If you are an SAP SRM customer, you are currently in a big dilemma.

SAP SRM had embedded content management and catalog search technology from Requisite Software for enabling supplier catalogs. Beginning in January 2007, SAP is no longer supporting Requisite's technology within SRM. As a result, it is recommending that SRM customers must migrate to either recently introduced technology - SAP MDM catalog, or to its earlier released technology SAP CCM (Catalog Content Management). We believe that there is a third option that is at a substantial lower risk and at significantly lower cost.

  The three options before SAP SRM customers are:

• Option 1 - Migrate to SAP Catalog Content Management (CCM): SAP CCM was introduced in 2005 and has been deployed at many customer sites as a part of the SAP SRM solution. However SAP CCM is being discontinued with the release of SAP SRM 6.0. Hence if a customer migrates from Requisite to SAP's CCM technology, they would be staring at yet another catalog technology conversion in the next few years, when they upgrade to SRM 6.X.
   
• Option 2 - to SAP MDM Catalog technology: SAP MDM Catalog management was introduced recently and is based on a horizontal technology from SAP called MDM (Master Data Management). The technology is still being proven for large implementations. In addition, the cost of migration from Requisite to SAP MDM is non trivial.
   
• Option 3 - Implement a proven catalog content management solution from Ketera: The Ketera Supplier Content Management (KSCM) solution is a proven choice for catalog management for SAP SRM customers. Unlike a horizontal MDM solution from SAP, KSCM was specifically developed to address supplier catalog management/supplier enablement problem. KSCM is already a very popular supplier catalog management solution in the industry.

1. KSCM is extremely easy to deploy and use - including for those suppliers that are technically or resource challenged. As a result, Ketera customers can quickly have a large number of their suppliers enabled with electronic catalogs for corporate procurement, as compared to other solutions in the industry. As a result, customers of SAP SRM and Ariba have selected KSCM for supplier catalog management.
    
2. Ketera has over a hundred Fortune 1000 companies using its catalog management solution today, including some of the largest companies in the world.  As a result, the solution has been battle tested for reliability and scalability.
    
3. Ketera's solution is available in a SaaS model, so a purchasing organization need not buy any new software, as it migrates from the Requisite technology.
    
4. A vendor does not need to upgrade their SAP SRM system in order to move off the Requisite solution.  In addition, they need not migrate to any other catalog content management solution at a later date.
   
   
5. Ketera's solution has "Powered by SAP NetWeaver®" certification. As a result, companies using the SAP NetWeaver platform can seamlessly integrate Ketera's solutions into their existing SAP SRM platform.

  Key capabilities of the KSCM include:

• KSCM is an on demand solution that streamlines the content/catalog development and update process.
   
• It is designed to allow suppliers to easily upload catalogs in MS Excel template, validate and manage catalogs and related content.
   
• It allows multi-party work flows that bring together suppliers, buyers and external service providers to manage catalog content.
   
• The catalog, once created in KSCM and upon being approved, is immediately available for use by SAP SRM.

The KSCM solution can be deployed in SAP SRM environments in two models:

• Supplier Managed, Ketera Hosted:
  The supplier provides all the product data in KSCM. Since Ketera is a 'Software as a Service' model, KSCM creates an electronic catalog and hosts it on Ketera.com. When someone from a purchasing organization shops on the system, they transparently get access to the supplier catalog on the Ketera.com via punch out capability of their SAP SRM system.
   
• Supplier (Ketera) managed, purchasing organization hosted solution:
  The supplier provides all the product data in KSCM. Once catalog is created in KSCM, the catalog is uploaded into the purchasing organization's SAP SRM system for use by the user. As a result, the catalog is managed on the Ketera system by the supplier, but hosted on the purchasing organization's system. Optionally, Ketera provides a managed service via which Ketera takes over the creation and maintenance of the catalog.

The ease of use of KSCM, the ability to create and maintain catalogs using Excel templates and smart workflow to validate, review, approve and upload a catalog has made it a very compelling solution for supplier enablement for SAP SRM environments at multiple companies. Customers can drive and manage their corporate procurement process using their SAP SRM system but, they can use Ketera to create and manage their catalogs and accelerate supplier enablement.

SAP SRM customers are currently in a big dilemma regarding migration from Requisite to another catalog content management solution. One of the options from SAP is SAP CCM which will require another catalog migration when you upgrade to SAP SRM 6.X, since it will no longer be supported with SAP SRM 6.0. The other option from SAP is migration to SAP MDM Catalog, which is a very young technology with a non-trivial cost of migration. Ketera offers a third and proven option - Fortune 100 SAP SRM customers are already using Ketera for catalog content management for their SAP SRM systems.
 

 

About Ketera
Ketera is the fastest-growing provider of on-demand spend management solutions, providing companies with the applications and services needed to control and reduce corporate spending. Ketera's closed-loop spend management solutions include applications for spend analysis, sourcing, contract management, procurement, supplier enablement & content management, supplier performance management, and invoice management.

Since its inception, Ketera has supported enterprise customers of all sizes, industries and geographies, including numerous Fortune 500 companies. In 2006, Ketera surpassed $4 trillion in spend analyzed and more than $1 billion in transactions between buyers and suppliers. Many of the world's leading enterprise companies, including ServiceMaster, American Express, Kennametal, Con-way, and Northrop Grumman Corporation depend on Ketera Spend Management to deliver real, hard-dollar savings quickly.

For more information about Ketera and the Ketera Spend Management suite of services, please visit: www.ketera.com