CSU's computer crash

Sac Bee ^ | 3/14/03 | Op/Ed

[NormsRevenge]

What is it about state institutions and computer systems? Why can't the state that is home to Silicon Valley get one to work on time, on budget and without reeking like a dead rat?

The latest state entrant into the information technology hall of mishaps is the California State University system, which this week got hit with a state audit that revealed waste and worse. The audit says CSU's contract with PeopleSoft Inc., a Pleasanton company hired to coordinate a software system to track student, personnel and financial records among the system's headquarters and 23 campuses, has exceeded its original $400 million budget by -- this is not a misprint -- more than $250 million. A quarter-billion-dollar overrun would be bad news any time. This one, coming in the middle of an epic state budget crisis, couldn't possibly be any worse.

[CyberAnt]

Time to divide the state. It's toooooooo big!!

[VOA]

bump

[Fury]

LOL... I work for a firm that competes with PeopleSoft in the edu space. This is not the first time that PSoup has had these sorts of entanglements. I'm happy to see them stumble, but not at the price of CSU.

[MigrantOkie]

My God, PeopleSoft itself is responsible for this mess? 400 million was a rape this is gross FRAUD. PeopleSoft will be screwed in the courts for this.

[goldilucky]

Equally troubling, the audit found that CSU Assistant Vice Chancellor of Information Technology Services David Ernst was working as a paid consultant to PeopleSoft while he presided over the office that eventually awarded the company the contract. The auditor has sent the details of Ernst's connection with the vendor to the Fair Political Practices Commission for review.

That smells of fraud BIGTIME!