Why VANS Evolved


VANs came into existence because PCs with asynchronous modems became popular. Large mainframe-based backend systems had bisynchronous modems that ran at different speeds.

To mediate the physical differences between the PCs and mainframes, and to allow the PCs to communicate with mainframe-based EDI systems, VANs came into being to provide communication services between the local PC systems and the backend mainframe-based EDI services.

This simplifies the design of an EDI system, particularly for smaller trading partners who run their EDI systems on a PC.  For these customers, using a VAN is often more cost-effective than handling the technical details of communication internally.

Technology changes at a rapid pace; using a VAN often provides a cost-effective way of keeping up with changes in technology without having to make large investments in computer hardware and software.

Finally, VANs offer a high degree of reliability and security.

VANs eliminate the need to support a wide variety of communications speeds.  The VAN acts a buffer – trading partners do not have direct access to your system, which is seen as a benefit to many organizations.

The mainframe-based VAN EDI systems provide built-in backup and audit capabilities. They also typically provide access between any two trading partners anywhere in the world.