by Scott Hulme on February 3, 2012
It is interesting to me the diversity in the titles of the people I speak with that deal with EDI at different companies. From EDI Analysts, EDI Managers, EDI Directors, CIOs to CFOs, VPs of Sales, Business Development Managers, and Business Analysts, they are all affected by EDI one way or another. They have all become involved in my conversations with companies that are in the process of architecting, planning, or evaluating their EDI environment.
Gone are the days when EDI was simply lumped in with the IT Department and rarely had representation or consideration at the C-Level Executive Roundtable. Today, with the escalating importance of eCommerce to companies’ bottom lines, EDI is relied upon to increase efficiencies, protect company/consumer data security, and drive revenues. Therefore, EDI now has a place at that roundtable and is heavily leveraged and relied upon to help shape a company’s eCommerce strategy.
Whether it be integration with a company’s internal applications or integration with a company’s external business partners, the impact of EDI is clearly emerging from the shadows of some of its IT big brothers. The revolutionary and expanding capability of EDI technology in the industry continues to evolve and allow for EDI to increase its visibility and importance within a company’s eCommerce initiatives. So, what is the answer to the question, what drives EDI in your organization, IT or Business? I believe it is driven by both; a blending of both areas of a company that need to work together to create and execute an EDI and business strategy that helps support an organization’s initiatives. This is quite a difference from past years and decades and has been a long time coming.
As always, I welcome your feedback or comments. I can be reached at shulme@remedi.com.
by Scott Hulme on January 12, 2012
One of the best things about what I do on a daily basis is that I get to talk with clients about their ideas and blueprints for their EDI/eCommerce environments in the near-term and the long-term. This is the time of the year that strategic planning is high on the priority list for companies as they review and evaluate their current situation. One of the questions I am most asked of by clients is what my thoughts are on utilizing software in an in-house installation or a virtual capacity. There are many different flavors to the in-house and virtual possibilities, but for the sake of brevity associated with a blog, let’s use these terms as general terms. In-house referring to having EDI/eCommerce software on-site, installed within your company’s premises versus virtual referring to EDI/eCommerce software installed outside of your company’s premises or hosted by another company that offers this type of service. As companies evaluate all of the factors that go into this decision, it can lead to quite a difference in opinion within organizations.
As you dig into the concept of in-house v virtual, it becomes apparent that this is not a decision that can be reached quickly. As in any decision, you start to realize that there are many layers as you begin to evaluate your options. This is not only a decision that impacts IT but it also impacts many other business units within your organization. Careful consideration must be taken to understand the difference between the two options and how it will impact your EDI/eCommerce environment in terms of overall control and maintenance of your environment, risk management, trading partner relationships, and return on investment, just to name a few.
The answer to this question is not a simple one, but there is comfort in knowing that there is a solution available for every company based on each company’s particular needs. The advancements made in technology and the options available are growing weekly and yearly. Be diligent in your process to understand what option is best for your EDI/eCommerce environment and organization.
As always, I welcome your comments and feedback. I can be reached at shulme@remedi.com.
