VAN EDI technology is well over 20 years old now. With the rise of the Internet, AS2 (see other recent thread) and other Internet communication technologies provide secure, authenticated ways of exchanging standards compliant data that replace the obsolete VAN methodology. With a similar (or lower) investment you get a communication ability with no VAN fees. Adding work flows, event driven processes and exception management to the data exchanged increases the value of electronic data exponentially. Can't do that with the old VAN mail box model, doesn't work.
A few years back there was a hue and cry that "EDI is dead" this of course was untrue. EDI will always exist in some standards compliant format however what is happening is the death of VAN's. Obsolete technology & process. It was great when there were no other options. Think about it, do you have any piece of technology or software in your company that is over 20 years old? (Other than in the display case)
One of the reasons IBM sold it's VAN to GXS is because the market is shrinking. GXS continues to try to offer a hybrid VAN / Web EDI solution to maintain their VAN cash cow but emerging markets like China refuse to do VAN EDI and are going with Internet based solutions. VAN's are loathe to go to a pure Internet offering because it doesn't have the reoccurring revenue stream traditional VAN EDI has. They will resist and milk the cow till it goes dry.
I can hear the argument "but the big guys only do VAN EDI," not true. Big companies need a significant portion of their suppliers connected for APS and SCM solutions to be accurate. It used to be good enough to just have your Tier 1 suppliers on EDI, no more, competition is too fierce. Small and medium companies won't do VAN EDI due to the cost & technical challenges involved. The trend for Internet based solutions continues to grow and the big guys in most verticals have pilots or active programs to phase out their VAN EDI connections over time.
Save a copy of that VAN list, Tier 1 or not it will be a collectors item in the not too distant future. Take a snap shot & stick it in the box with your museum pictures of Dinosaurs. :-)
James Hatcher
Seeburger
At 01:20 PM 3/22/2005 -0500, Glen Haywood wrote:
In the good old days, Value Added Networks (VANs) maintained a pretty
exclusive "club membership" so as to protect themselves and their customers'
data. Tier 1 VANs signed and maintained quite extensive Interconnect
Agreements that laid out terms of interchange of data including but not
limited to mailbagging, traceability of files, minimum volume of activity,
established 'store & forward' applications under their own control, and so
on.
The requirements were set high so that not just anyone could "slap a PC into
their basement " and claim VAN status.
Unfortunately, as EDI demands were increased and technology advancements in
both hardware and communications were achieved, it seems that you could
"slap a PC anywhere" and claim VAN as your business. Foolish enough as it
seems, some Tier 1's accepted VAN status claims from these small service
centers and began to provide interconnects with them. This is not only a
violation of the intent of the original Interconnect Agreements, but had
resulted in lessened security, more "lost data" and similar problems because
many new VANs simply could not manage nor see the reason to create services
like mailbag capabilities in the first place.
We now have a whole series of players in the VAN world who actually are
merely resellers of some of the old Tier 1 VAN services, yet claim pure VAN
status.
The North American list of Tier 1 VANs consisted of GEIS, Sterling/Commerce,
IBM/Advantis, MCI; Traderoute; Commport; AT&T and few others. Most are still
around under new names perhaps, whereas others have merely been gobbled up
in a consolidation of the business.
Part of the issue with EDI is now the proliferation of wannabe VANs who
just cannot deliver the services.
Glen Haywood
General Manager, Sales
Commport Communications Int'l, inc.
(905) 727-6782 ext.2206
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.commport.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Lee [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, March 22, 2005 10:33 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [EDI-L] <Misc> Current Matrix of VANS
Glen,
What and who defines a Tier 1 VAN?
Thanks,
-Steve
"Glen Haywood" To:
leem, "'Michael Josiah'", EDI-L
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> cc:
Subject: RE:
[EDI-L] <Misc> Current Matrix of VANS
03/22/2005 10:29 AM
Please respond to
glenh
Lee,
While the EDI directory is a useful tool, some of the information can be
misleading. Case in point, there are 12 companies listed as VAN's whereby
only 3 of them are recognized as a Tier 1 VAN. There should be a screening
process prohibiting certain companies that sell themselves off as a VAN as
Stephen Lee has pointed out. The listing process only allows for a company
to list under 6 categories. Any full service company like Commport has
difficulty pigeon holeing themselves into such narrowly defined categories.
BTW, Commport Communications is a recognized Tier 1 VAN and I am the POC.
Glen Haywood
General Manager, Sales
Commport Communications Int'l, inc.
(905) 727-6782 ext.2206
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.commport.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Lee Mrkonjic [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Monday, March 21, 2005 5:35 PM
To: 'Michael Josiah'; [email protected]
Subject: RE: [EDI-L] <Misc> Current Matrix of VANS
Michael,
You will find a comprehensive list in the EDI Vendor Directory. Visit
www.edidirectory.com.
Regards,
Lee Mrkonjic
Publisher - EDI Vendor Directory
416.657.4426
416.391.0865 (fax)
www.edidirectory.com
www.vantagepoint.ca
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Michael Josiah [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
>Sent: March 21, 2005 5:04 PM
>To: [email protected]
>Subject: [EDI-L] <Misc> Current Matrix of VANS
>
>
>
>Perhaps someone in the EDI List world has put together a
>document of current POC's for the active VANS.
>
>I contacted Sears the other day, and when I asked about the
>VAN was told that they are now using "G International"
>formually known as IBM. That was news to me. Who is "G
>International?"
>
>What other recent surprises are there? I know that a few
>months ago Inovis acquired QRS. What else is going on in the
>ever changing world of VANS? If someone has a current Matrix
>of this and/or a migration list of who has been aquired, I
>would appreciate it.
>
>Thanks in Advance,
>
>Shalom,
>
>Michael Josiah
>
>
>
>
>
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