
Supplierforce: Supplier Information Management and Beyond (Part 2)
A couple of weeks ago, I re-introduced Spend Matters readers to Supplierforce, a Dublin-based Spend Management software/SaaS suite provider and consultancy with particular strengths in the area of supplier information management. Today I’ll conclude …

Supplierforce: Supplier Information Management and Beyond (Part 1)
In years past, I introduced Spend Matters readers to a little-known supplier information-management vendor, Supplierforce, which is based in Dublin (you can read previous posts on Supplierforce here and here. Supplierforce has moved beyond its SIM pa…

2010 Prediction: Companies Focus on Supplier Social and Performance Transparency
In the first column in this prediction series on building supplier transparency, I focused on the area of financial and business transparency. But this is only one type of supply chain transparency on which companies will focus on building in 2010, h…

Is Business Intelligence the Answer to Supplier and Supply Chain Management?
Over on Supply Chain Management Review, an article by two Wipro consultants suggests that business intelligence (BI) software, such as the kind acquired by SAP and Oracle in recent years, is key to building supply chain visibility. The two argue that…

2010 Prediction: Transparency Rules the Supplier Management Focus
Spend Matters believes that in 2010 transparency — not simply compliance management or supplier on-boarding — will begin to rule the supplier management focus. In recent years, many organizations have begun their supplier information management jou…

IBM Takes the CDI/EMPI Initiative with its Initiate Acquisition
Earlier today, IBM announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire Initiate Systems, a provider of customer data integration (CDI) and enterprise master patient index (EMPI) technology. According to the company press release, IBM describes Initiate as “a market leader in data integrity software for information sharing among healthcare and government organizations. Initiate’s software […]

Ivalua: The Broadest Spend Management Suite Vendor You’ve Never Heard Of (Part 2)
In my first column on Ivalua, I provided a basic company overview and a high-level look at its various solution components; in today’s post, I’ll take a closer look at Ivalua and its various modules and products.
What stood out most about Ivalua…

Rosslyn Analytics’ New Twist on Spend Visibility (Part 2)
In the first of this two-part series on the new enterprise spend analysis product from Rosslyn Analytics, I tackled some of its spend visibility basics, such as how does the solution handle data, acquisition/management, enrichment, and basic spend qu…
Aravo’s Tim Albinson Responds to Spend Matters
Editor’s note: Aravo’s Tim Albinson asked if he could have the chance to issue a formal response to this post from earlier today. After I agreed to turn over the virtual pen, he sent me this.
Jason,
Thanks for the great write-up — you do an ex…

Aravo’s $27 Million Funding Round: A Few Thoughts on Its Market Implications
Earlier this morning, Aravo announced a $27 million funding round led by Cisco. While you can read the details of the funding round in the above-linked Spend Matters column — along with some thoughts from the transaction’s lead engineer, Aravo’s CEO…