Leading organizations leverage insights and intelligence of Ariba Network to drive more informed process, deliver game-changing improvements in productivity and performance

LONDON, September 17, 2013 -Procurement isn't what it used to be. It's automated. It's connected. It's mobile - and even social. Now, thanks to Ariba, an SAP company, it's smarter. Leveraging the intelligence and insights of the Ariba Network and the cloud-based applications connected to it, leading companies around the world are fueling a more informed procurement process that enables them to make better business decisions and achieve levels of productivity and performance never thought possible. On September 24, Ariba will take center stage at eWorld Purchasing & Supply, the UK's leading event focusing on the use of cutting-edge technologies and techniques within the procurement & supply chain functions, to discuss this data-driven approach and outline how businesses of all sizes, across industries can unleash its power to transform their operations.

"Procurement success has typically been measured on objectives such as reducing costs, minimizing risk and driving compliance. These objectives are now made more challenging with corporate business initiatives such as sustainability, localism and corporate responsibility. Balancing all these is hard to do if you aren't informed," said James Marland, Vice President, Network Strategy, Ariba. "Innovative procurement professionals recognize this. And they're tapping into business networks to access intelligence on market trends, supplier history, qualifications and risk factors and gain insights that will help them design and execute smarter strategies and deliver results."

Just like social networks make it easy for consumers to manage their personal relationships and activities, business networks allow companies to connect and collaborate with their trading partners around the world anytime, anywhere, from any device. More than 1 million companies in 190 countries, for instance, use the Ariba Network to transact over $465 billion in commerce on an annual basis. But networks are about more than just connecting companies, people and processes. Their real power lies in what goes on inside them - all the interactions, transactions and commentary  - and the massive amounts of data that they generate.

Consider the following: leveraging the hundreds of billions of dollars of financial transactions and structured, curated, audited, and cleansed transactional data along with relationship history that resides in business networks,buyers and sellers can make more informed decisions by detecting changes in buying patterns or pricing trends and provide confidence and qualifying information on a potential - yet unfamiliar - trading partner. And, when combined with community-generated ratings and content and a whole host of unstructured data such as texts, tweets, blog posts, web-based videos, and other social postings, they can glean not only real-time insights, but also recommended strategies for moving their businesses forward.

"It's a new way of operating," Marland admits. "But procurement organizations that embrace it can ultimately transform their businesses."To learn more about Ariba's business network and cloud-based applications and how you can leverage them to fuel a data-driven approach to procurement that delivers results, click here.

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 248,500 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

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Media Contacts:
Karen Master
Ariba
(412) 297-8177
kmaster@ariba.com

Fiona Ashby
Ariba UK
011 44 07919562261
Ashby.ariba@gmail.com

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