AUSTIN, Texas - December 20, 2000 - PRNewswire - The Uniform Code Council (UCC), a not-for-profit standards development organization, and B2B research firm Drummond Group announced Wednesday that applications from seven technology vendors have met a draft interoperability standard for data interchange over the Internet.
The draft standard, called AS2 Conformance Validation Test, allows vendor applications to communicate EDI data over the Internet (via HTTP) in a secure manner to other AS2-certified companies.
"AS2 gives a company the ability to exchange data in real time in a secure manner over the Internet to other AS2 interoperable companies," said Rik Drummond, CEO of the Drummond Group, which managed the testing process. Drummond asserted that companies adopting this standard will reduce their cost of doing business in EDI and can expect savings of at least 60 percent over traditional VAN costs.
The companies meeting the draft standard included: bTrade.com (for its SecureAccess2000 and EDIINT engine vs. 1.38 applications); Compaq (Compaq ASx Transport Service [CATS], vs 2.0); Cyclone Commerce (Cyclone Interchange, vs 3.1); IPNet Solutions (eBizness Transact 3.3); Netfish Technologies (XDI Product Suite, vs 4.2); Sterling Commerce (E-Marketplace Enabling Services, vs 3.3); and webMethods (webMethods B2B, vs 3.6).
Drummond Group also facilitated the testing process for three years of AS1 testing. The group's test process provides a venue for vendors to test and correct their software systems in a non-competitive environment.
"In our experience, we found that testing against a single implementation is not as effective as testing among the participating vendors," says Beth Morrow, a vice president for Drummond Group. "The vendors are able to gain much more insight on their product's functionality in the marketplace and in this way ensure interoperability."
Drummond Group made a copy of the testing report available on its Web site. Another round of testing is planned for 2001.
Austin, Texas-based Drummond Group provides B2B strategy, research analysis and industry pilot facilitation. UCC, founded in 1972, along with its global partner EAN International, administers the EANUCC System, which includes Universal Product Code (U.P.C.) and other tools used in global trade.
Uniform Code Council. - www.uc-council.org
