Editing PeopleSoft

{{Short description|Defunct American corporation}}
{{Infobox company
| name = PeopleSoft
| logo = PeopleSoft logo.svg
| logo_size = 200px
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| owner = [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] <small>(2005–present)</small>
| successor = [[Oracle Corporation]]
| foundation = 1987
| location = [[Pleasanton, California]], United States
| industry = 
| key_people = [[David Duffield]], Ken Morris
| products = <!--some of company's notable products-->
| num_employees = <!--peak number of employees-->
| parent = [[Oracle Corporation]]
| subsid = 
}}
'''PeopleSoft, Inc.''' was a company that provided [[human resource management systems]] (HRMS), financial management solutions (FMS), [[supply chain management]] (SCM), [[customer relationship management]] (CRM), and [[enterprise performance management]] (EPM) software, as well as software for manufacturing, and student administration to large [[corporation]]s, governments, and organizations. It existed as an independent corporation until its acquisition by [[Oracle Corporation]] in 2005. The PeopleSoft name and product line are now marketed by Oracle.

== History ==
Founded in 1987 by Ken Morris and [[David Duffield]], PeopleSoft was originally headquartered in [[Walnut Creek, California]], before moving to [[Pleasanton, California]]. Duffield envisioned a [[client–server]] version of Integral Systems popular [[Mainframe computer|mainframe]] HRMS package. He cofounded PeopleSoft after leaving Integral Systems which was also based in Walnut Creek. It should not be confused with [[Integral Systems]] of Columbia, Maryland, a different company. The company's sole venture backing came from IBM.<ref>{{cite web|title=PeopleSoft Inc.- Company Profile, Information, Business Description, History, Background Information on PeopleSoft Inc.|url=http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/16/PeopleSoft-Inc.html|work=Reference for Business|publisher=Advameg, Inc.|access-date=3 September 2013}}</ref>  George J. Still Jr. from [[Norwest Venture Partners]] joined the Board of Directors.<ref>{{cite web|title=George J. Still, Jr.; Partner Emeritus|url=http://www.nvp.com/Team/Partners/George%20Still.aspx|publisher=Norwest Venture Partners|access-date=3 September 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110924152255/http://www.nvp.com/Team/Partners/George%20Still.aspx|archive-date=24 September 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

PeopleSoft version 1, released in late 1989,<ref name="CS"/>{{rp|18}} was the first fully integrated, robust client–server HRMS application suite.<ref name="CS">{{cite book
 | last = Anderson
 | first = Lynn
 | author-link = Lynn Anderson
 | title = Understanding PeopleSoft8
 | publisher = Sybex
 | year = 2001
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/understandingpeo00lynn/page/18 18–22]
 | isbn = 0-7821-2930-7
 | url = https://archive.org/details/understandingpeo00lynn/page/18
 }}
</ref>

PeopleSoft expanded its product range to include a financials module in 1992, distribution in 1994, and manufacturing in 1996 after the acquisition of Red Pepper.<ref name="CS"/>

=== JD Edwards ===
In 2003, PeopleSoft accomplished a friendly [[merger]] with smaller rival [[JD Edwards]].<ref name="JDE acquisition">{{cite web|last=Kane|first=Margaret|date=2 June 2003|title=PeopleSoft to buy J.D. Edwards|url=http://news.cnet.com/PeopleSoft-to-buy-J.D.-Edwards/2100-1014_3-1011938.html|access-date=5 October 2010|website=CNET}}</ref> The latter's similar product line, ''World'' and ''OneWorld'', targeted mid-sized companies too small to benefit from PeopleSoft's applications. JD Edwards' software used the [[Configurable Network Computing]] architecture, which shielded applications from both the [[operating system]] and the database back-end. PeopleSoft branded the OneWorld product ''PeopleSoft EnterpriseOne''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hines|first=Matt|date=15 December 2003|title=PeopleSoft integrates J.D. Edwards software|url=http://news.cnet.com/PeopleSoft-integrates-J.D.-Edwards-software/2100-1012_3-5124022.html|access-date=5 October 2010|website=CNET}}</ref>

=== Oracle Corporation acquisition ===
Beginning in 2003, [[Oracle Corporation|Oracle]] began to maneuver for control of the PeopleSoft company.  In June 2003, Oracle made a $13 billion bid in a [[hostile takeover]] attempt. In February 2004, Oracle decreased their bid to approximately $9.4 billion; this offer was also rejected by PeopleSoft's [[board of directors]]<!--comment
Previous sentence says $9.4 billion is a 33% increase on $13 billion, assuming this is a typo but will eave for someone else to edit ...-->. Complicating Oracle's takeover attempt was PeopleSoft's [[Shareholder rights plan|poison pill]], allowing their customers to potentially receive refunds of 2–5 times the amount they had paid in the case of a takeover.<ref>{{cite web|date=11 November 2003|title=Oracle chokes on PeopleSoft's poison pill|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/11/11/oracle_chokes_on_peoplesofts_poison/|work=The Register}}</ref>

Later that month, the [[U.S. Department of Justice]] filed [[lawsuit|suit]] to block Oracle, on the grounds that the acquisition would break [[antitrust]] laws. In September 2004, the suit was rejected by a [[United States|U.S.]] [[Federal judge]], who found that the Justice Department had not proven its antitrust case. In October, the same decision was handed down by the [[European Commission]]. Although Oracle had reduced its offer to $7.7 billion in May, it again raised its bid in November to $9.4 billion.

In December 2004, Oracle announced that it had signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire PeopleSoft for approximately $10.3 billion.  A month after the acquisition of PeopleSoft, Oracle cut over half of PeopleSoft's workforce, laying off 6,000 of PeopleSoft's 11,000 employees.<ref name="staff">{{cite web|date=14 January 2005|title=Oracle to PeopleSoft: The pink slip's in the mail|url=http://news.cnet.com/Oracle-to-PeopleSoft-The-pink-slips-in-the-mail/2100-1014_3-5536612.html|access-date=3 August 2012|website=CNET}}</ref>

Oracle moved to capitalize on the perceived strong brand loyalty within the JD Edwards user community by rebranding former JD Edwards products. Thus PeopleSoft EnterpriseOne became JD Edwards EnterpriseOne and PeopleSoft World became JD Edwards World.{{citation needed|reason=Information not included in sources on this page.|date=January 2016}}

Oracle announced in 2005 that [[Oracle Fusion Applications|Fusion Applications]] would combine the best aspects of the PeopleSoft, JD Edwards, and Oracle Applications and merge them into a new product suite. The product was released in 2011.<ref name=Kanaracus>{{cite web|last=Kanaracus|first=Chris|title=Oracle Fusion Applications Are Finally Generally Available|url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/241175/oracle_fusion_applications_are_finally_generally_available.html|work=PC World|accessdate=7 October 2011|date=5 October 2011}}</ref>

=== Post-Oracle acquisition ===
Under Oracle, PeopleSoft offers different cloud-based software products, including Human Capital Management (HCM), Campus Solutions, Procurement and Supplier Management, Financial Management, and PeopleTools and Technology.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=PeopleSoft ERP suite excels at human capital management|url=https://searcherp.techtarget.com/feature/PeopleSoft-ERP-suite-excels-at-human-capital-management|access-date=2022-02-03|website=SearchERP|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2022-01-06|title=Oracle PeopleSoft Human Capital Management review|url=https://www.techradar.com/reviews/oracle-peoplesoft-human-capital-management|access-date=2022-02-03|website=TechRadar|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=IIM Bangalore chooses Oracle Cloud Applications|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/edugraph/news/iim-bangalore-chooses-oracle-cloud-applications/cid/1838273|access-date=2022-02-03|website=www.telegraphindia.com}}</ref>

In 2010, PeopleSoft released its In-Memory Project Discovery.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Oracle's latest PeopleSoft in-memory app taps unstructured data for 'complex' projects|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/oracles-latest-peoplesoft-in-memory-app-taps-unstructured-data-for-complex-projects/|access-date=2022-02-03|website=ZDNet|language=en}}</ref> It translated unstructured data into structured data, which then allowed users to analyze keywords and data in the Services Automation suite. It ran on Oracle's Exalytics in-memory machine and [[Endeca|Oracle Endeca]] Information Discovery enterprise data platform.<ref name=":1" /> 

In 2015, Oracle PeopleSoft ERP (enterprise resource planning) was an [[On-premises software|on-premises]] system capable of running in [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Linux]], [[Unix|UNIX]], and [[IBM mainframe]] environments.<ref name=":0" /> In 2019, the [[Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade]] (DFAT) used the PeopleSoft Enterprise Human Resource platform for time and labor tracking, manager and employee self-service tools, and security.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Foreign Affairs and Trade to split SAP and PeopleSoft ERP suppliers|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/foreign-affairs-and-trade-to-split-sap-and-peoplesoft-erp-supplier/|access-date=2022-02-03|website=ZDNet|language=en}}</ref>

== Product design ==
The original architecture for the PeopleSoft was a suite of products built on a [[client–server]] (two-tier) approach with a dedicated [[client (computing)|client]].<ref name="CS" /> With the release of version 8, the entire suite was rewritten as an [[n-tier]] [[World Wide Web|web]]-centric design called PeopleSoft Internet Architecture (PIA).<ref name="CS"/> The new format allowed all of a [[company]]'s business functions to be accessed and run from within a [[web browser]].<ref name="CTS">{{cite book
 | last = Anderson
 | first = Lynn
 | author-link = Lynn Anderson
 | title = Understanding PeopleSoft8
 | publisher = Sybex
 | year = 2001
 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/understandingpeo00lynn/page/58 58]
 | isbn = 0-7821-2930-7
 | url = https://archive.org/details/understandingpeo00lynn/page/58
 }}
</ref>

The PeopleSoft application suite functions as an [[Enterprise resource planning|ERP]] system, similar to [[SAP ERP|SAP]], or as single modules.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

Implementation focused on PeopleSoft's proprietary [[PeopleTools]] technology. PeopleTools includes many different components used to create web-based applications.

==Security==

PeopleSoft applications, which address complex business requirements, have some known issues in terms of online security. PeopleSoft was used by Fortune 500 companies and government organizations, and almost 50% of them are vulnerable and can be hacked via the internet, as researchers state.<ref name="ERPScan">{{cite press release |url=https://erpscan.com/press-center/news/tokenchpoken-attack-on-oracle-peoplesoft-affecting-nearly-half-of-large-enterprises-and-government-organizations/ |title=TokenChpoken attack on Oracle PeopleSoft affecting nearly half of large enterprises and government organizations |date=29 June 2015 |publisher=ERPScan |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821160528/https://erpscan.com/press-center/news/tokenchpoken-attack-on-oracle-peoplesoft-affecting-nearly-half-of-large-enterprises-and-government-organizations/ |archive-date=2018-08-21}}</ref>

The risk factor lies in existing vulnerabilities of Oracle PeopleSoft systems that could enable data breaches at businesses, government organizations, and universities.<ref>{{cite web| title=Oracle PeopleSoft attack could enable big data breaches| first=Adam| last=Greenberg| url=https://www.scmagazine.com/peoplesoft-systems-vulnerable-to-tokenchpoken/article/532415/| publisher=CS Media|date=6 July 2015| access-date=4 October 2017}}</ref>  Because of this, companies using PeopleSoft applications are under constant threat of cyber attacks.<ref>{{cite web| title=Password reset sites expose crackable PeopleSoft creds| first=Darren| last=Pauli|  url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/28/password_reset_sites_expose_crackable_peoplesoft_creds/| website=The Register|date=28 May 2015| access-date=4 October 2017}}</ref>

According to the research<ref>{{cite web |title=Oracle PeopleSoft applications are under attacks |url=https://erpscan.com/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2015-Hack-In-Paris-Oracle-PeopleSoft-applications-are-under-attacks.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181118151138/https://erpscan.com/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2015-Hack-In-Paris-Oracle-PeopleSoft-applications-are-under-attacks.pdf |archive-date=2018-11-18 |publisher=ERPScan}}</ref> on public-facing Oracle PeopleSoft applications and their vulnerabilities, systems available online are susceptible to the TokenChpoken attack. A TokenChpoken attack, which affects systems that use Single Sign-On (SSO), is possible because an authentication cookie (PS_TOKEN) used by PeopleSoft applications can be forged. When the PS_TOKEN is identified by a "brute force" TokenChpoken attack, it is possible to log in under a system account and gain access to all data from the compromised system.

Since 2010, several cases have been reported of PeopleSoft security breaches. In March 2013, Salem State University in Massachusetts alerted 25,000 students and employees that their Social Security Numbers might have been compromised in a database breach. Similarly, in February 2016, the University of Central Florida disclosed that over 63,000 student Social Security numbers had been compromised.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ucf.edu/datasecurity/ |title=Intrusion into UCF Network Involves Personal Data |publisher=University of Central Florida |date=May 19, 2016}}</ref>{{better source needed|reason=cited source doesn't explicitly mention PeopleSoft|date=April 2018}}

All organizations that use PeopleSoft (including companies specialized in charity, food, manufacturing, retail, transport, etc.) stay vulnerable to TokenChpoken and other interventions if they do not pay due attention to security.<ref>{{cite web| title= PeopleSoft vulnerabilities elevate ERP security issues | first=Michael| last=Mimoso| url=https://threatpost.com/peoplesoft-vulnerabilities-elevate-erp-security-issues/113061/| publisher=Threatpost|date=29 May 2015| access-date=4 October 2017}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[ADP, Inc.]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}

{{Oracle}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peoplesoft}}
[[Category:Software companies established in 1987]]
[[Category:Human resource management software]]
[[Category:Customer relationship management software companies]]
[[Category:ERP software companies]]
[[Category:Companies based in Pleasanton, California]]
[[Category:Oracle acquisitions]]
[[Category:Software companies disestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:2005 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Software companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:Defunct software companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area]]
[[Category:1987 establishments in California]]
[[Category:2005 disestablishments in California]]