Ariba,
an SAP company, is set to close the books on another banner year, as
companies around the world continue to plug in to the Ariba®
Network to enable new forms of collaboration and transform their
business. More than 1.2 million companies in 190 countries are now
connected to the Ariba Network. And they’re using it to transact and
collaborate around more than half a trillion in commerce. That makes
Ariba the largest and most global web-based trading community in the
world.
“Bigger isn’t always better. But when it comes to networks, size
definitely matters,” says Andrew Bartolini, Chief Research Officer for
research and advisory firm Ardent Partners.
Why? Consider Facebook. Consumers use the social network to manage their
personal connections because all of their friends are on it. When it
comes to managing commerce, companies need a similar platform that
allows them to connect and collaborate with all of their trading
partners across business processes anytime, from any device, in any part
of the world.
As Bartolini notes in his recent report Selecting
the Right Network, “True business networks are many-to-many
platforms that not only connect participants through a shared
infrastructure, but also enable new collaboration and process types.”
And he adds that, “Standalone supplier portals are generally constrained
from reaching an optimal level of value unless they are connected to a
business network.”
With connected members from more than 190 countries, the Ariba Network
is an open, global business network that supports the entire commerce
process from source to settle and has business logic and workflow built
in, so partners can execute collaborative processes in real-time.
“With Ariba, companies can quickly and easily connect their systems and
processes to those of their partners – regardless of the backend systems
they may be using,” says Rachel Spasser, Chief Marketing Officer, Ariba.
“More important, they can harness the power of network-derived
intelligence to move beyond simple automation and enable new processes
and insights that are only possible in a truly networked environment.”
Where the World Does Business
Companies around the globe continue to flock to the Ariba Network and
leverage the cloud-based applications delivered on it to extend their
existing systems and the value they deliver. During the third quarter of
2013, for instance, EMC selected SAP’s cloud solutions – including
offerings from Ariba and SuccessFactors – to achieve better visibility
and collaboration with its suppliers and attract and better retain and
reward employees.
HGST Inc., a Western Digital Company, selected Ariba’s Collaborative
Commerce package alongside SAP Supply Network Collaboration to increase
compliance and controls with catalog spend and transform accounts
payable processes.
And Sage
Health Solutions, a small company in South Africa tapped into the
Ariba Network to manage its business with the South African government,
which uses Ariba as its procurement platform. Then it signed on to Ariba
Discovery to fuel growth among hospitals and private sector
organizations. And the results have been impressive.
According to Sage Health Solutions Marketing Director Ruwaydah Tambe, 80
percent of the company’s business now comes from Ariba. “Since we began
working with Ariba and receiving and responding to all of our tenders
via email, we have been able to grow our business from almost nothing to
a multi-million rand venture.”
As the pace of business accelerates and markets become increasingly
global and competitive, Bartolini expects more companies to join outfits
like Sage Health Solutions in embracing the Networked Economy. “In
today’s business climate, innovation and agility are how market leaders
are creating and maintaining competitive advantage,” he says. “And
business networks will play an important role in driving it.”
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 Ariba Network 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 251,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and
grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.
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