Tempe, AZ December 16, 2002 Supply chain enabler Inovis is teaming with B2B connectivity provider IPNet Solution to offer a new network service intended to accelerate implementation of EDI-INT AS2 connectivity.
Inovis debuted in September following the acquisition, in June, of the profitable supply chain enablement division of Peregrine Systems, comprised of former Harbinger and Extricity businesses, by a private equity firm.
The partners said that companies increasingly are being required to support AS2 for exchanging EDI/XML data over the Internet. Inovis:Dialog, formerly the Inovis Managed Services Suite, offers a solution for companies that either lack the transaction volume to justify the technology and training investments needed to manage AS2 internally or simply prefer to outsource this function.
The new service utilizes AS2-certified IPNet BizManager transaction management software and the inovis:Access (formerly Get2Connect) trading network. The solution broadens inovis:Dialog, which connects trading partners using a range of business processes, data formats and communications standards.
"Our customers are expressing a growing need for AS2 enablement options," said Inovis President and CEO Dave Williams, who added that the new addition to inovis:Dialog extends Inovis' value proposition provided by allowing companies to eliminate much of the internal cost associated with AS2 connectivity while expediting compliance.
The two companies said the service provides all the required AS2 transaction capabilities, including round-the-clock server operation, data transformation, mailboxing and message security, and management of unique digital certificates and many-to-many relationships. The inovis:Access network currently processes over 1.4 million e-commerce transactions each business day, according to the provider.
As part of the agreement, IPNet BizManager software can also be licensed directly from Inovis for companies preferring to manage their own AS2 initiatives. The software interfaces directly with products in the Inovis B2B enablement suite.
Inovis and IPNet said they are partnering on a number of solutions that focus on accelerating B2B enablement and standards compliance for trading partners, including initiatives in such industries as retail and healthcare.
