It is reasonable to assume that this could be available by the time ISIS is implemented in 1998, provided PeopleSoft actually devotes resources to it. There are already third-party vendors who are offering Web access to PeopleSoft human resources software. This would provide at least a partial solution for users who do not have the configuration recommended above or who are using UNIX and other environments. Both InfoAccess and various Web clients are in wide use on campus and are well integrated with the existing infrastructure. However, they do not represent the only alternatives to buying new systems.
Analysts disagree as to the cost-effectiveness and long term viability of current implementations.
Yet another approach would be to upgrade existing systems instead of buying new. Wholesale upgrades of memory, disk, and processors are not cost effective so this option is limited to situations where a system needs only one of these components upgraded. The break-even point between buying new and upgrading must be determined on a machine by machine basis. It is too early to purchase new systems solely to satisfy the requirements of the operational ISIS clients. It is not clear who will or will not need to run the ISIS clients, nor are the client requirements finalized.