Global business solutions leader SAP announced at Saphila 2012, Africa’s biggest SAP User Group conference, that the acquisition of Ariba into the SAP family has accelerated SAP’s cloud growth strategy. Several Saphila keynote sessions will be dedicated to showcasing innovative cloud technologies and highlighting their potential for making businesses run significantly better.

Last week, SAP said in its Q3 earnings announcement that the company had raised to $4.3 billion its 2012 software revenue outlook to reflect gains from newly acquired software-related services company, Ariba. SAP’s vision for the cloud is to enable customers reach their business objectives and help them manage their most important assets namely: people, money, customers and suppliers and Ariba has been pivotal in helping drive SAP’s cloud strategy. This strategy clearly takes into consideration the following major business trends as identified by global research firm, Gartner: consumerisation of IT, big data, mobility, social, new business models, cost efficiency, simplification and investment security.

SAP aims to reach 1 billion people through cloud solutions by 2015 and become the fastest growing database company globally. By joining forces with Ariba, SAP will create the premier business network to connect businesses and their systems to those of their trading partners and enable new processes only possible in a digital environment. SAP plans to enable its more than 197,000 customers to easily connect to the Ariba business network through pre-built integration points — no matter what size or industry, and no matter whether on premise or on demand. SAP also plans to provide open access to the business network, extending the benefits of business collaboration to any company, on any system, from any provider.

More than 730,000 companies across 140 countries currently use Ariba’s cloud-based solutions and business network to discover and collaborate with a global network of partners. Through the acquisition, SAP will deliver an industry-leading end-to-end procurement solution and become the leader in the fast-growing segment of inter-enterprise cloud-based business networks.

Following the acquisition, Ariba will continue to operate as an independent business within SAP and will serve as SAP’s Cloud Procurement Suite. Both SAP and Ariba will maintain their innovation and support commitments to their existing on-premise customers. Ariba will leverage key SAP technologies – enterprise mobility, analytics, in-memory computing in its cloud applications and network solutions.

“Ariba’s strengths of having more than 15 years of cloud spend management and being a global leader in business networks, are now coupled with SAP being the number one enterprise applications company with 40 years of business software leadership, innovation and solutions expertise.” said Pfungwa Serima, chief executive officer of SAP Africa, “This is good news for existing and potential SAP and Ariba customers. Ariba partners will soon be integrated into the SAP Africa eco-system through a specific partner recruitment process. Presently, more than 63% of the world’s transaction revenues touch an SAP system; the implications are mind-blowing.”

The SAP Procurement portfolio will remain the de-facto on-premise suite while Ariba will become the cloud-based portfolio. Both suites will continue to see investments, development and innovation while benefitting from access to the Ariba business network linking buyers and a vast number of global suppliers. The two offerings together enable a blended or hybrid procurement roadmap approach to fit any organisation’s future varied requirements.

Ariba, which was founded in 1996, combines industry-leading, cloud-based technology with the world’s largest Web-based trading community to help companies buy, sell and manage their cash more efficiently and effectively. Prior to the acquisition, Ariba had 40 offices present in 21 countries, including North and South America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Australia.

For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom.

Editorial contacts
Antonia Stafford Ashton
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antonia.ashton@sap.com

Keshia Govindsamy
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keshia.govindsamy@ogilvypr.co.za

Alexandra Kayle
(+27) 11 235 6489
alex.kayle@sap.com

About
SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organisations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 195 000 customers (includes customers from the acquisition of SuccessFactors) to operate profitably, adapt continuously and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Ariba, an SAP Company
Ariba 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

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 'anticipate', 'believe', 'estimate', 'expect', 'forecast', 'intend', 'may', 'plan', 'project', 'predict', 'should' and 'will' and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

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