state of the ecgridos edi communications api

8/14/2019 State of The ECGridOS EDI Communications API

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The State of Loren Data Corp Web Services

A Briefing for Analysts

Executive Summary

Composing a neutral preamble for a disruptive service is like walking a tightrope; brevity is alwayspreferred, but one strives to convey the excitement. Can you feel it yet?

In the very staid world of EDI Communications Services, Loren Data Corp has continually armedthe new guard of B2B innovators. While the established world of Value Added Networks appears tohave stagnated in their EDI communications offerings, Loren Data Corp routinely deliversinnovation and incremental improvements via ECGrid ®, an intelligent EDI message routingnetwork, and ECGridOS, the industry’s only programmable EDI network environment.

Loren Data Corp was founded by Todd Gould in 1987. The company’s first decade of EDI servicesincluded developing the client facing and middleware components of the USAF PX logistics chain,resulting in one of the first Web-Based EDI applications. ECGrid ® Loren’s high-powered EDIintelligent switching infrastructure, entered production in 2001, and now serves a cadre of recognizable electronic commerce services providers, including SPS Commerce.

ECGrid ® is the commerce network of choice serving the vanguard of cloud-based B2B ventures.Todd Gould’s vision of ECGrid ® as a messaging utility is now fully vindicated, with ECGrid ® hosting16,000 trading partner ID’s, and carrying 7-10% of North American EDI message traffic.

ECGridOS, a 90+ Function Web Services API, is the only Programmable EDI CommunicationsNetwork in the industry. ECGrid ® and ECGridOS offer pure EDI messaging services, unbundled fromsoftware licenses and value added services. Collectively, Loren Data Corp’s EDI Services lay thegroundwork for a new generation of on-demand B2B providers.

Client Types

Customers of Loren Data Corp are classified as ECGrid® clients, or as ECGridOS (API) developers.This demarcation continues a sure trend of melting away, as ECGridOS developers increasinglyassume the role of "network services grantors", a model where the developer acts as a franchiseeconveying EDI network services within a geographic region, or a vertical market. ECGridOSdevelopers may also license API code assets, offered as compatible applications that accessECGrid. Such an Application marketplace for EDI VAN services is quite an innovation, and the

potential is just being realized.

For example, NetEDI has developed a complete EDI network management application built uponthe API. B2B OEMs and SAAS operators would license such a codebase for integration into aplatform, in order to provision EDI administration and billing interfaces. These are the first turnkeyVAN services available and interoperable at the platform level. In these cases, NetEDI acts as theVAN operator or grantor of services, backed by Loren Data Corps Infrastructure.

Evolution of Mature Accounts



Long-standing ECGrid clients, such as Covalentworks and SPS commerce, typically access ourservices via VPN, yet are in a very real sense beneficiaries of the API. This is because we provideupdates, enhanced functionality, and special account handling features via ECGridOS web services.Therefore, all LDC clients share in the positive improvements catalyzed by the API. Many have astated intent to plan future projects around ECGridOS, or already have developer credentials.

ECGridOS is a Full Internal Production SystemAs for ECGridOS developers, the first and most important client is Loren Data Corp. We deliver allnew client facing features and management functions using the exact WSDL calls that are madeavailable to our developers, with only a handful of functions reserved for internal use..

Marquee EDI Entrepreneurs bet their Farms on ECGridOSThe current developer of record is NetEDI. Although NetEDI is a non-domestic reference, theycurrently hold the largest code base relying solely on ECGridOS. We expect NetEDI to perform landoffice business in the EU. The principals of NetEDI are experienced EDI developers, .Net aces parexcellence, and have delivered on every conceivable B2B and ERP platform.

We are very fortunate to have NetEDI in our developer portfolio. I would highly recommend thatanyone interested in these topics consider NetEDI as a source of industry intelligence, quite apartfrom his ECGridOS exposure, for his perspective on the B2B tools sector is penetrating.

We have assigned credentials to a list of developers closing in on a baker's dozen + a good handfulin the pipeline. These speculative prospects run the gamut from OEMs to SAAS 3PL hubs andautomotive vertical SCM. We expect contractual agreements from a subset of these.

Conversion of AccountsWhen a prospective developer 'gets it', they are in . Therefore, our contacts with technicalmanagement depends on how CTO's and Tech VPs are positioned.

The conversion from prospect to paid services can be sudden. Particularly in the cloud B2B sector,

where the fight for differentiation seems to be heating up. We expect to hear from ECGridOSdeveloper account holders (the occasional or dormant) in due time. Their initial intuition is usuallyspot on, even if coding efforts are somewhat delayed. The original intent to develop will reassertitself.

An increasing resource pool of example code, tools, and helpful utilities will serve to awaken someof our shy developers.

Pure WS vs. Adapters or Both? Regarding adapters: We feel that current IDEs handle rational WSDL grammars as well as platformspecific adapters. Time allowing, we plan creating a Boomi Atom, a WCF or App Fabric Componentfor Biztalk server, and we may throw a dart at other SAAS enabling multi-Tenant platform, such asNetsuite OS, Mule ESB, or some-such.

Web Services are consumed directly by SAP's xi, ABAP, Sterling Integrator, Biztalk, Visual Studio,Eclipse, Web Sphere, and other platforms. The creation of specific adapters may only serve totransform otherwise well documented WS functions into an arbitrary alternative. Clean, unified welldocumented WS Calls, or a REST family equivalent (depending on what religion you grew up in),are far superior to a fragmented set of one off adapters that must keep pace with the quirks andvagaries of the targeted host system.



ECGridOS Web Services, as currently cast, are fully formed routines that accomplish complete'jobs', and return rich data from ECGrid's routing and session control process layers.

ECGrid's Advanced Architecture Makes ECGridOS Possible

One reason we feel Loren Data has the lead in EDI API initiatives is that ECGrid is architecturallymore sophisticated than other VANs

Specifically, ECGrid®:

• Has superior State Awareness in message handling,• Has better adherence to inter-network signaling standards,• Is better prepared to meet the demands of emerging X12 standards• Supports a more complete set of message handling, network interconnect, and parcel

manifest metadata• The only EDI system to offer directory services

Without the foundation of ECGrid, designed from the outset as a network of networks, the APIwould be either trivial or ineffective as an infrastructure enabler. I personally posit that the marketleaders do not share ECGrid's internal sophistication, and therefore, the API catchup will be aformidable challenge. The lead is however, perishable.

Longer term strategies for Enterprise 2.0 mashups with other services and API's: Todd and Iare keen to try and deliver a transparent EDI experience for systems that have open REST APIs formid range accounting, such as Freshbooks, Quickbooks on-line, and some of the lightweight ERPpackages such as Compiere. Most of these app providers may require naught but our owndevelopment elbow grease and time.

The opportunity for larger integration vendors to subsume EDI Communications via afundamental services approach (like ECGridOS), has not yet taken firm hold in the market .CastIron systems, for example, should make EDI an in-the-box feature, with a dashboardconfiguration panel. Such a tie up would serve CI's clients by obviating the need for external VANconfiguration - a rote and vexing task.

There are many other examples of nascent integration markets that will bear fruit in time as webuild upon accounts, collect use cases, and continue to encourage our seed developers to allow usto assist them in building a better EDI experience.

Loren Data Corp's CultureTodd and team have kept marquee accounts such as SPS commerce satisfied by providing a qualityof operational support that is professional, yet non-bureaucratic. The LD Netops team is unlikeother VAN support organizations. The ethos of LD is to model support as an extension of a client'spreferred departmental model, accountable party to accountable party.

A well known axiom in the VAN or ISP business is that when things are working well, Netops isinconsequential; and when things go horribly wrong, an effective network operations team isinstantly distinguished.

Loren Data Corp is a Mature EDI Carrier, chosen by Cloud B2B Innovators

state of the ecgridos edi communications api

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