What is a VAN?
A Value-Added Network (VAN) is a mechanism used to facilitate electronic data interchange (EDI) between business partners. It is an outsourced network that automates B2B interactions, and guarantees a smooth and secure EDI document exchange.
How does a VAN work?
A VAN acts as a virtual mailbox where your trading partners pick up your data and you retrieve their data from them. More specifically, when a company sends a transaction to a VAN, the VAN examines the “from” and “to” information, and places the transaction in the receiver’s mailbox. The receiver then contacts the VAN to pick up the transaction. The “value-added” part of the VAN system comes from services such as message validation and inspection, mail notifications, backup and recovery, mapping, compliance, and others.
How does a VAN help with my company’s business-to-business (B2B) interactions?
By serving as an intermediary between you and your trading partners, the VAN reduces the number of parties with which your company needs to communicate to conduct business. The VAN simplifies your B2B communications process, thereby reducing the number of paper transfers needed, cutting costs, and speeding up a wide range of tasks and processes.
How does IDEA’s VAN Services work?
At IDEA, we recognize that remaining at the cutting edge of technology and ensuring a superior customer experience for our customers requires continuous improvement and technical upgrades. As part of this commitment, IDEA uses the best in class EDI Platform providers ensuring the our EDI service, IDEA Exchange, provides our customers with a competitive edge utilizing the latest EDI technology. This enables a fast and secure transfer of any EDI document volume and offers a multitude of impressive advanced capabilities that provide a reliable and cost-effective solution for all of our customers’ trading needs.
For any further questions about VANs or inquiries about IDEA Exchange, please contact sales@idea4industry.com