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