For anyone that has been using PeopleSoft for many years there may be a feeling of trepidation about stepping into the unknown realm of cloud based development platforms, commonly referred to as Platform as a Service (PaaS). Also, there may be the question of why use Oracle’s platform, as opposed to another?
At IntraSee we’ve put a lot of thought into this, and, being ex-PeopleSoft people ourselves, have spent almost an entire year working in this realm so that we could better understand it and, also, better support it. So here’s what we learned, and how we will be supporting it starting today in 2017. And, because we’re IntraSee, it’s in ten easily digestible Q&A lessons:
Q1. Is the Oracle PaaS platform a replacement for PeopleTools!?
A: Yes, it’s a perfect replacement. Basically, all the things you used to do in PeopleTools, and the Interaction Hub, now has a corresponding service (and then some) in the Oracle PaaS Cloud. What this means is that if you wanted to stop custom development in PeopleTools today, you could start using the Oracle PaaS tomorrow. And that’s huge. Because if you think you may be transitioning off PeopleSoft in the next few years, then now would be the best time to start new development on your platform of tomorrow, as it will protect your investment dollars.
Q2. For many people it took years to develop a proficiency in PeopleTools, will it be the same for the Oracle PaaS?
A: The great news on this is that the answer is no! Oracle took a completely different philosophical outlook when it built (and continues to build) the PaaS platform. This time around, instead of building a platform designed for software engineers, they instead built it primarily with the business community in mind. So we found things could be mastered in days that typically would take months to master in PeopleTools.
Q3. So does this mean you can’t do complex stuff?
A: Not at all. If anything complex is needed, then something built by the business community can be easily extended and collaborated upon with your tech team. It’s a whole new model for development. Now your tech team doesn’t need to be a bottleneck anymore.
Q4. Even for components that I would typically build in PeopleSoft’s Application Designer?
A: Yes, even that. Now the business community can build a complex form using Application Builder Cloud Services (ABCS) and then pass that on to the tech team to extend with any required business logic that couldn’t easily by applied with available REST services.
Q5. But we have a PeopleSoft on-premise solution. How could we start using Oracle PaaS today?
A: IntraSee is very pleased to offer, via our Usability Cloud, the capability to start Oracle PaaS development that connects to your PeopleSoft data via a suite of REST services. Even if you are a complex multi-national organization with many different language requirements, we can offer a solution for you.
Q6. Would this help with a gradual transition from PeopleSoft to Oracle’s HCM Cloud?
A: Yes, this is one reason we have built this solution. We recognize that moving everything from PeopleSoft to the HCM Cloud may not be doable all at once for some clients, so we wanted to offer a simple and safe transition plan.
Q7. So if I had a custom application in PeopleTools that was critical to my organization you could help me rebuild this using the Oracle PaaS suite?
A: Yes, indeed we could. We would be very happy to assist you.
Q8. What about content? I have HTML and documents in multiple internal systems. Interaction Hub and SharePoint. Can this be moved too?
A: Absolutely. Oracle has multiple products. Oracle Sites Cloud, Oracle Documents Cloud, and Oracle Process Cloud (for complex workflow) that handles all these things with an elegant drag-and-drop framework.
Q9. So how could I move all this content into the Oracle Cloud?
A: We can mass upload all these documents and HTML content, and work with your business community to show them how to organize everything in this new intuitive toolset.
Q10. So I now have viable options for starting my move into the Oracle Cloud?
A: Yes, you sure do.
What do I get?
- ✅ IntraSee Usability as a Service integration
- ✅ REST integration with your PeopleSoft data
- ✅ PeopleTools migration to Oracle PaaS services
- ✅ REST integration with Oracle SaaS services
- ✅ Content (HTML and document) migration services into the Oracle PaaS Cloud