Storebrand Reaches for the Cloud with Ariba

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ariba, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARBA), the leading provider of collaborative business commerce solutions, today announced that it has signed a new agreement with Storebrand ASA, a leading player in the Nordic markets for pensions, life and health insurance, banking and asset management. Under the terms of the agreement, Storebrand is leveraging solutions delivered within the Ariba^® Commerce Cloud to drive a more efficient and effective process for buying goods and services and managing costs across its operations.

“Because another focus for Storebrand is operating in the most lean and agile manner possible”

“At Storebrand, our main focus is to create lean processes for sourcing and supplier management that allow us to maximize relationships with our trading partners and optimize our cost structure,” said Knut Olav Melhus Hoeg, Group CPO, Storebrand. “With the Ariba Commerce Cloud we have many of the tools we need to make fact-based decisions that positively impact our operations.”

Why the Ariba Commerce Cloud?

“Because another focus for Storebrand is operating in the most lean and agile manner possible,” Melhus Hoeg said. “With the Ariba Commerce Cloud, we don't have to build our own application development competence and we can be up and running more quickly and cost-effectively than we could using traditional software solutions.”

Storebrand is currently using Ariba Sourcing^™, Ariba Supplier Performance Management^™ and Ariba Contract Management^™ to drive its business goals.

“We use Ariba Sourcing to buy everything from office furniture and IT systems and services to management of properties owned by the group and recruitment services to consultants,” Hoeg said.

Likewise, Storebrand uses Ariba Contract Management to centrally manage all of its purchasing agreements and ensure compliance.

“The global recession has forced all companies do more with less, and this requires a new breed of solutions that deliver more than just software,” said Henrik Smedberg, Ariba Nordics. “In embracing the Ariba Commerce Cloud, Storebrand has access to capabilities and a global community of trading partners that it can leverage to control costs, minimize risk and manage cash flow and operations more efficiently and effectively than ever before.”

About Storebrand

Storebrand, with roots back to 1767, is the leading player in the Nordic markets for pensions and life insurance. In addition the company also has business in health insurance, banking and asset management. The company's head office is in Oslo. It has also established life insurance, asset management and health insurance activities in Sweden. Following the acquisition of the Swedish life insurance and pensions provider SPP in December 2007, Storebrand is now the Nordic region's leading provider of life insurance and pensions.

About Ariba, Inc.

Ariba, Inc. is the leading provider of collaborative business commerce solutions. Ariba combines industry-leading software as a service (SaaS) technology to optimize the complete commerce lifecycle with the world's largest web-based community to discover, connect and collaborate with a global network of trading partners and expert capabilities to augment internal resources and skills, delivering everything needed to control costs, minimize risk, improve profits and enhance cash flow and operations – all in a cloud-based environment. Whether you’re buying, selling or managing cash, you can do it more efficiently and effectively in the Ariba® Commerce Cloud. Over 300,000 companies, including more than 80 percent of the Fortune 500, use Ariba’s solutions to drive more efficient inter-enterprise commerce. Why not join them? For more information on Ariba commerce solutions and the results they deliver, visit www.ariba.com

Ariba, the Ariba logo, AribaLIVE, SupplyWatch, 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.

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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 or dispositions; the ability to attract and retain qualified employees; difficulties in assimilating acquired companies, 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, 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 on August 5, 2010.