Atos Gives ERP a Boost with Ariba

Online shopping isn’t just for consumers anymore. With increasing frequency, businesses are demanding the same experience. But creating and managing accurate, user friendly catalogs that are compliant with corporate purchasing policies can be a challenge – particularly when attempting to do it within an ERP system. With the help of Ariba, an SAP company, Atos, a leading IT services company providing high-tech transactional services, consulting, systems integration and outsourcing solutions, has overcome it.

By integrating Ariba’s cloud-based procurement applications with its SAP system, Atos has created a consumer-like shopping site through which goods and services can be quickly and easily requisitioned from preferred vendors – all within its existing procurement infrastructure and in accordance with corporate purchasing policies. On June 4, M. Peter Hobday, Deputy CPO for Atos, will share the story of the company’s success on the main stage at Ariba LIVE Berlin, the business commerce event of the year which will take place at the Ritz Carlton June 3-5. Registration for the event is open today. Reserve your place at www.aribalive.com

“After replacing our home-grown procurement system with SAP, we decided it was also necessary to upgrade our catalog enablement and maintenance capabilities,” Hobday said. “Our chief objective was to move away from hosting Excel-based catalogs and create a more efficient system through which employees could access supplier-maintained catalogs or punch out directly to vendors.”

Leveraging Ariba® Procurement Content™, Atos has done just this. A cloud-based solution delivered via the Ariba Network,™Ariba Procurement Content integrates with any ERP or procurement system and provides companies with a complete content source of approved goods and services through a single user interface. Using the solution, Atos can:

• Requisition of any type of good or service
• Create a consumer-like shopping cart to simplify search, comparison, and buying
• Rapidly enable supplier catalogs to maximize spend coverage and term compliance
• Consolidate management of goods and services and optimize spend control
• Automate catalog verification to speed catalog updates, reduce workload, and improve catalog accuracy
• Identify and more efficiently collaborate with suppliers
• Drive greater usability and increase adoption

“Just because you build it doesn’t mean users will come; and when it comes to corporate procurement sites, nothing is more true,” said John Lark, Director, Product Marketing, Ariba. “As Atos recognizes, the key to user adoption is providing an easy-to-use tool with current content. Ariba Procurement Content lets companies deliver a simple and intuitive shopping experience, with up-to-date, reliable content so they can drive more spend through the system and realize greater savings.”

Atos joins a growing number of ERP users who are leveraging Ariba’s solutions to extend the value of their systems by driving process efficiencies, transparency and better collaboration with the systems of their external trading partners. To learn more about Ariba’s applications and open business network and the benefits they can deliver to your organization, visit www.ariba.com

About Atos

Atos is an international information technology services company, delivering hi-tech transactional services, consulting, systems integration and managed services. Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. It is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting & Technology Services, Atos Worldline and Atos WorldGrid. The company has annual revenues of €8,7 billion (pro-forma 2010) and over 78,500 business technologists worldwide in 42 countries. Atos worldwide headquarters are in Bezons / Paris, France. Atos was established on July 1st 2011, following the successful integration of Atos Origin and Siemens IT Solutions and Services and the establishment of a global strategic partnership with Siemens AG

About Ariba, an SAP Company

Ariba is the world’s business commerce network. Ariba combines industry-leading cloud-based applications with the world's largest web-based trading community to help companies discover and collaborate with a global network of partners. Using the Ariba® Network, businesses of all sizes can connect to their trading partners anywhere, at any time from any application or device to buy, sell and manage their cash more efficiently and effectively than ever before. Companies around the world use the AribaNetwork to simplify inter-enterprise commerce and enhance the results that they deliver. Join them at: www.ariba.com

About SAP

As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 238,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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