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Re: direct internet EDI or internet VAN
On Fri, 9 May 2003, Pamela Welch wrote:
> We are currently deciding whether to implement direct AS2 connections
> with our customers or if we should instead use an Internet VAN, and I
> wanted to ask what everyone though about these two options.
NB: I'm coming from the perspective of a supplier, one of the folks that
have to clean up after the 800lb gorillas leave things in my in basket :-)
Forgive me if I'm reading something into your questions that isn't there.
Why is the "instead" in there? Why not provide multiple options so that
the suppliers can pick what works best for them. I think thats
particularly the case with something as new and potentially expensive as
AS2.
> What is the most difficult / time-consuming part of establishing &
> maintaining direct AS2 connections, and would it be more worthwhile to
> use an Internet VAN to manage the connections?
I think that probably comes down to how comfortable your organization and
your suppliers are managing a TCP/IP infrastructure. In addition to that,
from what folks have said here, even the certified AS2 packages can have
interoperability problems, so you may have to work through those things.
> We have about 50 trading partners that we are thinking about converting.
Have you polled them to find out what they are interested in/capable of
doing? If the goal is to save some money on VAN charges you may find out
that dull and boring FTP may be a better choice than AS2.
> Is there even a need for an Internet VAN if we can just do the AS2
> connections on our own?
> Is there anyone out there using an Internet VAN, and what services /
> features do they offer that you find most helpful when doing EDI over
> the Internet?
Im not exactly sure what you mean when you say "Internet VAN". In our
case, we connect over the Internet to Sterling (with AS1). From our
perspective everything runs over our Internet connection. Sterling is
providing a gateway into their regular EDI network. Our trading partners
dont see any change.
> Or is EDI over the Internet too new for adequate reliability?
We changed from a dialup connection to a VAN to using the Internet. The
internet connection is superior in every way. Faster. More reliable. You
name it, its hands down better.
FWIW, my suggestions would be:
- Talk to your suppliers and see what they are capable of and what they
would be interested in doing. If you find one that is AS2 capable already,
set them up as a test case. That will give you a much better idea of how
easy or hard it might be to manage direct connections yourself.
- Shop around for VAN prices. If you havent done so in some time you might
be surprised at how much that can save. We certainly were.
- Move your connection to the VAN to the Internet. We ended up changing
VANs because our original one wasnt very responsive in getting back with
information on changing from dialup to the Internet (and revised pricing).
- Offer choices to the suppliers. If you decide that AS2 is manageable for
you and you've got some suppliers that are interested, go for it. If
others want FTP and that works for you, offer that. If there are folks
that cant move to something Internet based and just want to keep pumping
stuff at a traditionl VAN, provide that as an option.
Joe Matuscak
Rohrer Corporation
717 Seville Road
Wadsworth, Ohio 44281
(330)335-1541
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