Finance
EDI and development
The EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) system has changed a lot from the time it was first brought into the market to facilitate ecommerce and the easy movement of data from one company to the next. The VAN (Value added network) was the image of EDI and which helped small companies to get their needs accomplished. The EDI has now advanced to internet EDI. Initially, due to its nature and its construction EDI was only available to large companies, as they were the ones whose needs were well taken care of by the old fashioned EDI systems of the time. Right now, thanks to the internet, the EDI system is more available to smaller companies and businesses as it is cheaper and faster to get and can be outsourced.
The internet has allowed many companies which provide the EDI services to thrive, most of whom don’t need lot of infrastructure but who still need to keep up with the competition and cut a professional image to the rest of the market. The advantage of the internet EDI system apart from reduced cost is the efficiency of operation and the reduction of the transaction fees. The internet is much faster now and this has enabled businesses to expand.