Emptoris

Emptoris was an enterprise software company founded in 1999 by Avner Schneur and headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. It developed software for strategic procurement, supply management, contract administration, supplier oversight, spend analysis, and related enterprise operating processes. Rather than functioning as a consumer-facing brand, Emptoris served large organizations seeking to control purchasing costs, improve supplier relationships, standardize sourcing events, and manage contractual and service obligations across complex global operations. The company’s product scope expanded considerably through organic development and acquisitions. Its portfolio came to include spend-data management and analytics, sourcing and supply-chain optimization, contract management, supplier assessment and lifecycle management, services procurement, compliance management, and telecom expense management. Emptoris supported both on-premises deployment and software-as-a-service delivery, allowing customers to use its applications either within their own technology environments or through hosted infrastructure. The company also worked with management-consulting and systems-integration partners, including Accenture, Deloitte, and IBM. Acquisitions were central to Emptoris’s expansion. Earlier purchases added spend analytics, supplier assessment, contract management, and supply-chain planning capabilities. In 2009, Emptoris acquired the Contract and Service Management business from Click Commerce, extending its reach into services procurement. The acquisitions of Rivermine in January 2011 and Xcitec in May 2011 broadened the portfolio into telecom expense management and supplier management respectively. By that period, the company stated that it served more than 350 Global 1000 customers and employed more than 725 people worldwide. It also reported operations in locations including Fairfax, Virginia; Reading, United Kingdom; Munich, Germany; Shanghai, China; and Pune, India. Emptoris attracted recognition as a rapidly growing private technology company and appeared on the 2011 Inc. 5000 list. Its growth and product breadth made it strategically relevant to IBM’s effort to build a broader Smarter Commerce portfolio. IBM announced an agreement to acquire Emptoris on December 15, 2011, and completed the transaction on February 1, 2012. After the acquisition, Emptoris technologies and offerings became part of IBM’s commerce and procurement software activities rather than continuing as an independent company. IBM later changed the direction of its procurement offering. In May 2017, IBM announced a strategic partnership with SAP Ariba and said that it would sunset Emptoris products while directing customers toward SAP Ariba solutions. As a result, Emptoris is best understood today as a discontinued enterprise software brand and a historical component of IBM’s procurement-technology portfolio. Its legacy lies in helping establish integrated software coverage across strategic sourcing, supplier management, contracts, services procurement, spend visibility, and telecom-related expense control.

Emptoris was established in 1999 by Avner Schneur as an enterprise software company focused on strategic supply and procurement management. Its central proposition was to help large organizations make purchasing more systematic and measurable by combining sourcing, supplier, contract, and spend-management functions in an integrated software portfolio. The company expanded through a series of acquisitions. In 2003 it acquired Zeborg, adding spend-analytics expertise. In 2005 it acquired Valuedge, a supplier-assessment company whose technology supported the auditing and evaluation of business suppliers, and Intigma, which provided spend-data management technology. In 2006, Emptoris acquired diCarta, strengthening contract-management capabilities, and MINDFLOW, which contributed inbound supply-chain planning and sourcing-optimization functionality. In 2009, Emptoris acquired the Contract and Service Management solutions and business of Click Commerce. This transaction extended the portfolio into services procurement and broadened the company’s relevance beyond traditional goods sourcing. The company subsequently pursued a further expansion of supplier and communications-related capabilities. It announced the acquisition of Rivermine in January 2011, adding telecom expense management, and announced the acquisition of Munich-based Xcitec in May 2011, adding supplier-management software. By 2011, Emptoris described itself as serving more than 350 Global 1000 customers and employing over 725 people globally. Its software could be deployed on premises or delivered through a software-as-a-service model. The company maintained operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, China, India, and other locations. It also developed partner relationships with consulting and professional-services firms such as Accenture, Deloitte, and IBM. In August 2011, Emptoris was included in the Inc. 5000 ranking of fast-growing private companies. IBM announced on December 15, 2011 that it would acquire Emptoris. The transaction aligned with IBM’s Smarter Commerce strategy, which sought to connect customer, commerce, procurement, and supply-chain processes through enterprise technology. IBM announced completion of the acquisition on February 1, 2012. Emptoris thereafter operated as part of IBM’s commerce portfolio rather than as an independent software company. The brand’s independent life eventually ended as IBM revised its procurement strategy. On May 17, 2017, IBM announced a strategic partnership with SAP Ariba and said that it would sunset Emptoris products and guide customers toward SAP Ariba. Emptoris is therefore a defunct standalone company and discontinued brand, although its history reflects the consolidation of procurement software into broader enterprise-commerce platforms.

• 2017

  IBM sunsets Emptoris products

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  IBM announced a partnership with SAP Ariba and a transition away from Emptoris products.

• 2012

  IBM acquisition completed

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  IBM completed its acquisition of Emptoris and incorporated the business into its commerce software activities.

• 2011

  Rivermine and Xcitec acquisitions

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  Emptoris acquired Rivermine and Xcitec, adding telecom expense management and supplier-management capabilities.

• 2011

  Recognition on the Inc. 5000

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  Emptoris appeared on the 2011 Inc. 5000 list of fast-growing private companies.

• 2009

  Click Commerce services-procurement acquisition

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  Emptoris acquired Click Commerce’s Contract and Service Management business, extending its portfolio into services procurement.

• 2006

  Expansion into contracts and supply-chain optimization

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  Emptoris acquired diCarta and MINDFLOW, adding contract-management and supply-chain planning and sourcing-optimization capabilities.

• 2005

  Acquisitions of Valuedge and Intigma

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  The company acquired supplier-assessment provider Valuedge and spend-data management technology provider Intigma.

• 2003

  Acquisition of Zeborg

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  Emptoris acquired spend-analytics company Zeborg, expanding its ability to analyze enterprise purchasing data.

• 1999

  Emptoris is founded

  [1]Emptorisen.wikipedia.org

  Avner Schneur founded Emptoris as a provider of strategic supply and procurement-management software.

Enterprise-grade strategic procurement and supply-management software for large organizations, with an emphasis on sourcing efficiency, supplier governance, contract control, spend visibility, and technology-enabled cost management.

• Spend analytics

  Spend Analysis

  Emptoris spend-analysis capabilities were designed to organize and interpret enterprise purchasing data. They supported visibility into spending patterns, supplier concentration, purchasing categories, and potential sourcing opportunities, providing a data foundation for procurement decisions.

• Procurement software

  Strategic Sourcing

  The strategic-sourcing portfolio supported structured sourcing and supplier-selection processes. It was aimed at large organizations managing competitive bids, category strategies, supplier comparisons, and negotiated purchasing outcomes across complex requirements.

• Contract lifecycle management · 2006

  Contract Management

  Emptoris contract-management software helped organizations create, store, administer, and monitor commercial agreements. The capability entered the portfolio in part through the acquisition of diCarta and was intended to connect contract obligations with procurement and supplier-management processes.

• Supplier lifecycle management · 2005

  Supplier Management

  Supplier-management applications supported supplier assessment, qualification, performance oversight, and lifecycle governance. The portfolio was strengthened by the acquisition of Valuedge and later expanded through the acquisition of Xcitec.

• Services procurement · 2009

  Services Procurement

  The services-procurement offering addressed purchasing and management of external services, including associated contractual and supplier processes. It was added through Emptoris’s acquisition of Click Commerce’s Contract and Service Management business in 2009.

• Expense management · 2011

  Telecom Expense Management

  Telecom expense management capabilities entered Emptoris’s portfolio through the acquisition of Rivermine in 2011. They extended the company’s procurement focus into the control, analysis, and administration of telecommunications-related spending.

• 2017

  Sunset Emptoris products in favor of SAP AribaStrategy

  Background

  IBM revised its procurement ecosystem strategy through a strategic partnership with SAP Ariba.

  Action taken

  IBM announced that it would sunset Emptoris products and direct customers toward SAP Ariba solutions.

  Aftermath

  The decision ended the active product life of the Emptoris brand and marked its transition into a discontinued IBM procurement technology line.

  Source

• 2011

  Acquire RivermineM&A

  Background

  Emptoris was broadening its strategic supply-management suite and sought additional control over enterprise communications spending.

  Action taken

  Emptoris announced the acquisition of Rivermine, a telecom expense management provider.

  Aftermath

  Telecom expense management became part of Emptoris’s expanded procurement and supply-management application portfolio.

  Source

• 2011

  Acquire XcitecM&A

  Background

  Emptoris wanted to strengthen supplier-management functionality and its international product footprint.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Xcitec, a supplier-management software provider headquartered in Munich.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition added supplier-management capabilities and supported Emptoris’s broader global enterprise offering.

  Source

• 2011

  Accept IBM acquisitionM&A

  Background

  IBM was expanding its Smarter Commerce initiative and sought enterprise procurement and supply-management technology.

  Action taken

  IBM announced an agreement to acquire Emptoris in December 2011 and completed the transaction in February 2012.

  Aftermath

  Emptoris became part of IBM’s commerce portfolio and ceased operating as an independent company.

  Source

1. 1Emptorisen.wikipedia.org