Aaron Engelsrud
@aaronengelsrud.com
Oracle Ace Alum with 20+ years in IT Management 🖥️ An author & educator dedicated to the fusion of higher ed and IT. Leading at Strategic Education Inc., illuminating the tech world, one lecture at a time.
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Aaron Engelsrud
@aaronengelsrud.com
· Oct 6
🚨 The Modern ERP Digest has a new home!
After 11 editions on LinkedIn, the Digest is now on PeopleSoftCloud.com with even more ERP, PeopleSoft, and Oracle Cloud insights.
👉 open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
Subscribe on the new site to keep getting your Monday ERP fix.
After 11 editions on LinkedIn, the Digest is now on PeopleSoftCloud.com with even more ERP, PeopleSoft, and Oracle Cloud insights.
👉 open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
Subscribe on the new site to keep getting your Monday ERP fix.
The Modern ERP Digest – Edition 26 is out ⚙️
Back after a short hiatus.
• Oracle AI lawsuits & market scrutiny
• $50B cloud infrastructure bet
• Enterprise adoption trends
• Agentic AI ERP (report overview)
• ERP in 2026: modular, AI-driven
Back after a short hiatus.
• Oracle AI lawsuits & market scrutiny
• $50B cloud infrastructure bet
• Enterprise adoption trends
• Agentic AI ERP (report overview)
• ERP in 2026: modular, AI-driven
February 9, 2026 at 3:18 PM
The Modern ERP Digest – Edition 26 is out ⚙️
Back after a short hiatus.
• Oracle AI lawsuits & market scrutiny
• $50B cloud infrastructure bet
• Enterprise adoption trends
• Agentic AI ERP (report overview)
• ERP in 2026: modular, AI-driven
Back after a short hiatus.
• Oracle AI lawsuits & market scrutiny
• $50B cloud infrastructure bet
• Enterprise adoption trends
• Agentic AI ERP (report overview)
• ERP in 2026: modular, AI-driven
What works for startups doesn’t always work for universities, governments, or global enterprises.
February 4, 2026 at 7:57 PM
What works for startups doesn’t always work for universities, governments, or global enterprises.
Nothing to see here.
Enjoy your weekend.
Enjoy your weekend.
January 31, 2026 at 4:28 AM
Nothing to see here.
Enjoy your weekend.
Enjoy your weekend.
In enterprise systems, “boring” usually means predictable, stable, and trusted. (That’s a compliment.)
January 30, 2026 at 2:27 AM
In enterprise systems, “boring” usually means predictable, stable, and trusted. (That’s a compliment.)
PeopleSoft doesn’t win by being loud. It wins by being reliable when it matters most.
January 20, 2026 at 8:28 PM
PeopleSoft doesn’t win by being loud. It wins by being reliable when it matters most.
Strong leaders finish the week with intention. They don't just run out of energy and slide into the weekend. They close loops, acknowledge effort, and leave the team in a good place mentally.
People remember how weeks end. That memory shapes how they show up on Monday.
People remember how weeks end. That memory shapes how they show up on Monday.
January 16, 2026 at 8:26 PM
Strong leaders finish the week with intention. They don't just run out of energy and slide into the weekend. They close loops, acknowledge effort, and leave the team in a good place mentally.
People remember how weeks end. That memory shapes how they show up on Monday.
People remember how weeks end. That memory shapes how they show up on Monday.
Friday morning check-in:
✅ Did you move something forward this week?
✅ Did you learn something new?
✅ Did you help someone get unstuck?
If you hit even one of those, you're winning.
Not everything is built in sprints. Quality is built in consistent weeks like this one.
Finish strong today.
✅ Did you move something forward this week?
✅ Did you learn something new?
✅ Did you help someone get unstuck?
If you hit even one of those, you're winning.
Not everything is built in sprints. Quality is built in consistent weeks like this one.
Finish strong today.
January 16, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Friday morning check-in:
✅ Did you move something forward this week?
✅ Did you learn something new?
✅ Did you help someone get unstuck?
If you hit even one of those, you're winning.
Not everything is built in sprints. Quality is built in consistent weeks like this one.
Finish strong today.
✅ Did you move something forward this week?
✅ Did you learn something new?
✅ Did you help someone get unstuck?
If you hit even one of those, you're winning.
Not everything is built in sprints. Quality is built in consistent weeks like this one.
Finish strong today.
My word for 2026: Intention.
Not hustle.
Not scale.
Not grind.
I already know how to work hard. Most experienced leaders do. At this stage, effort isn’t the constraint limiting success; your ability to focus is.
Not hustle.
Not scale.
Not grind.
I already know how to work hard. Most experienced leaders do. At this stage, effort isn’t the constraint limiting success; your ability to focus is.
January 15, 2026 at 8:33 PM
My word for 2026: Intention.
Not hustle.
Not scale.
Not grind.
I already know how to work hard. Most experienced leaders do. At this stage, effort isn’t the constraint limiting success; your ability to focus is.
Not hustle.
Not scale.
Not grind.
I already know how to work hard. Most experienced leaders do. At this stage, effort isn’t the constraint limiting success; your ability to focus is.
PeopleSoft didn’t survive this long by accident.
It survived because it works and adapts when smart teams touch it.
It survived because it works and adapts when smart teams touch it.
January 15, 2026 at 6:04 PM
PeopleSoft didn’t survive this long by accident.
It survived because it works and adapts when smart teams touch it.
It survived because it works and adapts when smart teams touch it.
“Legacy” isn’t about how old your ERP is or when the codebase was started. What matters is how it can integrate, scale, evolve, and be automated today.
Modern PeopleSoft + cloud + DevSecOps ≠ technical debt.
It’s leverage.
open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
Modern PeopleSoft + cloud + DevSecOps ≠ technical debt.
It’s leverage.
open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
January 15, 2026 at 3:12 PM
“Legacy” isn’t about how old your ERP is or when the codebase was started. What matters is how it can integrate, scale, evolve, and be automated today.
Modern PeopleSoft + cloud + DevSecOps ≠ technical debt.
It’s leverage.
open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
Modern PeopleSoft + cloud + DevSecOps ≠ technical debt.
It’s leverage.
open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
Reading The Servant by James Hunter this week.
One truth keeps hitting me: leadership isn't about authority. It's about influence earned through service.
In IT, that means:
→ Listening before architecting
→ Solving their problems, not proving your brilliance
One truth keeps hitting me: leadership isn't about authority. It's about influence earned through service.
In IT, that means:
→ Listening before architecting
→ Solving their problems, not proving your brilliance
January 12, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Reading The Servant by James Hunter this week.
One truth keeps hitting me: leadership isn't about authority. It's about influence earned through service.
In IT, that means:
→ Listening before architecting
→ Solving their problems, not proving your brilliance
One truth keeps hitting me: leadership isn't about authority. It's about influence earned through service.
In IT, that means:
→ Listening before architecting
→ Solving their problems, not proving your brilliance
🎉 The Modern ERP Digest – Edition 25 is out
Started last year to cut through the noise around
PeopleSoft • ERP • Cloud
Edition 25 covers:
• Oracle’s AI supply chain push
• Integration 26.01 updates
• Board changes & AI market signals
• Higher-ed ERP consolidation
Started last year to cut through the noise around
PeopleSoft • ERP • Cloud
Edition 25 covers:
• Oracle’s AI supply chain push
• Integration 26.01 updates
• Board changes & AI market signals
• Higher-ed ERP consolidation
January 12, 2026 at 3:12 PM
🎉 The Modern ERP Digest – Edition 25 is out
Started last year to cut through the noise around
PeopleSoft • ERP • Cloud
Edition 25 covers:
• Oracle’s AI supply chain push
• Integration 26.01 updates
• Board changes & AI market signals
• Higher-ed ERP consolidation
Started last year to cut through the noise around
PeopleSoft • ERP • Cloud
Edition 25 covers:
• Oracle’s AI supply chain push
• Integration 26.01 updates
• Board changes & AI market signals
• Higher-ed ERP consolidation
Monday morning energy check ✨
New week. New opportunities. New problems to solve.
Your PeopleSoft environment didn't modernize itself over the weekend, but that's okay. Progress happens one pipeline at a time.
What's the one thing you're tackling this week that'll move the needle?
Make it count.
New week. New opportunities. New problems to solve.
Your PeopleSoft environment didn't modernize itself over the weekend, but that's okay. Progress happens one pipeline at a time.
What's the one thing you're tackling this week that'll move the needle?
Make it count.
January 12, 2026 at 1:48 PM
Monday morning energy check ✨
New week. New opportunities. New problems to solve.
Your PeopleSoft environment didn't modernize itself over the weekend, but that's okay. Progress happens one pipeline at a time.
What's the one thing you're tackling this week that'll move the needle?
Make it count.
New week. New opportunities. New problems to solve.
Your PeopleSoft environment didn't modernize itself over the weekend, but that's okay. Progress happens one pipeline at a time.
What's the one thing you're tackling this week that'll move the needle?
Make it count.
Quick PeopleSoft truth:
If your system feels “busy but slow,” your problem probably isn’t hardware; it’s scheduling and contention.
PeopleSoft Cloud Short Take.
Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
If your system feels “busy but slow,” your problem probably isn’t hardware; it’s scheduling and contention.
PeopleSoft Cloud Short Take.
Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
January 9, 2026 at 8:33 PM
Quick PeopleSoft truth:
If your system feels “busy but slow,” your problem probably isn’t hardware; it’s scheduling and contention.
PeopleSoft Cloud Short Take.
Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
If your system feels “busy but slow,” your problem probably isn’t hardware; it’s scheduling and contention.
PeopleSoft Cloud Short Take.
Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
Chapter 2: Assessment Day
Before tools.
Before cloud.
Before DevOps…
Maya forces her team to do something uncomfortable: tell the truth.
Manual builds.
Email-based deployments.
User-reported outages.
Untested backups.
Skills frozen in time.
Before tools.
Before cloud.
Before DevOps…
Maya forces her team to do something uncomfortable: tell the truth.
Manual builds.
Email-based deployments.
User-reported outages.
Untested backups.
Skills frozen in time.
January 8, 2026 at 7:58 PM
Chapter 2: Assessment Day
Before tools.
Before cloud.
Before DevOps…
Maya forces her team to do something uncomfortable: tell the truth.
Manual builds.
Email-based deployments.
User-reported outages.
Untested backups.
Skills frozen in time.
Before tools.
Before cloud.
Before DevOps…
Maya forces her team to do something uncomfortable: tell the truth.
Manual builds.
Email-based deployments.
User-reported outages.
Untested backups.
Skills frozen in time.
Stability lets you automate, extend, and modernize without breaking the business.
January 7, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Stability lets you automate, extend, and modernize without breaking the business.
It's finally time.
The conversation around PeopleSoft has been stuck on when to leave instead of how to lead.
I’m kicking off a new 52-week series for CIOs and IT leaders who reject the false choice between innovation and stability.
The conversation around PeopleSoft has been stuck on when to leave instead of how to lead.
I’m kicking off a new 52-week series for CIOs and IT leaders who reject the false choice between innovation and stability.
January 7, 2026 at 3:14 PM
It's finally time.
The conversation around PeopleSoft has been stuck on when to leave instead of how to lead.
I’m kicking off a new 52-week series for CIOs and IT leaders who reject the false choice between innovation and stability.
The conversation around PeopleSoft has been stuck on when to leave instead of how to lead.
I’m kicking off a new 52-week series for CIOs and IT leaders who reject the false choice between innovation and stability.
PeopleSoft in Practice:
You can’t optimize what you don’t actually run.
Most modernization efforts fail because teams fix the system they wish they had, not the one in production today.
Read it today: open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
You can’t optimize what you don’t actually run.
Most modernization efforts fail because teams fix the system they wish they had, not the one in production today.
Read it today: open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
January 6, 2026 at 3:13 PM
PeopleSoft in Practice:
You can’t optimize what you don’t actually run.
Most modernization efforts fail because teams fix the system they wish they had, not the one in production today.
Read it today: open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
You can’t optimize what you don’t actually run.
Most modernization efforts fail because teams fix the system they wish they had, not the one in production today.
Read it today: open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
First Monday of 2026: SURVIVED.
✅ Coffee (a whole pot)
✅ Pretended I remembered my password
✅ Acted like I didn't spend two weeks avoiding Slack
✅ Nodded knowingly when someone said "hitting the ground running."
✅ Ignored 847 unread emails
We made it. Same time next week? ☕😅
✅ Coffee (a whole pot)
✅ Pretended I remembered my password
✅ Acted like I didn't spend two weeks avoiding Slack
✅ Nodded knowingly when someone said "hitting the ground running."
✅ Ignored 847 unread emails
We made it. Same time next week? ☕😅
January 6, 2026 at 2:34 AM
First Monday of 2026: SURVIVED.
✅ Coffee (a whole pot)
✅ Pretended I remembered my password
✅ Acted like I didn't spend two weeks avoiding Slack
✅ Nodded knowingly when someone said "hitting the ground running."
✅ Ignored 847 unread emails
We made it. Same time next week? ☕😅
✅ Coffee (a whole pot)
✅ Pretended I remembered my password
✅ Acted like I didn't spend two weeks avoiding Slack
✅ Nodded knowingly when someone said "hitting the ground running."
✅ Ignored 847 unread emails
We made it. Same time next week? ☕😅
🎉 The Modern ERP Digest – Edition 24 is out!
This is the first edition of 2026. Buckle your seatbelt!
Read it 👇
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
#PeopleSoft #ERP #Oracle #Cloud #AI #ModernERP
This is the first edition of 2026. Buckle your seatbelt!
Read it 👇
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
#PeopleSoft #ERP #Oracle #Cloud #AI #ModernERP
January 5, 2026 at 3:15 PM
🎉 The Modern ERP Digest – Edition 24 is out!
This is the first edition of 2026. Buckle your seatbelt!
Read it 👇
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
#PeopleSoft #ERP #Oracle #Cloud #AI #ModernERP
This is the first edition of 2026. Buckle your seatbelt!
Read it 👇
🔗 open.substack.com/pub/peoples...
#PeopleSoft #ERP #Oracle #Cloud #AI #ModernERP
First Monday of 2026.
You don't need a grand plan. You need one decision that moves you forward.
One process improved.
One conversation started.
One legacy assumption challenged.
Momentum starts small. Progress compounds.
Today matters more than you think. Let's go. 🚀
You don't need a grand plan. You need one decision that moves you forward.
One process improved.
One conversation started.
One legacy assumption challenged.
Momentum starts small. Progress compounds.
Today matters more than you think. Let's go. 🚀
January 5, 2026 at 1:45 PM
First Monday of 2026.
You don't need a grand plan. You need one decision that moves you forward.
One process improved.
One conversation started.
One legacy assumption challenged.
Momentum starts small. Progress compounds.
Today matters more than you think. Let's go. 🚀
You don't need a grand plan. You need one decision that moves you forward.
One process improved.
One conversation started.
One legacy assumption challenged.
Momentum starts small. Progress compounds.
Today matters more than you think. Let's go. 🚀
Sunday reminder:
The best leaders don't hoard control. They multiply it.
They equip their teams with skills, trust, and authority. They clear obstacles instead of creating them. They celebrate wins that aren't their own.
The best leaders don't hoard control. They multiply it.
They equip their teams with skills, trust, and authority. They clear obstacles instead of creating them. They celebrate wins that aren't their own.
January 4, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Sunday reminder:
The best leaders don't hoard control. They multiply it.
They equip their teams with skills, trust, and authority. They clear obstacles instead of creating them. They celebrate wins that aren't their own.
The best leaders don't hoard control. They multiply it.
They equip their teams with skills, trust, and authority. They clear obstacles instead of creating them. They celebrate wins that aren't their own.
Your PeopleSoft environment is like a football team.
You can have the best talent on the field, but if your plays are poorly timed and everyone's running into each other, you're going to lose.
Hardware = talent.
Scheduling and orchestration = coaching.
You can have the best talent on the field, but if your plays are poorly timed and everyone's running into each other, you're going to lose.
Hardware = talent.
Scheduling and orchestration = coaching.
January 4, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Your PeopleSoft environment is like a football team.
You can have the best talent on the field, but if your plays are poorly timed and everyone's running into each other, you're going to lose.
Hardware = talent.
Scheduling and orchestration = coaching.
You can have the best talent on the field, but if your plays are poorly timed and everyone's running into each other, you're going to lose.
Hardware = talent.
Scheduling and orchestration = coaching.
“They told her: ‘We’re migrating to SaaS. It’s already decided.’”
That’s Chapter 1 of THE 12-WEEK CHALLENGE: The Ultimatum.
Maya Chen flips through the deck and sees the usual trick:
✅ Count every PeopleSoft cost
❌ Count half the SaaS costs
That’s Chapter 1 of THE 12-WEEK CHALLENGE: The Ultimatum.
Maya Chen flips through the deck and sees the usual trick:
✅ Count every PeopleSoft cost
❌ Count half the SaaS costs
January 1, 2026 at 8:04 PM
“They told her: ‘We’re migrating to SaaS. It’s already decided.’”
That’s Chapter 1 of THE 12-WEEK CHALLENGE: The Ultimatum.
Maya Chen flips through the deck and sees the usual trick:
✅ Count every PeopleSoft cost
❌ Count half the SaaS costs
That’s Chapter 1 of THE 12-WEEK CHALLENGE: The Ultimatum.
Maya Chen flips through the deck and sees the usual trick:
✅ Count every PeopleSoft cost
❌ Count half the SaaS costs
January 1st isn't about resolutions.
It's about recalibration.
Here's what matters:
✅ Pause and reflect. What worked last year? What didn't?
✅ Define your non-negotiables. The values that won't bend, no matter what.
✅ Set one clear direction. Not ten goals. One thing you're building toward.
It's about recalibration.
Here's what matters:
✅ Pause and reflect. What worked last year? What didn't?
✅ Define your non-negotiables. The values that won't bend, no matter what.
✅ Set one clear direction. Not ten goals. One thing you're building toward.
January 1, 2026 at 5:56 PM
January 1st isn't about resolutions.
It's about recalibration.
Here's what matters:
✅ Pause and reflect. What worked last year? What didn't?
✅ Define your non-negotiables. The values that won't bend, no matter what.
✅ Set one clear direction. Not ten goals. One thing you're building toward.
It's about recalibration.
Here's what matters:
✅ Pause and reflect. What worked last year? What didn't?
✅ Define your non-negotiables. The values that won't bend, no matter what.
✅ Set one clear direction. Not ten goals. One thing you're building toward.