The Inovis Blog

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Today’s post is a Q&A with Carol Croom, Director of MS Sales at Inovis. Carol is one of the leaders of Managed Services Business Development at Inovis, and is the subject matter expert on Inovis’s hosted B2B solutions. Carol was kind enough to answer five big questions about Managed Services.

• Is Managed Services right for me?

Since Managed Services is an externally hosted solution, each organization needs to answer this question within the framework of their internal ERP / IT directives. This includes a comparison of the Pro’s and Con’s present for each organization, such as:

• What are the Pros?

The ‘Pros’ for a Managed Services solution include: reduced need for EDI knowledgeable resources (mapping, error resolution, translation, ERP to EDI integration, etc.); reduction in staff costs related to these positions; elimination of the requirement for EDI-related hardware and software; ability to focus resources on internal ERP systems and other internal initiatives; Enables a Managed Services vendor to leverage more resources to resolve support issues quicker and to rapidly implement new Trading Partner requirements (mapping). Net-net-lower total cost of ownership.

• What are the Cons?

The ‘Cons’ for a Managed Services solution include: financial costs for external hosting may be more expensive depending upon ability for organization to cross-utilize internal resources for non-EDI activities.

• How would I transition from in-house EDI to Managed Services?

Inovis assigns a Project Manager and assembles a team to work with each account that will develop documentation of the required translation to/from the client’s ERP input/output. Inovis will develop the actual translation maps and test out the map functionality with the client and their trading partners. A communication is drafted for each trading partner and host VAN, providing notification should the client be moving to Inovis from an external provider (other VAN, or wholly in-house solution). On migration day, all EDI is redirected into the client’s Managed Services mailbox at Inovis, and the client establishes connectivity/communication via this route. Post migration, Inovis will also work with the client to grow his or her trading partner community via EDI compliance tools and web services.

• How would I transition from Managed Services to in-house EDI?

One of the benefits of Inovis’s Managed Services is that the client can leverage the maps that are already developed by purchasing and installing the Inovis EDI translator on their premises – all the maps are portable. The client simply needs to set up all trading partner relationships through a simple file upload, and depending on connectivity, coordinate with Inovis to send migration notification to trading partners and their host VAN (as applicable). On migration day, all EDI is redirected as indicated by the in-house EDI (either VAN X12 mailbox, direct AS2, etc.).

Learn more about Managed Services>>