These days, when Synch-Solutions professionals are talking about PeopleSoft implementations and upgrades for Higher Education, they use the phrase Campus Accelerator. Why differentiate? Why not just say ERP implementation or upgrade?

Synch-Solutions’ Campus Accelerator delivers rapid implementations of Oracle PeopleSoft ERP using our proven experience, methodology and toolset developed specifically for Higher Education institutions. We applied the Campus Accelerator model at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, enabling full implementation of each of three enterprise suites – Campus Solutions, Human Capital Management (HCM) and Financials – within 12 months. Compare that to a traditional implementation, which can take 2 years or more.

Although in UAM’s case, implementation of the three suites was staggered to adjust for the already busy schedules of the institution’s internal IT resources, the success of the project moved the solution from theoretical model to proven reality. Synch-Solutions is excited to have Oracle recognize this offering as a first-to-market solution and to partner with us to promote it.

Campus Accelerator is offered at competitive fixed-fee pricing, and the compressed timeline reduces implementation costs and shortens time-to-value for client institutions. It thus gives small and midsize institutions an affordable means to gain a world-class Oracle PeopleSoft ERP system that can enable a competitive operating advantage in the marketplace.

Synch-Solutions has also applied aggressive timelines to upgrades for PeopleSoft and Oracle E-Business ERP systems. And we can deliver “a la carte” rapid implementations and upgrades of individual suites. All of these services are designed to deliver faster ROI than traditional solutions.

Is it any wonder Synch-Solutions is excited about this offering?

Recent changes by Oracle in its support policy have been followed by significant feature and support changes in upcoming versions of applications in the PeopleSoft product line. In July 2009, Oracle announced the pre-release notes for PeopleTools 8.50, the foundation tool for all PeopleSoft development. The key areas and features emphasized by Oracle in PeopleTools 8.50 are:

• - Related content
• - Integration technology
• - End-user productivity
• - Supported platforms

The biggest change is in supported platforms. While earlier versions of PeopleTools had run on 32-bit machines, PeopleTools 8.50 will run only on 64-bit machines.

To give you a quick comparison of 32-bit vs. 64-bit processing:

• - 32-bit systems can reference 2 to the power of 32 addresses, or 4 GB of RAM
• - 64-bit systems can reference 2 to the power of 64 addresses, or approximately 17.2 billion GB, 16.8 million terabytes, or 16 exabytes of RAM

In essence, the 64-bit computers will be processing about ten billion times more information than their now nearly-insignificant 32-bit cousins.

What does this mean to a business? Several requirements go along with PeopleTools 8.50:

• - New 64-bit servers
• - New operating systems
• - New 64-bit support software
• - New installations or upgrades
• - Integration and support for the new equipment

Here are the answers to a couple of very obvious FAQs:

• - No, you cannot run a 64-bit emulation on a 32-bit machine.
• - Yes, you can run a 32-bit emulation on a 64-bit machine, but it’s like making an F-15 Eagle travel at the same speed as a tricycle, just to be in a tricycle race.

The majority of businesses run on 32-bit machines, and these have proven adequate, given the quantities of commercial data most organizations use (an exception would be statistical market analysis firms), and the PeopleSoft product suite does run on the 32-bit supported PeopleTools 8.49. The key for business owners considering an upgrade will be how much longer PeopleTools 8.49 will be supported.

During these tough economic times, few organizations will be willing to justify any significant additional cost without a serious look at all of the benefits – not just the speed.