These facts will help you to evaluate the marketplace, recognize false claims, and understand what constitutes a credible managed EDI
service provider.
With Promethean, you get a completely hosted, managed
EDI solution, based right
here in the United States.
Insider facts on what has happened in the EDI industry over the past few years
The EDI industry is made up of several large established companies, some innovative growth companies and many more ventures that are merely store-fronts without infrastructure or commitment to the long-term. They exist only to generate sales as they rely on the services and networks of other commercial EDI providers.
The EDI industry is also made up of many companies that do not or have never operated profitably. It is imperative that prospective customers know and understand the risks and implications of relying on a reseller of EDI services or an EDI provider that does not manage their own infrastructure and software.
In an environment where virtually every EDI provider claims the same capabilities, the ability to pinpoint, which EDI providers are better at specific EDI services and offer viable technology is paramount. Choosing the right provider for you is a matter of selecting the vendor that has the best EDI solution and service record for your specific EDI needs.
One should not infer that because an EDI provider is recognized as having the best EDI translation software available they will, by default, be the best at providing a comprehensive managed EDI service solution as well. The two are not only competing goals but require vastly different skill sets, infrastructure and service methodologies.
The marketing efforts of most EDI providers have pushed a concept that the only viable long-term EDI solution is to purchase, host and license their EDI translation software year after year. The real reason they promote managed EDI services as a small company solution is that small companies cannot afford their software, and, therefore, are not a potential market in which to generate significant revenue from the sale of software.
The business of managed EDI services cuts significantly into the bottom line of virtually every EDI provider in the industry that relies on the sales and licensing revenue of EDI translation software. More interesting, the EDI industry understands that managed EDI services represent a better value and better strategic option for every one of their customers.
EDI vendors, who rely on software sales, view EDI services as a threat. Thus, within the past year, every EDI provider has begun to offer a managed EDI solution as a “fail safe.”
Therefore, if you are investigating whether or not a managed EDI solution provides an opportunity for your company and IT department, you need to be aware of the false claims and see the EDI landscape clearly.
As the market demands managed EDI services in advance of the industry’s ability to adequately deliver these solutions, IT executives must use caution. They must understand the risks that will be associated with a particular provider’s experience servicing a managed EDI solution. Transposing an EDI provider’s success in developing and supporting EDI translation software into an assumption that they will be equally successful in the arena of managed EDI services is quite simply a leap of faith. IT executives should focus on the managed EDI service experience of a particular provider and NOT with that provider’s history of developing EDI translation software.
So, how do you make an informed decision with such a newly embraced EDI service solution? Honestly, because these types of services and the demands placed on them are so new, it is the subtle nuances and the not so obvious that really determine the success of the endeavor.
To help you further understand and navigate your way through today’s EDI industry, we’ve put together a 12-Step Selection Criteria for selecting the best managed EDI service provider for your company. LEARN MORE