Ariba Teaming Up with Microsoft to Plug Businesses into Networked Economy

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the world’s business commerce network, announced today that it is teaming up with Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) to help millions of businesses plug into the Networked Economy. Through a strategic alliance, the companies will link their leading business commerce and ERP applications, providing businesses using Microsoft Dynamics AX with access to the Ariba® Network, so that they can connect and collaborate more efficiently and effectively across the entire commerce process. The news came during Ariba LIVE 2012, the business commerce event of the year being held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

“Business has officially entered a new era,” said Tim Minahan, Chief Marketing Officer, Ariba. “It’s social, it’s mobile, it’s collaborative and it’s creating a major shift in how companies interact.”

Enabled by trends like cloud computing and the convergence of enterprise applications, social media and communities, more and more organizations are looking beyond the four walls of the enterprise to extend their processes and systems to connect and collaborate more efficiently with customers, suppliers, and other trading partners across the street and around the globe.

“Traditional operating models and enterprise applications limit collaboration,” said Dana Gardner, principal analyst, Interarbor Solutions. “The pairing of Microsoft’s ERP capabilities with the Ariba Network enables a unified, open, and collaborative community accessible by any application or via any device. The result will be more efficient ways to achieve new levels of productivity among and between companies from any corner of the globe."

Uniquely designed to help companies be more agile and simplify decision-making, Microsoft Dynamics AX includes built-in capabilities for multiple industries and geographic regions, lets people make quick and easy changes to processes and personal experiences to fulfill the shifting needs of their business, no matter how complex the organization. The application gives people across the company the information they need to do their job, access to the Microsoft productivity tools they use every day, and built-in, contextual business intelligence, empowering better decisions.

As part of the strategic alliance, Ariba will develop an adapter that will allow Microsoft Dynamics AX customers to connect to the Ariba Network.

“By combining the powerful capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics AX with the world’s largest business trading network, we can deliver a solution that enables companies of all sizes to connect with their trading partners electronically, helping businesses improve collaboration, grow their business with existing customers and discover new opportunities,” said Doug Kennedy, vice president, Partners and Existing Customer Service Programs, Microsoft Dynamics.

Used by companies around the world to transact more than $300 billion in commerce on an annual basis, the Ariba Network provides:

    Cloud-based applications that allow organizations that share a business process to share the underlying technology infrastructure that enables that process.
    A community of partners through which companies can quickly discover, qualify, connect, and collaborate with trading partners.
    Capabilities in the form of best practices, community-derived intelligence and other unique features or services that are only available to members of the community, such as unique analytics, preferred financing, and ratings.

For more information on the Ariba Network and the value that it can deliver to your organization, visit: http://www.ariba.com/supplier/suppliernetwork/ To learn more about Microsoft Dynamics, visit: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics/default.aspx

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. 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

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