IBM Named a Leader in the 2012 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Telecom Expense Management (TEM)

By Burcu Aldogan on May 1, 2012

Gartner recently released the 2012 Magic Quadrant report for TEM in which IBM earned a Leader designation. The 2012 TEM Magic Quadrant included 23 vendors.

This year’s assessment, which coincided with IBM’s acquisition of Emptoris and its Rivermine TEM solution, evaluated IBM as a single entity, based on the combined capabilities of the IBM Emptoris Rivermine TEM solution and the global TEM services business within IBM Global Technology Services.

According to the report, ” The continued growth of enterprise telecom services, driven by the use of video and wireless technologies, is prompting many companies to look to TEM services to enable more efficient procurement and support, as well as to manage costs more effectively.

Most companies lack the internal resources to manage their telecom services and devices, and are therefore looking to outsourced services. This is especially true of large multinationals, which in the past year have moved to centralize the procurement and management of their telecom services.” The report also states, “Over-the-air mobile device management (MDM) services are increasingly bundled with TEM offerings.”

The combined IBM TEM offering is well-positioned to address these key trends and evolving needs in the market. As the largest outsourcing company in the world, IBM is fully-equipped to provide full outsourcing and managed services options for the TEM projects of large multinational companies globally and regionally. In addition, the IBM Emptoris Rivermine TEM solution supports bring-your-own-device/individual-liable device policies while allowing the enterprise to maintain the benefits of a centralized corporate mobile management program and to ensure compliance with corporate procurement requirements and industry standards.

To learn more about IBM’s TEM capabilities and the overall market, please download the report here.

Know Your Suppliers – Webinar on Ensuring Compliance with Regulations and Ethics

By Birgit Mueller on April 24, 2012

An increasing number of high-profile cases of suppliers failing to comply with anti-corruption, child labor and anti-trust laws have caught people’s attention recently. Last year for example, it was reported that a Brazilian supplier to clothing manufacturer Zara was being investigated by Brazil’s labor ministry for the use of child labor. Apparently the supplier had engaged in “unauthorized outsourcing”. Government investigators raided four Sao-Paulo sweatshops and an investigation discovered 16 unregistered workers.

This type of case illustrates the need for a proactive supplier qualification process, as well as ongoing monitoring of a supply base, to confirm proper background checks, certifications, onsite operating standards, and ongoing performance are up to par.

Emptoris customer JTI (Japan Tobacco International), a leading international tobacco product manufacturer, continuously fights against counterfeit and illicit trade of cigarettes on a global scale. JTI established a Supplier Certification Program “Know Your Supplier” to engage only with the most reputable, honest vendors that share the same corporate responsibility and compliance principles.

Please join the webinar “Know Your Suppliers – How JTI ensures compliance with regulations and ethical principles” on May 16, 10:00am EDT / 4:00pm CET, with Maria Barros, JTI Compliance Director, as she describes how JTI:
- Established a supplier certification program to manage their supplier base
- Ensures suppliers adhere to JTI’s code of conduct, company guidelines and ethical requirements
- Protects their brands against suppliers’ failure to comply

This is a webinar that you will not want to miss. Register today.

Smarter Commerce & Strategic Supply Management

By Doug Macdonald on April 11, 2012

I’m sure it hasn’t escaped your attention that Emptoris was recently acquired by IBM – on February 1 to be precise. By adding Emptoris, IBM further strengthens its Smarter Commerce initiative — a strategy announced last year to redefine business in the age of the customer.

Smarter Commerce is a unique approach that increases the value companies generate for their customers, partners and shareholders in a rapidly changing digital world. It is designed to help companies better integrate and more effectively manage their value chain, including buy, market, sell, and service processes to put the customer at the center of decisions and actions leading to greater customer loyalty, revenue / margin growth and agility.

In the Buy phase, Smarter Commerce optimizes supplier and partner interactions – and this is where Emptoris fits in.

Today’s businesses increasingly need better sourcing, supplier management, spend analysis and contract management solutions to lower costs and help meet growing customer expectations of supply chain effectiveness. Emptoris’ Strategic Supply Management (SSM) solution delivers these benefits by streamlining supplier selection, negotiation, management and compliance to reduce operational and capital costs while helping business better manage risk and growth in their supply chain. Emptoris also plays a role in the Sell phase, making the sales contracting process faster and more accountable.

Smarter Commerce is a strategy two years in the making. Emptoris’ solutions complement multiple IBM offerings: for example the B2B integration and supply chain management capabilities IBM acquired through the purchase of Sterling Commerce and IBM’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) capabilities, a services offering available to clients through IBM Global Process Services (GPS).

It’s an exciting new world for Emptoris – stay tuned for more developments.

eSolution Days Featured Insights and Best Practices in Procurement

By Birgit Mueller on April 5, 2012

I had the pleasure of attending the German “Sourcing – Procurement – Integration” eSolution Days held in Düsseldorf this past month. Approximately 1,200 attendees discussed current market trends, gained ideas from their peers and learned valuable feedback from multiple best-practice sessions. The event delivered insight into some of the top topics facing procurement executives today including:
- Standardization of supplier management processes
- Stronger emphasis on supplier innovation with strategic suppliers
- Risk management for early risk identification and mitigation
- Improvement of supplier quality and visibility
- Increased supply chain efficiency to control costs despite volatile markets

Emptoris customer ABB presented their experience and best practices on a holistic approach to Supplier Lifecycle Management, highlighting the importance of mastering the exchange of knowledge within an organization and its suppliers.

The event was a great opportunity for networking and sharing the best avenues for procurement to save costs, minimize risk and ensure sustainability.