Ariba CEO outlines new plan of attack

Ariba president Larry Mueller has outlined a strategy to return the B2B vendor to basics.

Mueller recently took over the CEO slot with former CEO and company founder Keith Krach remaining board chairperson.

Mueller used a recent users’ conference to outline how Ariba will focus on specific industries, increase investment in technology, and implement measurements that make customer Return on Investment in procurement a top priority.

Ariba plans to shift to a vertical industry focus with the High-Tech, Automotive, Consumer Packaged Goods, Pharmaceutical, and Public Sector the main industries being targeted.

"Increased investment in technology will lead to a more open Ariba platform, paving the way for a series of application extensions that will begin to fill out the Ariba Value Chain Management (VCM) strategy, even though Ariba has a way to go to get a complete VCM product. But it’s a good start," observes AMR Research’s Bob Ferrari. Recently introduced was a new Network Connect application designed to allow suppliers quicker and easier access to Ariba-powered marketplaces.

Customers can also anticipate a more formal value-based selling and marketing approach by Ariba, similar to what current Supply Chain Management (SCM) vendors, such as i2 Technologies, use, Ferrari adds.