Iasta Broadens and Goes Deep with SmartSource 7.0
The usually humble David Bush thumped his chest a bit on Iasta's E-Sourcing Forum yesterday. What's the occasion, you ask? Iasta has released its latest version of SmartSource. Version 7.0 -- heck, I did not know they could count that high in Indy ;-) -- includes a number of new application extensions and features. And along with this latest release also comes the introduction of SmartAnalytics, a self-service approach to spend visibility and analytics. SmartAnalytics is Iasta's first new platform since their inception, and I'll be covering it in future posts.
But back to SmartSource, at least for now. The major enhancements for version 7.0 include new executive dashboard and reporting capability, as well as improved optimization capability to drive decision support and bid analysis. The latest release also includes a basic but functional contract management capability as well (bundled along with the rest of suite). With Iasta, you get everything -- well, almost everything, except SmartAnalytics -- for one price. Now that's something that even the most seasoned sourcing person will find hard to negotiate.
- Jason Busch
But back to SmartSource, at least for now. The major enhancements for version 7.0 include new executive dashboard and reporting capability, as well as improved optimization capability to drive decision support and bid analysis. The latest release also includes a basic but functional contract management capability as well (bundled along with the rest of suite). With Iasta, you get everything -- well, almost everything, except SmartAnalytics -- for one price. Now that's something that even the most seasoned sourcing person will find hard to negotiate.
- Jason Busch
1) Anyone who is serious about an e-sourcing initiative.
2) Anyone who is interested in exploring alternatives to the large vendors.
3) Anyone who is impressed by a small company that has gained market share without the artificial boost of VC funding.
If you write off smaller e-sourcing vendors like Iasta and Procuri, you are making what could be a costly mistake.