December 3, 1996 1:50 PM ET

Edify takes the self-serve plunge
By Jim Kerstetter

For IS managers looking to empower workers with access to corporate human resources applications, the pool of potential vendors continues to grow. In fact, the most recent client/server application vendor to take the self-service plunge is Edify Corp. The Santa Clara, Calif., company announced on Monday its Edify Employee Service System, a set of self-service human resources applications that can be accessed via the World Wide Web or intranets, telephones, computer kiosks, fax machines or desktop PC clients. The applications in the Edify Employee Service System suite include Company, Life, Money, Job, Benefits and Training. Company allows employees to view corporate information, policies, news and other pertinent data. Life allows employees to update files containing their own personal information. With the Money module, employees can view their pay stubs and update financial forms such as their W4. The Job application provides employees with a place to review and apply for other positions offered by the company and to maintain a record of their experience. The Benefits module gives workers access to information on their job benefits and allows them to update related information. The Training application is designed to help employees enroll in company-sponsored classroom training. The applications are optimized for the human resources suites of PeopleSoft Inc. and SAP AG. The base price is $50,000, and each module costs $20,000. The Employee Service System is slated to be available in the first quarter of next year for OS/2-based systems. A Windows NT server version is scheduled for release by the middle of next year, said company officials. "I think they have done a good job exploiting all of their technologies," said Judith Hodges, an analyst at International Data Corp. in Framingham, Mass. But, Hodges added, it will be extremely important for Edify to come out with a Windows NT server version. Edify also announced at PeopleSoft's annual user conference yesterday that it has become a Web application development partner for PeopleSoft. Copyright(c) 1996 Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company is prohibited. PC Week and the PC Week logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. PC Week Online and the PC Week Online logo are trademarks of Ziff-Davis Publishing Company. Send mail to PC Week