Xerox PeopleNet - Creating IT/HR Synergies

FIGURE I
THE Xerox PeopleNet SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Source: Microsoft User Story “Xerox PeopleNet,” www.webfrontier.tridec.com.

The Microsoft Access engine acted as the invisible middleware^[13] component, which tracked configuration and routing information and stored cached data. The ODBC Driver worked with a related component on the server to transmit and route requests and data between the client and server. The ODBC driver also provided other functionalities, including transmission-level encryption for data traveling over the network and a query and transport vehicle for automatically updating client systems.

To get the software to the users, Xerox adopted various delivery strategies, viz, shipping to local system administrators, using CDs and floppy disks, the company intranet. To access Xerox PeopleNet, employees had to enter both their social security number and a Xerox PIN number. The software used application-level encryption for passwords as well as transmission-level encryption for data traveling over the network.

As the company was shifting to a PC-based setup, implementation of the system was rather slow and had to be in a phased manner. As the hardware setup stabilized and more features were added, Xerox PeopleNet became increasingly popular within the organization.

THE BENEFITS

Xerox PeopleNet supported applications covering such areas as training, retirement fund performance and a corporate phone directory (Refer Table I). In addition, employees could check Xerox's stock price as well as those of its competitors. The unique feature of Xerox PeopleNet was that unlike typical HRMSs, it did not restrict the availability of information HR staff alone. All employees could access information through any PC on the company's network.

^[13] Middleware refers to software that connects two otherwise separate applications, for instance, linking a database system to a web server. This allows users to request data from the database using forms displayed on a Web browser, and it enables the Web server to return dynamic Web pages based on the user's requests and profile.

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