SAP Portals, Inc. and Baan have announced a strategic alliance that will enable Baan customers to quickly and easily integrate disparate software applications into the iBaan Portal. Under the terms of the alliance, technology from SAP Portals will be embedded within the iBaan Portal solution, and Baan will participate in the advisory board of SAP Portals. This alliance with Baan follows SAP Portals' recently announced strategy to develop an open partnership model that fosters a broad technology and content ecosystem. The new iBaan suite of Internet-enabled collaboration solutions addresses manufacturers' growing demands for tighter integration and full visibility across their entire supply chains. The suite combines Baan technology with new developments that enable customers to take steps toward the integration of systems and processes, provide end users with personalized and easy-to-use information, and empower businesses to collaborate with their customers and suppliers over the Internet.