EDI To Merge With Internet

Ray Van Eng (06/15/96)

It just makes perfect sense. EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) which used to require expensive proprietary value-added networks (VANs) to operate will now be able to employ the massive inexpensive global network, the Internet, for the transmission of vital business information such as purchasing, stocking, financing, payment, manufacturing, transportation and other logistical information between business partners in all sorts of industries.

From one of the biggest global provider of business productivity services, GE Information Services is promoting the TradeWeb(TM) which offers an extremely easy to use entry level service for small businesses to use the Internet to do EDI communication.

To sign on and use the service, the small business operator would simply log onto GE's TradeWeb (http://www.tradeweb.com), fill out an registration form and within minutes be able to conduct electronic commerce with other trading partners via the EDI platform. No special software or private network connection is needed. Just any popular world wide web browser and a regular Internet connection.

Data security is enabled through Netscape's widely adopted Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology. GE also provides authentication services among trading partners.

The GE TradeWeb program is designed to attract the almost 2 million small businesses that are not using EDI. The Forrester Research Group have indicated that more than 55% of Fortune 1000 companies who currently use VANs for EDI like to have an Internet based solution in order to expand their reach into dealing with minor trading partners.

GE Information Services is not the only one having a EDI/Internet products. Other companies claim that they do also.

Harbinger Corp. is introducing The TrustedLink Guardian service that would allow EDI transmissions over the Internet via any secure web server and be able to convert EDI messages into readable business documents. The service is said to be publicly available in the fourth quarter of this year.

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