UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In April 2017, the Office of the Corporate Controller and the University Budget Office announced the upcoming launch of a new comprehensive enterprise project to replace Penn State's Integrated Business and Information System (IBIS).
The IBIS replacement project is the last of three University-wide efforts to replace antiquated legacy systems with more efficient and modern applications that fully leverage current technologies. LionPATH, the University’s student information system, rolled out between August 2015 and October 2016, and WorkLion, a new human resources and payroll system, launched on Dec. 10, 2017.
As the IBIS replacement project moves forward, the University has announced a name and graphic identify for its new financial system: SIMBA.
SIMBA (System for Integrated Management, Budgeting and Accounting) will provide a modern, intuitive solution to effectively plan, budget, manage and steward the University's assets and resources to meet the complex functional needs of a diverse group of internal and external stakeholders. SIMBA is projected to go live in 2020.
“We are happy to announce the system name (SIMBA) and graphic identity. Reaching this milestone is an important part of any enterprise project process. We will continue to inform the University community as this project moves forward,” said Joe Doncsecz, University corporate controller, who is sponsoring the SIMBA project in partnership with Mary Lou Ortiz, University budget officer.
Work accomplished to date consists of identifying members of the governance teams who, along with the project sponsors, have reviewed proposals and participated in demonstrations from various software vendors as part of the vendor selection process. SAP S/4HANA was selected as the best-suited solution to meet the University’s financial needs. The proposed system will increase the University’s business agility through improved processes, reporting, budget forecasting and integrated functions, while at the same time introducing a contemporary user interface.
A second key focus is the selection of the vendor who will serve as the implementation partner. The chosen partner, critical in a project of this magnitude and scope, will work alongside the Penn State team in the planning, configuring and testing phases of the implementation process. Final selection is targeted for January 2018.
Finally, the Enterprise Project Management Office and project sponsors are in the process of staffing the core project team, as project kickoff is to begin in the late spring of 2018.