Now that companies are getting over their fear of spending money, we predict that data and EDI integration is going to be more prevalent in the SMB sector. Not just for enterprise level anymore, the ability to integrate your EDI and business processes, in the near future will be as important as having a FAX machine was 20 years ago. Two decades ago, integration was only for giant corporations. Now you can acquire a good data integration solution for under $10k. This was unheard of prior to the turn of the century! It's just like how at one time only rich people had cell phones and now most people (and their children) have them. EDI integration is no different. Now it is entirely possible for the small to medium sized business to play in the big leagues and take advantage of the benefits that integration offers.
As I've said before, integration is not necessarily for everyone. My recommendation is that if you're processing more than 20 transactions per day, then you should be integrated. Also, the packages that are available today do not just deal with EDI. This is a significant incentive for the small to medium sized business to integrate. These packages can truly handle any format-to-any format which can be useful not only for your basic EDI requirements but also for your business goals. This concept will be more and more relevant as we continue to hear the buzzword phrase Business Intelligence. Watch our video Thinking About EDI "Outside the Box" and you will see what I mean. The key is to find the right balance between a package that fits your budget, satisfies your requirements AND meets your goals. But a good software package is only as good as those who implement it. Seeking help from the right people, who have expertise in your particular solution and ERP package, will help you be successful.
Aurora Technologies/EDI Support, Inc specializes in EDI implementation and data integration solutions. For more information, please contact Shandra Locken, at shandra@edisupport.com or 800-404-9182 x25.