SAP Ariba Network – history overview and new vision

A retrospective and strategic direction of the world's largest business network for electronic support of purchasing processes and electronic communication with suppliers.

August 17, 2022

History

SAP Ariba Network was introduced in 1998 and fundamentally influenced the exchange of procurement documents, abandoning paper and e-mail forms of exchange and starting to send and receive POs and invoices electronically – system to system between the supplier and customer.

The principle was simple and revolutionary:

digitize the paper documents, like purchase orders (POs) and invoices,
enable communication via electronic exchange.

We can say that a unified digital language has started to be used through the worldwide network.

Innovation and the new vision

As the needs of businesses have evolved, so has the Ariba Network. The last two years of the pandemic have shown how essential the relationship between procurement, planning, and logistics is to deliver products at the right time.

A reflection on current pandemic topics was the introduction of a unified, open, intelligent business network SAP Business Network, which includes the SAP Ariba Network.

SAP Business Network consolidates B2B cooperation within integrated networks:

SAP Business Network for Procurement (formerly SAP Ariba Network)
SAP Business Network for Supply Chain (formerly SAP Ariba Supply Chain Collaboration)
SAP Business Network for Logistics (formerly SAP Logistics Business Network)
SAP Business Network for Asset Management (formerly SAP Asset Intelligence Network)

In the near future, the portfolio of functionalities will be expanded to include working capital management and supplier evaluation, using the Taulia solution (a new SAP acquisition).

The strategic vision is to help businesses increase transparency, resiliency, and sustainability within their supply chains.