Though students may not notice a major difference when logging on to the my.tcu.edu portal Monday morning, there will be many unseen advantages to the newly upgraded system, an administrator said.New hardware and a more secure system will ensure that data is more protected than it was before, said Dave Edmondson, associate provost for technology resources.

While the system is upgraded, students will be unable to access their my.tcu.edu accounts until 8 a.m. Monday morning, according to an e-mail Nowell Donovan, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, sent out to all students and faculty last week.

The e-mail featured the link to a demonstration, where users could test the new system.

Once finished, the site will provide better service to students, with enhanced navigation and integration of applications, said Ruben Chanlatte, associate provost academic affairs technologies.

It’s a step toward having all menu options in a central location, Chanlatte said.

TCU chose PeopleSoft, which has now merged with software company Oracle, because it has the resources to routinely develop new software, providing the university with state-of-the-art technology, Edmondson said.

“We believe that PeopleSoft is the leading solution for higher education that’s available to us,” Edmondson said.

TCU now has the most current version of the software, excluding a new upgrade introduced a month ago, Edmondson said.

An upgrade from version 8.0 to 8.9 will give students advanced technology and protection against newly-developed viruses, Edmondson said.

PeopleSoft version 8.9 “helps companies achieve disciplined growth and drive toward world-class performance,” according to Oracle’s corporate Web site.

This upgrade is at no additional cost to students, since it was already included in the university budget, Edmondson said.

“Thanks to the dedication of the staff that has worked on this project, we haven’t needed to spend additional money,” Chanlatte said.

Matt Ross, a senior political science major, said he hopes, as the university tries to make things more efficient, the system won’t become more complicated.

Chantlatte said the TCU staff has tested the program for the past year to ensure everything will work properly for students.

“We have made this transition as invisible as possible,” Edmondson said.

If students should need the services provided by the portal, there will be contact information at my.tcu.edu, Chanlatte said.

“I have confidence that it will be a success,” Edmondson said.