First of all, I agree that every situation is different and business
solutions need careful analysis to find the best path to take. I rely on
this fact for my own business.
Secondly, I agree with most of your statements below about having control
over your software ... especially for small companies and something as
important as EDI. In my (albeit limited) experience with EDI projects, my
clients have seen major cost savings by not buying 3rd party
translators/mappers/app integration packages as well as not using a VAN. All
of my clients for which I've setup EDI systems (which is only about 25% of
my total clients) are under $25 million annual sales so this comes from the
perspective of the "little fish" swimming with the whales of the EDI world.
I realize that I am biased because of what I do (custom software
development, networking, administration, etc.) but I have always insisted on
outside ROI analysis for these projects just for that very reason. If my
clients had decided on going the 3rd party software and/or VAN route, I
would still have been the one integrating it all anyway. I had 6 of those
clients seriously consider dropping business with those TPs (ie whales)
because they were told by everybody (especially the whales that they wanted
to do business with) that they HAD to do the expensive route and they simply
couldn't afford it. Straight business decision. I was literally laughed at
by an "EDI Specialist" at one of the biggest whales in the USA when I told
them I was doing this clients' EDI system myself .... from scratch ... start
to finish. 2 months later I made them eat their words and went live.
Say what you will about all the other EDI situations out there and I will
certainly listen because I know enough to know that I don't know it all. All
I can relate to this group is what I have seen and done.
- AHilton
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