Why VANS Evolved |
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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.