Saturday, August 16, 2003

Wal-mart suppliers face October deadline for Internet-based EDI

In about two months, many of Walmart's suppliers will reach Walmart's deadline for adopting Internet-based EDI (EDI-INT, AS2), in place of older VAN-based EDI. Many of these suppliers have already made the switch, mostly with help from a few software vendors that provide interoperable solutions, such as iSoft (which Walmart uses), Webmethods, bTrade, Cleo Communications, Cyclone Commerce, IPNet, and Sterling Commerce. As I've written previously, Walmart's mandate is a huge shot in the arm for such software providers. And as I predicted last September, other retailers (Home Depot, Lowe's, and others) have followed Walmart's lead in converting to Internet-based EDI, creating strong incentives for adoption of these standards throughout the retail supply chain.

Internet e-commerce is not getting a lot of buzz in the trade press these days, but in fact it's becoming a way of life for many companies.

CNet has an update on the trend.

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