SAP Ariba LIVE Dispatch: Alex Atzberger by the Numbers

At the analyst session that marked the start of SAP Ariba LIVE Monday, SAP Ariba President Alex Atzberger kicked things off by sharing a few numbers and observations on what’s trending within SAP Ariba and its customer base.

Here are some of the points in his talk:

• 3,200 attendees are at LIVE this year (up from 2,500).
• SAP Ariba is up to 4,000 employees.
• Software is dead — CD software, that is. The end of life is coming for 75 Ariba on-premise customers. 2020 is the planned end date.
• 497 customers went live last year.
• Light Enablement (free connectivity on the Ariba Supplier Network) has transacted $18 billion in spend across 33,000 suppliers since launching last year.
• 15% of light enablement supplier accounts have upgraded to the paid version.
• Germany is hot: The country has a customer acquisition rate four times the average.

Atzberger noted that there are two key elements of SAP Ariba’s top-level strategy: to “lead innovation activities” within the market and “the network.” No surprise there.

Walking through guided buying on stage at LIVE.

To support these areas, Ariba is pursuing numerous tactics:

• Co-innovation with customers
• Taking advantage of SAP — including underlying stack components — more than before
• Pursuing direct spend (aggressively) in pursuit of the goal of capturing 100% of spend overall
• Making investments in expanding the geographic (and functional) capabilities of spot buying
• Investing in risk management (supplier risk is currently “the fastest growing app” in SAP Ariba history)
• Making further investments in an Extension Studio to allow for partner and customer innovations (e.g., apps on top of the platform)
• Opening a data center in China (with Lenovo as a strategic partner)
• Pursuing guided buying more aggressively as an “entry point” into the suite/network
• Tapping new disruptive technologies, including AI and blockchain (“sourcing” capability from both SAP and partners)

Stay tuned for further coverage live from the event.