Cheapest EDI Communications Method?

Question

I am seeking to set up a continuing purchasing exchange with a vendor and wanted to know the cheapest method that works. I would prefer not using a 3rd party, except maybe to set things up.

I am given the choice of VAN, FTP, SFTP, and AS2 by the vendor. I think we will use the X12 standard and transmit 832 Catalogs, 850 Purchase Orders, 810 Invoices, and 997 Acknowledgements. These will be less than 30 transactions a month for now, but I would like a system that can expand to more transactions and more vendors.

Answer 1

FTP would be the cheapest. FTP is older than dirt, you can easily roll your own solution without having to worry about 3rd party certification (Drummond Group certification for AS2 software, for example). You could use Windows batch files to send files via FTP if you wanted to, but there's a ton of free software out there. You wouldn't incur per transaction charges like you would with a VAN (the most expensive option on your list).

Not every partner is going to support standard (clear) FTP.

In order of cost:

• FTP (free)

• SFTP (would probably need a small software investment)

• AS2 (software investment - Cleo Lexicom, etc, but no transaction
  charge)

• VAN (usually a mailbox / subscription fee with a charge per
  kilocharacter or transaction - on going)

With my implementation, I'm supporting all three (FTP, AS2, VAN), because that's what my trading partners wanted.

Answer 2

all VAN charge... For AS2, FTP, SFTP: good open source software is available. FTP is not secured, IMHO avoid it if possible. AS2 might be somewhat more complicated to setup. (and just to remind: SFTP is something else than FTPS).