PeopleSoft expands its presence in Middle East

PeopleSoft plans to significantly expand its base of local, industry-aligned channel partners, to deliver specialist support in every country in the Middle East.

Under the terms of the expanded channel program, PeopleSoft will support its partners with a range of benefits, designed to offer a competitive advantage in the Middle East market. These include aggressive sales and new pricing terms, expanded market development funds, access to PeopleSoft's leading sales and marketing tools, and access to PeopleSoft's proven implementation methodologies, tools and templates.

"Through our own efforts, and ongoing discussion with partners and customers in the region, we came to realize the extent of the demand for cost effective, flexible, and easy-to-use solutions within this market. Our channel expansion strategy will enable us to meet this demand through a broad network of local partners who provide in-depth industry understanding and on-the-ground local support," said Jeffrey Read, Managing Director and Vice President, PeopleSoft Distribution Group, EMEA.

A number of factors are driving significant demand for enterprise solutions in the Middle East, including the increasing impact of global competition, a changing regulatory environment, and the need to accurately track and measure growth levels. According to analyst group IDC's recent report, Middle East and North Africa Software Solutions 2004-2008 Forecast, the enterprise application software (EAS) market in the Arab Middle East and North Africa (MENA) swelled by nearly 5.2% to US$133.77 million in 2003.

"More and more companies in the Middle East are recognizing that flexibility is a critical success factor for businesses that want to achieve domestic and international success, and PeopleSoft's industry-leading solutions and business strategies can ensure that these companies receive on-the-ground support from experts who understand their business, wherever they are based in the region," commented Read.

As part of this expanded channel strategy, PeopleSoft will initially introduce new channel partners with industry expertise in construction, real estate, wholesale distribution, government, telecommunications and financial institutions.

The company will also extend the PeopleSoft Certified Professional Program, a curriculum program for IT staff on PeopleSoft's applications and technologies, with educational resources being made available throughout the Middle East.

Fully-Arabized Version of PeopleSoft Solutions
Designed to meet the needs of medium-to-large sized manufacturing and asset intensive companies, PeopleSoft provides a fully-Arabized version of its industry-leading PeopleSoft EntepriseOne product. PeopleSoft EnterpriseOne is a complete suite of modular pre-integrated applications designed for rapid, cost effective deployment and ease of administration. It is best suited for organisations that manufacture, construct, distribute, service and manage products or other physical assets.