unit. Digital agenda

The service is available for all three PeopleSoft product lines including its Enterprise, EnterpriseOne and World packages. PeopleSoft's Global Services unit, which administers the program, can deliver the services at customers' facilities or at its own data centres via a hosting agreement.

Through the program, PeopleSoft customers can purchase four types of support services. They include software patching and fixing; system monitoring; help desk tasks; and performance tuning and disaster recovery. Each service is available separately.

The services are available today in the United States and in the Asia-Pacific region. PeopleSoft plans to introduce the programme in Europe next year. It did not disclose the services' prices.