On March 27, at Bangalore, Planetasia.com, a global Internet Professional Services (IPS) company, was named as the first Certified Ariba System Integrator (CASI) in India by Ariba, Inc., the world’s leading solution provider for business to business (B2B) e-commerce.

As a CASI, Planetasia.com will strategise, architect and develop B2B solutions for clients in diverse market segments in India and across the world. It will integrate the Ariba B2B Dynamic Trading solution with other components to provide highly profitable B2B solutions to its global customers. The partnership allows Planetasia.com to access the entire range of Ariba products and its referral customers. Additionally, it will initiate joint market expansion programmes with Ariba, and maximise the opportunity to participate in global events of the Ariba marketplace.

B2B e-commerce transactions are expected to grow to $ 7.3 trillion globally, by 2004. "B2B marketplaces will be the primary engines that accelerate the growth of Internet businesses through cost-efficiencies and increased competitive advantage," said Anand Sudarshan, president, Planetasia.com. "We recognise that organisations are constantly looking for integrated solutions on a robust platform. Our alliance with Ariba will equip us to deliver the most dynamic and scaleable solutions to our global clients at a reduced time-to-market. This alliance further cements our leadership position, and stands testimony to our unstinting efforts to enhance the value of the solutions we build for our clients."

"To maximise competitive impact from the new B2B ecosystem, organisations today are seeking a B2B e-commerce platform that will allow them to leverage and extend their assets into the new economy," said Mukesh Aghi, managing director (Asia-Pacific), Ariba. "Our partnership with Planetasia.com will help us deploy cutting edge technologies in our quest to produce the most dynamic and viable solutions for our customers."

Planetasia.com and Ariba also announced the first digital marketplace built by this alliance, Mindtrac.com -- a global B2B marketplace for the tyre industry. Mindtrac.com is a Singapore-based company, which is focussing on providing an entire suite of value-added services to the tyre industry, with full settlement functionality that typifies a comprehensive B2B exchange. "Mindtrac.com will set new standards in the tyre industry by providing the global tire industry with a platform to interact, transact & build relationships," said G.S. Sareen, CEO, Mindtrac.com. "Our vision is to provide the entire life-cycle of transaction services, from buyer-seller interaction, through full settlement including logistics and payment connectivity – thereby setting new standards in global B2B exchanges."

Ariba, Inc. is the global leader in B2B e-commerce solutions. Through the Ariba B2B commerce platform -- an open, end-to-end infrastructure of interoperable software solutions and hosted web-based commerce services -- the company enables efficient online trade, integration and collaboration between B2B marketplaces, buyers, suppliers and commerce service providers. Its clientele includes more than 20 of the Fortune 100 companies.

Planetasia.com was the only Indian IPS company to be nominated for the Internet World Asia Industry Awards which were announced at the recently concluded Internet World held in Singapore. Its services include web strategy and consulting, architecting and developing solutions in the B2B, B2C and knowledge management areas, and audience development and personalisation services. It has alliances with Ariba, Vignette, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM and Intel. Besides having clients in the US, South East Asia and Europe, clients in India include Asian Paints, Hindustan Lever, Wipro Corporation, Cadbury, CNBC India, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hutchison Max, Sony Music and Standard Chartered Bank.