[April 12, 2012]

Ariba Continues to Simplify Business Commerce

Why is personal commerce so easy? Because you don't have to think about it. It's all done for you. You don't need to struggle with complicated buying or selling processes. It's simplified into a single, intuitive cloud-based experience that can be accessed from any device, anywhere in the world. Business commerce is about to become just as simple. With the release of its latest collaborative commerce platform, Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the world's business commerce network, will deliver a next-generation experience that will make buying and selling goods and services in the business world as efficient and effective as it is in the consumer realm.

"The rapid convergence of cloud computing, mobility and social networks have completely changed user expectations and created an entirely new set of demands for enterprise applications," said Bhaskar Himatsingka, Chief Technology Officer, Ariba. "With the release of our latest collaborative commerce platform, Ariba can deliver on them."

In the consumer world, you can access networks, like Amazon.com (News - Alert), Facebook, and your personal bank to buy a book, collaborate with your friends, or manage your personal finances. These networks personalize your experience and put everything you need at your fingertips. Through enhancements to both the Ariba^® Network and its market-leading, cloud-based collaborative commerce applications, Ariba will do the same for corporate buying and selling organizations.

Better Buying

Leveraging functionality embedded in Ariba^® Procure-to-Pay^™, buying organizations today are able to create and deploy easy-to-search and access catalogs through which employees across functions, divisions and geographies can find the goods and services they need and purchase them in compliance with preferred vendor agreements, contracted prices and buying policies - all in as little as four weeks.

The latest release of the application features a totally new, intuitive, consumer-like buying interface that gives requisitioners real-time access to the information they need to make informed, accurate and compliant buying decisions, including:

• Consumerized catalog and search capabilities
• Guided product comparison tools
• Multi-faceted buying procedures to enable requisitioning and collaboration for all goods and services
• Real-time budget tracking and reporting
• Visual workflow

"The user experience looks and feels very much like Amazon.com," said Dana Gardner, principal analyst, Interarbor Solutions. "But it's clearly more than just a slick interface. The new catalog search and comparison capabilities certainly make it easier for buyers to find precisely the products they're looking for, and also secure the best deals available. But the larger value comes with the budget monitoring and visual workflow features which allow all permissioned stakeholders to see where requests stand, and to be able to adjust processes on the fly to suit dynamic business needs. What's more, the expanded set of tools helps drive compliance with specific corporate purchasing policies."

Better Selling

"The upcoming Seller Collaboration Console will make it easier for MarkMaster to collaborate with our customers and provide my team with the visibility they need to understand our engagement with customers across the entire market-to-cash cycle," said Kevin Govin, CEO, MarkMaster. "It addresses a problem that point solutions do not address for small companies like ours. It gives me one central location to manage the information I provide to and receive from customers, in a consumer-like interface."

Using the console, selling organizations like MarkMaster can eliminate these barriers and manage the full order-to-cash process across all of their customers on the Ariba Network through a single, intuitive interface in a coordinated manner leveraging tools such as:

• Single sign-on console to receive new leads, manage quotes, streamline orders and invoices, and collaborate with customers and other Ariba Network and community members
• Consolidated and synchronized profile and catalog management, allowing sellers to manage their content once and syndicate to multiple customers
• Advanced receivables and discount management
• Single-click navigation and management of all commercial processes and relationships
• Lead generation and management with the largest community of Global 2000 buying organizations

"Managing customers with multiple point solutions has been a significant inhibitor to the adoption of collaborative business commerce," said Cara Balint, eCommerce Client Operations Manager at Insight--a leading provider of brand-name IT hardware, software, and services. "The Seller Collaboration Console makes it easy for us to obtain leads and collaborate with multiple customers through the RFP and supplier selection process, catalogs and orders, and invoice and payment. And the centrally-managed Ariba Cloud Profile will help ensure that my supplier profile is accurate and complete and that I can better manage the way our brand is represented."

Better Commerce

Over the last decade, companies have spent billions on technology to make business commerce easier. Yet it remains complex and inefficient. The release of Ariba's latest platform represents a step change in the industry.

"Through increased integration of enterprise frameworks and networking technologies in its 12 series release, Ariba is providing buyers and sellers more opportunities to collaborate and streamline business processes that can lead to better commerce," said Constantine Limberakis, Senior Research Analyst, Global Supply Management, Aberdeen (News - Alert) Group.

Availability

The latest version of Ariba's cloud-based collaborative commerce platform will be released this summer. To learn more about the platform and the value it can deliver, visit www.ariba.com

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

Copyright © 1996 - 2012 Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, the Ariba logo, AribaLIVE, Ariba.com, Ariba.com Network, Ariba Spend Management. Find it. Get it. Keep it. and PO-Flip are registered trademarks of Ariba, Inc. Ariba Procure-to-Pay, Ariba Buyer, Ariba eForms, Ariba PunchOut, Ariba Services Procurement, Ariba Travel and Expense, Ariba Procure-to-Order, Ariba Procurement Content, Ariba Sourcing, Ariba Savings and Pipeline Tracking, Ariba Category Management, Ariba Category Playbooks, Ariba StartSourcing, Ariba Spend Visibility, Ariba Analysis, Ariba Data Enrichment, Ariba Contract Management, Ariba Contract Compliance, Ariba Electronic Signatures, Ariba StartContracts, Ariba Invoice Management, Ariba Payment Management, Ariba Working Capital Management, Ariba Settlement, Ariba Supplier Information and Performance Management, Ariba Supplier Information Management, Ariba Discovery, Ariba Invoice Automation, Ariba PO Automation, Ariba Express Content, Ariba Ready, and Ariba LIVE are trademarks or service marks of Ariba, Inc. All other brand or product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations in the United States and/or other countries.

Ariba Safe Harbor

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 impact of any acquisitions, including difficulties with the integration process or the realization of benefits of a transaction; the impact of our disposition, including the potential disruption of our ongoing business; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; 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 and dispositions, 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 (News - Alert) on February 7, 2012.

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