How to use B2BGateway EDI solutions to fulfill your orders when using NetSuite and a 3PL



It is important to understand the flow of documents when working with EDI. This sequence will show you how to work with a 3PL or Third Party Logistics provider and NetSuite when integrating with a box store retailer such as Walmart. This is a typical EDI transaction where the NetSuite user uses a 3PL to store and ship goods. 

 

 



(1) A Purchase Order (850) is sent from Trading Partner to NetSuite user and is imported into NetSuite as a Sales Order (850).
(2) The Sales Order is pulled from NetSuite based on pre-determined criteria and sent as a Warehouse Ship Order (940) to the 3PL.
(3) The 3PL returns a Warehouse Ship Advice (945) which B2BGateway sends to the TP (if required) as an Advance Ship Notice (856) and also fulfills the sales order in NetSuite.
(4) The NetSuite user creates an Invoice (810) in NetSuite and based on the query rules established it will be pulled by B2BGateway and sent to the TP as an Invoice (810).

To learn more about B2BGateways fully integrated EDI solutions for NetSuite and 3PL's , please visit us online at www.B2BGateway.Net, email Sales@B2BGateway.Net or call 401-401-9595 extension 5.               

Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) and EDI

A warehouse management system (WMS) is a software application that supports the day-to-day operations in a warehouse and is a key part of the modern supply chain process. WMS programs enable centralized management of tasks such as tracking inventory levels, receiving, picking, put-away and identifying stock locations.

 
A WMS monitors the progress of products through the warehouse. It involves the physical warehouse infrastructure, tracking systems, and communication between product stations. More precisely, warehouse management involves the receipt, storage and movement of goods to distribution centers or to a final customer. In today’s modern world, organizations may use multiple levels of warehouses. These may include a central warehouse, regional warehouses (serviced by the central warehouse) and potentially retail warehouses (serviced by the regional warehouses).
 
Early warehouse management systems could only provide simple storage location functionality. Current WMS applications can be so complex and data intensive that they require a dedicated staff to run them. High-end systems may include tracking and routing technologies such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and voice recognition.
 
No matter how simple or complex the application is, the goal of a warehouse management system remains the same -- to provide management with the information it needs to efficiently control the movement of materials within a warehouse.
 
WMS systems may be standalone applications or modules of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.  B2BGateway offers clients fully integrated, cloud based EDI solutions to link their WMS with their ERP or Accounting Software solution. This automates the flow of data between systems and removes the need to re-key data.  This in turn gives the client greater accuracy, reduces charge backs and saves both time and money.
 
To learn more about B2BGateways fully integrated EDI solutions for WMS call +1-401-491-9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net 

Logistics Pooling

At the recent ECR Ireland Supply Chain Summit in Dublin, two themes for the supply chain future prevailed: Sustainability and Logistics Pooling. In this short blog I am going to concentrate on Logistics Pooling – what is it and what are its advantages?

 
Logistics Pooling has been defined by Jesus Gonzalez-Feliu as the common usage of logistics resources: material (vehicles, platforms), human (drivers, land operators) and immaterial (software tools, information) between organizations. It consists of a semi-closed group of collaborators who share vehicles and platforms to reduce their logistics costs and the environmental nuisances related to last mile distribution in urban dense zones. 
 
Quite simply it is the sharing of transportation resources to get goods to the same distribution centre by making best use of space available (i.e. sending one full truck with multiple organizations goods on board, rather than sending many half empty trucks for each organization).
 
Logistics Pooling offers the following advantages to suppliers and manufacturers:

·         Ability to meet demands of retailers who want smaller volumes to be delivered more often(greater freshness of product, reduced inventory levels, etc.).
·         Ability to reduce transportation costs.
·         Environmental awareness and sustainability by reducing CO2 emissions.
 
For further information on automating your supply chain processes and making the best use of supply chain logistics please contact our sales team today on 401-491-9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

Will EDI work with 'Cloud Based' ERP systems?

As the popularity of cloud based ERP systems such as NetSuite and Intacct continues to surge, we often get the following question from customers who are considering switching to a cloud-based ERP system: Will this affect our capabilities to continue doing EDI with our trading partners?
 
The short answer is no, it should not. At B2BGateway we have been providing fully-integrated EDI solutions for the leading cloud-based ERP providers such as NetSuite, Intacct and Sage ERP X3 for over a decade. However, like everything else, you will need to do your homework to see if the new cloud-based ERP system you are considering is EDI capable. I would advise finding out the following:
 
·         Is the new ERP system fully cloud-based, or is it a hosted online version of a current on-premises
      ERP product?
 
·         Does the cloud based ERP system have both import and export functionality?
 
·         Will you need to purchase additional EDI modules/connectors from the cloud ERP vendor?
 
·         Is your current EDI provider capable of working with and integrating the new cloud based ERP
      solution? If not, are there other third party EDI providers on the market who can work with the
      new product?
 
·         Does the cloud-based ERP vendor currently have clients and partners using EDI with their system
     and can you get references?
 
I would also go to online sites such as LinkedIn to see are there any user groups for the new ERP system. You could post a question amongst users to see if any are currently using EDI and to get their recommendations. For further information on B2BGateway’s EDI solutions, including solutions for cloud-based ERP systems, please visit www.B2BGateway.Net or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

 

Are you prepared for Cyber Monday?

Cyber Monday is a marketing term for the Monday after Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving and one of the busiest shopping days in the United States. This year Cyber Monday falls on December 2, 2013. The term "Cyber Monday" was created by marketing companies and made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled "'Cyber Monday Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year". According to the Shop.org/BizRate Research 2005 eHoliday Mood Study, "77 percent of online retailers said that their sales increased substantially on the Monday after Thanksgiving, a trend that is driving serious online discounts and promotions on Cyber Monday this year (2005)".

 
Last year the Adobe Digital Index called for Cyber Monday to pass the $2 billion sales mark. The actual tally was $1.98 billion, just short. But the 2013 Online Shopping Forecast that Adobe recently released promises that the threshold will be crossed and then some this year, calling for an e-commerce tally of approximately $2.27 billion.
 
Adobe forecasts that only 2% of holiday purchases will be made via social media sites, but says that sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest don't get credit for the role they play in purchase decisions.
 
Online retailers promote Cyber Monday using a variety of Internet marketing strategies, including smart phone advertisements. Comparison shoppers with smart phones connected to the Internet can easily find the hottest deals with the press of a button. Many online retailers have apps that allow smart phone users to look up products in their store. As a result, the buyer has an opportunity to explore other online stores for steeper bargains. In addition, this breeds fierce competition that grants online shoppers discounts not found in brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday.
 
Many eCommerce stores use EDI technology to gain efficiencies in their overall supply chain operations, such as using the EDI 940/945 transaction sets to communicate electronically and efficiently with their 3^rd party warehouses or the EDI 846 transaction set to get regular updates on inventory levels from their suppliers.
 
If you would like to learn more about how B2BGateway’s EDI solutions can help improve your eCommerce supply chain efficiencies please call (401) 491 9595 or email Sales @B2BGateway.Net

 

EDI Web Portals Vs. Full Integration

 

Many organizations use vendor specific EDI web portals (e.g. Amazon Vendor Central) to communicate with their trading parties, often these organizations may have multiple vendor specific EDI portals to deal with on a daily basis. This requires a lot of labor and manual data entry on the organizations behalf, from downloading purchase orders and re-keying the data into the organizations backend ERP/accounting software solution, to manually creating invoices and uploading same to the vendor specific EDI web portal.

 
As one client previously said “I know these portals are tedious and error prone, but I guess this is the price we have to pay to trade with the large vendors?” Wrong. Organizations do not have to solely communicate with their trading partners through their vendor specific EDI portals. Yes the option is there to use these EDI portals and often they are a good starting point for a young or seasonal operation. But as the organization grows, more trading partners are added and orders increase, the organization should seriously consider switching from a portal based EDI system to one that is fully integrated with their ERP or accounting software solution (e.g. NetSuite, Intacct, Sage, SAP, QuickBooks, etc.).
 
By fully integrating the organizations EDI needs with their business software application the organization can create greater efficiencies by having a seamless flow of all business documentation required. Fully integrated EDI solutions remove the need to re-key data, reduce labor costs, reduce human error and speed up the ‘order to payment’ cash cycle for the organization.
 
If you would like to know more on how B2BGateway can help your organization gain greater efficiencies and cost savings by bypassing vendor specific EDI web portals and introducing a fully integrated EDI solution, please call (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net  

EDI 832 Product/Sales Catalog

 

The EDI 832 transaction set is an electronic Price/Sales Catalog that is used to request or provide the prices of goods or services in the form of a catalog. Just like in non-EDI transactions, suppliers and customers must exchange product catalogs to understand the products and goods being exchanged. The EDI 832 transaction set replaces the traditional paper catalog. It is used primarily by manufacturers to send vital product information to their trading partners such as retailers, distributors and agents.

The EDI 832 transaction set generally contains the following information:

·         Seller name and contact information

·         Terms of sale information

·         Physical description of items including packaging and item identification

·         Item pricing information including quantity, units of measure and discounts available

The aforementioned retailers, distributors and agents who receive the EDI 832 transaction set from their trading partner(s) can integrate the data directly with their ERP or Accounting Software solution, thus helping to automate the exchange of information. Key information contained in the EDI 832 transaction set like minimum order quantities and number of items per container provides the client with key information to be used in the ordering process.

For further information on how B2BGateway can help your organization to integrate the EDI 832 Prices/Sales Catalog into your ERP/Accounting software solution please call our sales team today on (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net  

We probably all have heard of 3PL’s and 4PL’s in the logistics industry, but what on earth is a 10PL?

In the world of modern logistics we probably all have heard of 3PL’s and 4PL’s. A 3PL (abbreviation for Third Party Logistics Provider) is a firm that provides service to its customers of outsourced logistics services for part, or all of their supply chain management functions. 3PL’s typically specialize in integrated operation, warehousing and transportation services that can be scaled and customized to customers' needs based on market conditions. Whereas a 3PL service provider targets a single function, a 4PL targets management of the entire process. Some have described a 4PL as a general contractor that manages other 3PLs, truckers, forwarders, custom house agents, and others, essentially taking responsibility of a complete process for the customer.
 

Now some logistics providers have further increased their services and are calling themselves 10PL’s. Here is pyramid chart of the services and functions offered by a 10PL:

 

At B2BGateway we provide cloud-based, fully integrated EDI and automated supply chain solutions that will directly link you to your logistics provider, be they a 1PL, 2PL, 3PL, 4PL……..10PL. For further information on how your organization can communicate seamlessly with your logistics provider please call +1 401-491-9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net



 

5 ways to increase Cloud Security

Cloud computing is growing at a rapid pace, offering many benefits to end users such as cost savings, scalability, ease of access, speed of implementation and so on. At B2BGateway our EDI systems have been operating in ‘The Cloud’ since 1999, long before the term ‘Cloud Computing’ was invented; heck, back then we just simply called it doing business over the internet.

 
As with all technology, security should be to the forefront if you are considering moving your systems to the cloud. Here are my top five tips that you should consider when looking at cloud based applications and/or cloud providers:

1. Make sure your cloud provider has put security into your SLA.

Many cloud providers do not mention security in their SLA’s. In your negotiations with a cloud provider you should bring up security and insist that the provider puts the agreed security terms into the SLA.  The rules of Caveat Emptor apply here – ‘Let the buyer beware’.

2. Passwords

The importance of strong passwords cannot be stressed enough. Yet, even today, many people still set weak passwords and are reckless with passing them on to other members of staff who do not need to know them. New passwords should be set frequently, particularly if key members of staff leave the organization.

3. Encryption

Encryption will help to limit the damage if your systems are hacked or wrongly accessed. It will also give users confidence that their data is more secure.

4. Test, test, test……and test again
The only sure-fire way to make something secure is to test it. Test, test and test again, always trying to break it, you may even consider hiring an outside contractor for an independent point of view. Chances are that if you and/or your contractor can find a way to get unauthorized access, someone else can as well.

5. Firewall

A good firewall is still one of the best solutions to preventing unauthorized access to your data. Because of the very nature of cloud computing, remote access will no doubt be required by authorized users in your organization. A firewall will add an extra layer of security and help fend off unwanted approaches.

If you would like to know more about B2BGateway’s cloud-based EDI solutions and our security measures within, please contact our team at Sales@B2BGateway.Net or call +1 401-491-9595.

VAN - Value Added Network



A Value Added network (VAN) is a private network provider that is hired to facilitate the transportation of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) documents or provide other network services. The VAN service acts as a virtual mailbox used by trading partners to exchange data.

VANs traditionally transmit data formatted as Electronic Data Interchange but increasingly they also transmit data formatted as XML or in more specific "binary" formats. VANs usually service a given industry and provide "Value Added Network Services" ("VAN Services" or VANSs) such as data transformation between formats (EDI-to-XML, EDI-to-EDI, etc.).

A VAN not only transports (receives, stores and forwards) documents but also adds audit information to them and modifies the data in the process of automatic error detection and correction or conversion between communications protocols.

B2BGateway, although not a VAN, works with and connects to all of the major VANs (GXS, Inovis, Covisint and many more) as well as many smaller VANs. If your trading partner has a VAN that we have not used, the interconnect is set up, tested and put into production - usually within a day. A VAN is just one of the many ways documents can be transported. Some of the more popular transmission protocols include AS2, SFTP, FTP and others. There is no limit to the types of transmission protocols B2BGateway can connect with; they are only different, based upon the preference of your industry or trading partner.

If your trading partner requires you to use a VAN to exchange your documents please call B2BGateway on +1 401 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net  for further details on how we can make this seamless for you.

Functional Acknowledgement (FA) - The EDI 997 Transaction Set

The EDI 997 transaction set, more commonly known as the Functional Acknowledgment or FA, is sent by one trading party to acknowledge the receipt of other EDI transaction sets previously sent by another trading party.

The EDI 997 is always sent by both buyer and seller as a way of ensuring that the communication of the EDI 997 was successful. Through the EDI 997 transaction set, trading partners can analyze which EDI transactions were successful and which had issues that need to be rectified.

It is important to note that when you receive an EDI 997 in response to an EDI transaction set sent previously, it only acknowledges that your EDI transaction set was received and was processed by your trading partner. It does not provide any indication that the trading partner agrees with the contents of the transaction set, or that the transaction has met all their business requirements.

At B2BGateway we handle all EDI 997 transaction sets on behalf of our clients free of charge. For further information on the EDI 997 and the free service offered by B2BGateway, please call our sales team now on +1 (401) 491 9595 ext 5 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

Drop Shipping and EDI

Drop shipping is a supply chain management technique in which the retailer does not stock or take possession of the goods, but instead transfers customer orders and shipment details to either the manufacturer or wholesaler direct. It is the manufacturer or wholesaler who then ships the goods directly to the customer.

Some drop shipping retailers may have example ‘not for resale’ items in store, so that customers can inspect an item similar to those that they can purchase. Other retailers may provide only a catalogue or online listing of their products e.g. Amazon.

Drop shipping reduces inventory, warehousing, packaging, labor and shipping costs for retailers by enabling them to pass orders and ship to information along to the manufacturer or wholesaler direct. EDI can help drop ship trading partners, by not alone providing integrated order, invoicing  and shipping solutions, but by also providing the EDI 846 transaction set otherwise known as the Inventory Inquiry/Advice (INVRPT in EDIFACT). The EDI 846 is used by manufacturers and wholesalers to notify retailers and trading partners of stock and inventory levels so that the retailer doesn’t commit to sales where not enough stock is available.

For further information on how you can use B2BGateway’s EDI solutions to further automate your drop shipping requirements please call (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

What is an ASN?

An ASN (Advance Ship Notice) is an electronic document that provides a detailed notification of a pending delivery. It is a commonly used EDI transaction set known as the EDI 856 under the ANSI X12 standards or the DESADV (Despatch Advice) under EDIFACT standards. The purpose of an ASN is to notify the customer when shipping occurs and provide physical characteristics about the shipment so the customer can be prepared to accept delivery to their warehouse or store.  

The ASN which ties back to the original Purchase Order (PO) sent can be used to list the contents of a shipment of goods as well as additional information such as when an order will be shipped, which items are being shipped, how many of each item is being shipped and physical characteristics about the shipment such as the shipment’s weight, the number of boxes and a description of how the shipment units are packaged. An ASN also tells the customer which mode of transportation is being used for shipping and provides carrier information.

Retailers have found that having an ASN requirement as part of their overall EDI compliance structure leads to greater accuracy, greater flexibility and an overall reduction in costs.

If you would like to know more about the ASN and how B2BGateway can help you implement this EDI transaction set please call (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

Integrate eCommerce with ERP

 

 

Integrate your eCommerce site with your back end ERP or accounting software solution http://bit.ly/16Zp24w

EDI 846 - Inventory Updates

An EDI 846 transaction set (EDIFACT: INVRPT) is an inventory inquiry/advice or an electronic version of inventory update. It is used by trading partners to communicate inventory levels and whether there is enough stock of goods on hand to be sold electronically. It has become particularly important for online retailers such as Amazon to have this information at hand, particularly when drop shipping. Online retailers cannot reliably offer goods to consumers without having up to date information regarding a supplier’s inventory of goods.

 

EDI can help solve this problem through the EDI 846 transaction set and most large online retailers now insist that their suppliers are capable of sending them the EDI 846 transaction set. The EDI 846 can be sent multiple times a day or a few times a week depending on the needs of the trading partners. Typically an EDI 846 transaction set includes:

·         Inventory Amount

·         Committed Inventory

·         Quantity On Order

·         Backorder quantity

·         Inventory in transit

·         Returns

 

The EDI 846 transaction set can be used in the following ways:

(1) The seller of goods and services can provide inventory information to a prospective purchaser, with no obligation to the purchaser to acquire these goods.

(2) A representative of a seller of goods can supply inventory information to that seller

(3) For one location to supply another location with up to date inventory information

(4) An inquiry as to the availability of inventory or stock with no obligation on the seller of the goods to reserve that inventory.

For further information on how B2BGateway can help your organization set up and handle the EDI 846 inventory update with your trading partners please call our sales team today on (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net  

Louisa Gooding is Director of Sales & Marketing at B2BGateway.Net

Have a Safe and Happy 4th of July!

Wishing everyone a very safe and happy 4th of July from all at B2BGateway.Net http://bit.ly/19QJypV

Sage moves into the cloud with Sage 200 Online

 

Sage UK and Ireland has gone into the cloud, launching the first online version of its Sage 200 ERP suite on Microsoft's Azure platform.

The ERP software, named Sage 200 Online, is aimed at small to mid-sized businesses with 20 to 200 employees, and will give customers access to the same financial management features as the existing on-premise Sage 200 ERP. Users will also be able to add additional modules to the suite as part of a pay-for-use model.

Sage 200 Online will be available on a 'pay as you go' basis, with customers able to choose modules that are relevant to them, not paying for what they don't use, and to add and remove users to respond to fluctuations in demand. Customers who prefer to continue using the existing on-premise solution can continue to do so and will not be forced by Sage to switch to the new Sage 200 Online product.

B2BGateway will continue to provide industry leading cloud-based, fully integrated solutions for all Sage products. For further information on B2BGateway’s fully integrated EDI solutions for the Sage 200 ERP suite of products please visit B2BGateway Sage 200 EDI or call +353 61 708533.

EDI - Get In the Game!

Did you know?

 

·         The majority of the world’s leading retailers Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Carrefour, Tesco, Boots, CVS and thousands more will not offer your organization a supplier contract until your business is EDI enabled.

·         Fully integrated EDI solutions remove the need to re-key data, thus saving your organization time, money and greatly reducing costly errors and chargebacks.

·         You can use EDI to communicate effectively and efficiently with your Third Party Logistics Provider (3PL) or outsourced warehouse. Leading 3PL providers such as Kuehne+Nagel, Motivational Fulfillment & Logistics Services, Team Logistics, Kamino and many, many more use EDI to connect directly with your organization and your trading partners.

·         EDI is rapidly becoming best business practice in eCommerce and online retail (Amazon, Buy.com). Your organization can also use EDI to connect your shopping cart platform (3dcart, Magento, Volusion) to your back end business software.

·         By automating your organizations business document flow thru EDI you can speed up payment and greatly reduce your organizations ‘order to payment’ cash cycle.

·         Cloud based EDI solutions are extremely cost efficient and do not require your organization to invest in additional hardware, software or personnel. 

Be prepared to grow your business – Get In the Game with EDI! For further details on B2BGateway.Net’s cloud based, fully integrated EDI solutions please visit www.B2BGateway.Net, email Sales@B2BGateway.Net or call +1 (401) 491 9595.

B2BGateway EDI Order Portals – Receive your orders faster and error free!

 

Question: Are many of your customers still calling in, faxing or emailing their orders to you? Does this put a strain on your staff resources, create errors and confusion, and generally make your supply chain processes less efficient? If the answer is yes to any of the above, it is time that you considered introducing a B2BGateway Order Portal to allow efficient communications between your organization and your customers. Having a B2BGateway Order Portal will allow your organization to:

·         Display all your products on a drop down menu allowing your customers to choose which products and quantity that they would like to order electronically.

·         Eliminate paper, phone calls and email orders. Have one simple solution for your organizations order taking.

·         Import orders (EDI 850) from your customers direct to your back end Accounting/ERP software system. Full seamless, cloud based integration with no need to re-key data.

·         The B2BGateway Order Portal will be fully customized with your organizations, branding, colors and logos.

·         Reduce costs, errors and labor associated with manual data entry.

·         Add or delete customers as the need arises.

·         Communicate special offers, end of product lines, events or trade information.

·         Be compliant with all global EDI standards including ANSI X12, UN/EDIFACT, EANCOM, Tradacoms, Odette, XML etc.

What are the benefits for your customers?

·         As the solution is web based your customers will not need to invest in additional hardware or software systems – all they will require is a computer and an internet connection.

·         Your customers will be able to create, send, save and edit all orders that they send to your organization.

·         Past orders can be copied to create a new order in order to facilitate easy ordering.

·         There is an on screen record of all transactions and your customers will have the ability to edit their own company information and login passwords.

·         It helps speed up the ‘Order to Payment’ cash cycle and streamline the overall supply chain process.

For further information on B2BGateway’s Order Portal and how it can help you achive great overall supply chain efficiencies between your organization and your customers please click here or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net

 

 

B2BGateway’s EDI solutions achieve ‘Built for NetSuite’ verification.

‘Built for NetSuite’ is a new program for NetSuite SuiteCloud Developer Network (SDN) partners that provides them with information, resources and a method to verify that their applications and integrations, built using the NetSuite SuiteCloud Computing Platform, meet new NetSuite standards and best practices. The ‘Built for NetSuite’ program is designed to give NetSuite customers additional confidence that SuiteApps have been built to meet these standards.

To participate in ‘Built for NetSuite’, B2BGateway a long term NetSuite EDI partner since 2001,  was required to review its NetSuite EDI SuiteApp solution against NetSuite's standards and submit to NetSuite a verification of compliance with the documented practices for architecture, development, privacy and security. The ‘Built for NetSuite’ review team also required B2BGateway to provide a demonstration of its fully integrated EDI solution for NetSuite as well as positive customer references. B2BGateway will repeat the verification semi-annually in sync with the NetSuite product release cycle in order to maintain its ‘Built for NetSuite’ badge.

 

For more information on B2BGateway's EDI solutions for NetSuite please visit www.B2BGateway.Net

Congratulations to Russ Griffith of e2b teknologies - Winner of our Hot Air Balloon Ride at Sage Summit!

Congratulations to Russ Griffith of e2b technologies, winner of our grand prize of a Hot Air Balloon Ride at last year’s Sage Summit. Russ had a great time travelling over some spectacular scenery and sent us these pictures with a brief note: “I wanted to let you (B2BGateway.Net) know that we were able to take our balloon ride over this past weekend.  We flew on Sunday morning and it was absolutely great!  I wanted to say thank you again!  My sister and I had a great time on the flight and we got a few pictures that I wanted to share with you”. We are so glad that you enjoyed it Russ and we look forward to meeting you and all the Sage partners and clients again at this years Sage Summit which takes place at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center | National Harbor, MD (near Washington, DC) from July 21-26, 2013.

To learn more about B2BGateway.Net's cloud based, fully integrated EDI solutions for Sage please visit www.B2BGateway.Net

Webinar: 4 Reasons ERP Software Experts Prefer EDI by B2BGateway

 

 

 

Click on the above image to register for our latest webinar in association with ERP VAR: 4 Reasons ERP Software Experts Prefer EDI by B2BGateway.

Call +1 (401) 491 9595 or email Sales@B2BGateway.Net for further details.

What is AS2?

Question: Hi Louisa, I have just landed a contract to supply Walmart (woohoo!) but they want me to do EDI by using something called AS2. Do you know what AS2 is?

 
Answer: Hi Jim, thanks for the question. Yes, AS2 (Applicability Statement 2) is a specification intended to ensure the proper level of security and reliability for data transmitted over the Internet. Security is achieved by using digital certificates and encryption. In short AS2 is a secure way to exchange data over the internet, in this case the exchange of PO’s, Invoices and ASNs (Advance Ship Notices) between your organization and Walmart.

Document exchange requires more than just moving data over a wire. Because business documents are the basis not only of business planning and operations, but also the legal obligations between companies, the documents must be transferred securely, processed quickly and delivered reliably. AS2 is one of a small number of emerging standards that addresses these requirements and is becoming a very popular communication protocol used in EDI today. Walmart has been one of the great advocates of the adoption of AS2 in the EDI marketplace and many more have followed since.

If you would like to learn more about AS2 or indeed any other EDI communication protocol such as VAN, FTP, FTPs, HTTP, etc please email Sales@B2BGateway.Net or call (401) 491 9595 for further details.

Louisa Gooding is Director of Sales & Marketing at B2BGateway.Net