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By Andy McCue, 22 June 2004 15:50

NEWS Almost one year on from the acquisition of JD Edwards, PeopleSoft president and CEO Craig Conway claims his company is still on course to topple SAP from its number one position in the enterprise applications market.

Speaking at the annual PeopleSoft Leadership Summit user conference in London, Conway also dismissed Oracle's hostile takeover bid, saying Oracle's Larry Ellison is "overwhelmed with jealously".

"Everyone loved the acquisition except Oracle," he said.

That comment aside, the Oracle bid remained off the agenda, with PeopleSoft executives under strict orders not to comment on the subject while the US Department of Justice court case is ongoing.

SAP CEO Henning Kagermann also came in for criticism from Conway, who claimed SAP has hijacked PeopleSoft's "flexibility and adaptability" slogan for its own software.

"It's like George Bush talking about how well-liked he is outside of the United States. He [Kagermann] can say it but it isn't true."

Conway said SAP's market lead is under real threat following the PeopleSoft acquisition of JD Edwards and compared the battle to airline manufacturer Airbus' steady challenge that saw it overtake the dominant Boeing.

"We're gaining market share every year against SAP," said Conway. "We will be the largest provider of enterprise applications in the world."

As with all the major enterprise software companies, PeopleSoft is talking up its 'mid-market' strategy to tap into the IT budgets of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Conway said: "There wasn't an incentive for mid-size companies [to use enterprise application software] until now. It is imperative for mid-size companies to have the same technology that is available to large companies. They are part of the same ecosystem."

Also unveiled at the conference was new customer BT. About 100,000 staff globally will use PeopleSoft's HR package. The value of the deal was not disclosed.