EDI Integration

The need to exchange information electronically is a necessity for businesses across industries and geographies. Since electronic data interchange (EDI) was introduced in the 1980’s, many companies have adopted an EDI standard or process to expedite and streamline the transmission of data between businesses and systems.  But today, the phrase “standardized EDI” has nearly become an oxymoron, with multiple standards along with more than 400 “standardized” business documents.  What’s needed is a more flexible system of interoperability across standards combined with increased security, visibility and business process.

WebSpan Extends EDI with Comprehensive Integration Services

WebSpan enables companies to work within legacy EDI systems while extending your EDI to work hand-in-hand with other standards, systems and cutting-edge business processes. The WebSpan Advanced EDI solution optimizes the sharing of information over the Internet with a comprehensive integration platform plus professional managed services.

WebSpan Adds Multiple Features and Services to EDI, including:

• Advanced security
• Business rules
• Data validation
• Community Management
• Change Management
• Process Visibility

WebSpan Provides Interoperability across Standards and Formats

With EDI, there are two important pieces to consider:  the standardized format, such as EDI 850 or 855 for a purchase order, and the method for transmitting the data, such as FTP, HTTPs, AS1, AS2, etc.  EDI standards do dictate what pieces of information are included in any given document, but few companies address these standards in the same way or with the same data fields.  With WebSpan, you no longer have to worry about who is using what standard or in what way.  You can maintain the EDI standards and business rules you want, while still integrating with a multitude of other formats. For example, you can send an invoice in the EDI 810 format, and WebSpan enables your customers to use Oracle, SAP and Ariba on the other side, providing the transformation, business rules, security and other services required by all parties.

In this era, requiring partners or customers to do business in your format or by your standards is no longer a good way of doing business. Customers want you to do business their way, and they have a valid point. Because if you won’t, someone else will, namely, your competition. And it’s hard to demand that suppliers use a single standard, when you are also insisting they cut costs and increase time to market.  Let WebSpan manage the data exchange, so you can focus on growing your business.

How WebSpan is Different from a VAN or Clearinghouse

Managing an EDI program is often complex and expensive, which is why many companies across industries have chosen to outsource their EDI to a qualified service provider, such as a VAN or Clearinghouse.  These service providers handle the connectivity and delivery of the EDI, ensuring the sender and receiver are able to transmit the EDI documents more easily.  While this is a critical piece for EDI, this is just the first step for the WebSpan Advanced EDI solution.  Beyond connectivity and transmission, the WebSpan platform incorporates EDI into an overall business process, while providing vast features across security, management, process visibility and compliance to internal and external regulations.

A Word on Compliance

Compliance is EDI’s sticky wicket, as regulations like Sarbanes Oxley, PCI DSS, and HIPAA require strict rules around how data is moved, protected, encrypted and accessed. EDI is about transmission of data, not necessarily the protection of that data, who is accessing the data, or visibility into the process. WebSpan provides comprehensive data protection throughout the integration process, while requiring strict authentication and authorization rules for anyone attempting to access that data. What’s more, WebSpan performs security audits and enables customers to have clear visibility into the process through monitoring, reports and alerts. While no one solution can answer all compliance mandates, WebSpan does ensure that critical compliance tenets concerning security of data, identities and other information are adhered to.