Companies Combine the Ariba Commerce Cloud and IBM LotusLive to Fuel Better Commerce
Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the leading provider of collaborative business commerce solutions, and IBM (NYSE: IBM) have signed an agreement designed to help fuel better commerce by matching business-to-business buyers and sellers of goods and services in the Cloud using state-of-the-art collaboration and social networking technologies.
Ariba plans to integrate its cloud solution, the Ariba Commerce Cloud, with IBM LotusLive to help buyers and sellers communicate and share information more fluidly and effectively, leading to faster, more confident business decisions for organizations of all sizes. The news came during Ariba LIVE, the premier conference for business professionals engaged in buying, selling or managing cash being held at the JW Marriot Grand Lakes in Orlando, Florida.
"Finding the right trading partners is hard. Collaborating with them to do business better is even harder," said Bhaskar Himatsingka, Chief Technology Officer, Ariba, Inc. "Our integration plans with IBM LotusLive are designed to help make it easier for buyers and sellers to collaborate in new ways by taking advantage of IBM's powerful set of web-based tools for real-time collaboration within Ariba's sourcing and sales process solutions."
Simplified Interactions
Face-to-face meetings, phone calls, faxes, documents and spreadsheets are quickly being leapfrogged by more advanced, efficient methods of collaboration and communication such as Web conferencing, instant messaging, social networking and file sharing, among other things. To help companies take advantage of these advances, Ariba plans to integrate IBM's LotusLive with Ariba ® Discovery™, a web-based service that helps buyers and sellers find each other quickly and efficiently for new business opportunities by automatically matching buyers' business requirements to seller capabilities.
Integrating LotusLive communication and collaboration into the buyer-seller discovery process will lead to better business results for buyers and sellers by providing them the tools to interact, answer questions and exchange accurate information prior to entering the formal RFI/P or contracting phase.
"A successful integration with IBM LotusLive would enable us to move beyond document-driven interactions with our customers and collaborate in a true sense," said Tricia Johnson, Western Regional Sales Manager, Eagle Press, and user of the Ariba Commerce Cloud.
A unique Web-based platform that enables companies to buy, sell and manage cash more efficiently and effectively than ever before, the Ariba Commerce Cloud provides companies with everything needed to manage collaborative inter-enterprise commerce, including market-leading technology, expert skills and capabilities and the world's largest global trading community.
LotusLive delivers cloud-based, integrated email, Web conferencing, social networking and collaboration services to help simplify and improve daily business interactions with customers, partners and colleagues -- all with IBM's focus on security, reliability and integration.
"Like people searching for someone special, businesses are looking for a high degree of compatibility with their prospective partners," said Sean Poulley, Vice President, IBM Cloud Collaboration. "The successful combination of LotusLive and the Ariba Commerce Cloud will provide such a matchmaking comfort zone in which networks of partners, suppliers and customers can easily work together across company boundaries to help do their jobs more efficiently and cost-effectively, and perhaps even develop lasting relationships."
About Ariba, Inc.
Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of collaborative business commerce solutions. Ariba enables more efficient and effective buying, selling, and cash management by combining industry-leading software as a service (SaaS) commerce technology with the world's largest web-based global trading community and expert capabilities and services to augment internal resources and skills – all as a flexible, cloud-based service. The Ariba® Commerce Cloud™ delivers everything needed to control costs, increase sales, minimize risk, and enhance cash flow and operations. More than 300,000 companies, including more than 80 percent of the Fortune 100, use Ariba's solutions to drive more efficient and effective inter-enterprise commerce. Why not join them? For more information on Ariba commerce solutions and the results they deliver, visit www.ariba.com
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Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act 1995: Information and announcements in this release involve Ariba's expectations, beliefs, hopes, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future and are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to Ariba as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to Ariba's operating and financial results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: the impact of the credit crises on Ariba's results of operations and financial condition; delays in development or shipment of new versions of Ariba's products and services; lack of market acceptance of Ariba's existing or future products or services; inability to continue to develop competitive new products and services on a timely basis; introduction of new products or services by major competitors; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; difficulties in assimilating acquired companies, long and unpredictable sales cycles and the deferrals of anticipated orders; declining economic conditions, including the impact of a recession; inability to control costs; changes in the company's pricing or compensation policies; significant fluctuations in our stock price; the outcome of and costs associated with pending or potential future regulatory or legal proceedings; the impact of our acquisitions, including the disruption or loss of customer, business partner, supplier or employee relationships; and the level of costs and expenses incurred by Ariba as a result of such transactions. Factors and risks associated with its business, including a number of the factors and risks described above, are discussed in Ariba's Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on May 6, 2010.
Contacts:
Ariba, Inc.
Karen Master, 412-297-8177
kmaster@ariba.com
