US Department of State Teams With Business Objects and Buchanan & Edwards to Develop Human Resources Information Website

State Department Delivers on its Information Technology Goals by Launching Web Site with Personnel Data on More than 19,000 State Department Employees

San Jose, Calif., and Washington, D.C. -- May 14, 2001. In a significant move to meet its strategic information technology goals, the US Department of State has teamed with Buchanan & Edwards, the Virginia-based consulting firm specializing in strategic business intelligence solutions, and Business Objects (Nasdaq:BOBJ), the world's leading provider of e-business intelligence (e-BI) solutions, to develop a full-service web site providing personnel data on more than 19,000 State Department employees.

The site, called the Human Resources Bureau Knowledge Center (HRBKC), enables State Department employees across the organization to access and retrieve key personnel data and create reports through a self-service reporting tool. The HRBKC includes a new data warehouse paired with Business Objects query, reporting, and analysis technologies, which was developed and implemented by Buchanan & Edwards to replace numerous mainframe legacy reports and legacy information systems. The site also includes online support tools such as online help, training information, and news about personnel-related matters. It is the first management information systems application of its kind at the State Department.

"The HR Knowledge Center is an excellent example of how we are streamlining our administrative applications and empowering the workforce by leveraging commercial products and services," said Deborah Kent, Chief, IRM Business Center, Department of State. "The site took the burden of personnel information reporting off of a few employees and put a new, more efficient way of accessing personnel information into the hands of hundreds of human resources specialists and managers. We've already realized significant value from this technology investment through time and cost savings."

The HRBKC falls in line with the State Department's IT goals. In 1998, the State Department issued a paper outlining its strategic information technology goals for a period spanning five years. The paper, "Diplomacy in the 21st Century, Information Technology Goals for the First Five Years, Building the New Information Organization," outlines five goals including streamlining administrative applications, securing a global network, and expanding a suite of systems to support international affairs. A major thrust behind the IT vision is to ultimately rely on commercial solutions to help transform the State Department to sharpen its focus on mission-critical activities and priorities.

"The State Department wanted to provide information access to employees across the organization, and turned to Business Objects, a recognized leader in enterprise deployments," said Alex Moissis, vice president of marketing for North America, Business Objects. "The integrated e-BI solution enables State Department employees to easily retrieve important information and produce reports in real-time, reducing the report creation process from one that previously took weeks to now only a few hours. Business Objects has helped HRBKC to be the first Management Information System (MIS) application of its kind at the State Department, enabling employees outside of the HR Bureau to directly access timely, accurate information."

"The State Department has a strong commitment to using best in class information technology products and services to meet its mission of diplomatic readiness. We're pleased to have worked with the Bureau of Human Resources and Business Objects to make this solution a success," remarked Greg Parchment, principal of Buchanan & Edwards.

About Buchanan & Edwards
Buchanan & Edwards is a consulting firm that specializes in delivering strategic business intelligence solutions to the Federal government and Fortune 1000 companies. The firm guides organizations to strategically use technology to take advantage of their business information and delivers solutions that help them work smarter, more efficiently and more profitably. The firm's expertise includes business intelligence, knowledge management, enterprise resource planning, database administration and eDevelopment. Founded in 1997, Buchanan & Edwards is a business based in Alexandria, Virginia. Buchanan & Edwards can be reached at 703.535.5511 or at www.buchanan-edwards.com.

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