Creating and managing accurate, user friendly catalogs that are compliant with corporate purchasing policies can be a challenge particularly when attempting to do it within an ERP system. With the help of Ariba, an SAP company, IT company Atos, has overcome it.
By integrating Ariba’s cloud-based procurement applications with its SAP system, Atos has created a consumer-like shopping site through which goods and services can be quickly and easily requisitioned from preferred vendors – all within its existing procurement infrastructure and in accordance with corporate purchasing policies. Peter Hobday, Deputy CPO for Atos says, “After replacing our home-grown procurement system with SAP, we decided it was also necessary to upgrade our catalog enablement and maintenance capabilities. Our chief objective was to move away from hosting Excel-based catalogs and create a more efficient system through which employees could access supplier-maintained catalogs or punch out directly to vendors.”
A cloud-based solution delivered via the Ariba Network, Ariba Procurement Content integrates with any ERP or procurement system and provides companies with a complete content source of approved goods and services through a single user interface. Using the solution, Atos can request any type of good or service, create a consumer-like shopping cart to simplify search, comparison, and buying, rapidly enable supplier catalogs to maximize spend coverage and term compliance, consolidate management of goods and services and optimize spend control.
“Just because you build it doesn’t mean users will come; and when it comes to corporate procurement sites, nothing is more true,” said John Lark, Director, Product Marketing, Ariba. “As Atos recognizes, the key to user adoption is providing an easy-to-use tool with current content. Ariba Procurement Content lets companies deliver a simple and intuitive shopping experience, with up-to-date, reliable content so they can drive more spend through the system and realize greater savings.”