Issue link: https://axway.uberflip.com/i/991661
axway.com 3 EDI: A secure, established B2B technology Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is especially common in supply chain processes, such as order-to-cash and procure- to-pay, which is used by banks to exchange corporate payables and receivables with enterprise customers. This technology is also popular in the government and healthcare sectors for exchanging customs documents, legal documents, health records and business-to- government reports. It provides a strict framework for well-coded business processes, where all parties agree on specific formats for exchanging information such as invoices, purchase orders, and advanced shipment notifications. It also captures advanced rules for how information in a document is treated and whether or not it should be exchanged. But EDI has limitations. It's only capable of asynchronous interactions and confined to standardized protocols. It can't exchange data in more open environments where new data streams are expected to flow in real time and on demand from devices, mobile and web applications. API: An agile, disruptive B2B technology opening innovative possibilities APIs are the reigning stars of the web, mobile and cloud universe. Companies like Google, Expedia and Salesforce mastered the science of APIs to disrupt industries and deliver a new genre of value-added content and services with anytime accessibility and instant results. APIs enable the development of new revenue streams and services for companies through new transactions and by exposing program functionality to the outside world, enabling applications that share data and consume each other's services. Representational State Transfer (REST) allowed APIs to provide web services using mobile apps. No longer seen as just application and B2C technology, REST is used by the IT community as a B2B-like exchange protocol. As interactions between businesses and consumers take place on a variety of applications, devices and network channels, REST-based exchange patterns provide the agility and consistency needed to make it happen. Customers, partners and employees now have access to business services and data anytime, anywhere, on any device and from any source. REST-enabled APIs permit synchronous (real time) access and update of financial, customer, supplier and social data directly into business applications. Data consumers can then receive updates with virtually no latency period. B2B EDI solution scenario Develop a successful solution for a company engaged in global freight forwarding, contract logistics and warehousing processes spanning 60 countries. Objectives • Deploy an integrated, globally reliable B2B data interchange system • Extend visibility and analytics capabilities throughout the supplier network • Develop enterprise-level best practices for serving and integrating customers • Comply with global government and industry regulations Challenges • Relying on siloed legacy B2B/EDI solutions • Possessing insufficient IT resources to support a growing, global network • Lacking global visibility into B2B processes B2B EDI Solution Results • Provides a single, integrated data interchange solution for all customers and partners • Enables monitoring of key performance indicators (KPI) and SLAs • Sends proactive alerts based on business events and metrics • Empowers teams through self-service, templated reporting and mapping services • Improves quality and speed of customer engagement