The Orion EDI Bureau service fulfils a number of purposes for different users, whether or not they are already users of Orion products or services.
To receive or send EDI on your behalf
The Orion EDI bureau can send and receive EDI messages for small users of EDI whose volume of messages does not justify the purchase of an in-house EDI system. However, such companies may be compelled to receive EDI messages by their own customers or suppliers.
Orion’s EDI Bureau service is a simple answer to this problem. For a fixed annual charge, payable quarterly, Orion will receive your EDI messages on your behalf, translate them into a clearly-readable report and transmit them to you by your chosen method. Alternatively, the translated messages can be held on the Orion server and picked up over the Internet.
Resulting reports can be transmitted to you either by email or fax. A single message can be sent to up to three email addresses and three fax machines. The bureau user can monitor the progress of their own files using the Orion Extranet. You will be sent your Extranet login with your service information.
As an AS/2 gateway or other communications Interface
As EDI communications move increasingly away from Value Added Networks and towards point to point communication over the Internet, some communications methods place new demands on a company’s infrastructure. In particular, the requirement of the AS/2 protocol for receiving incoming calls raises security concerns as connections must be made directly into a company’s network.
One method of solving this is to set up a DMZ, a machine in an isolated area with a Firewall separating it from the main company network. PathFinder users have this ability included in their main licence. However, for non-PathFinder users, or those who do not have the network configuration to set up such an area, the Orion EDI Bureau offers an alternative.
The bureau can send and receive files on your behalf to and from your trading partner. You can then pick up such files using an outgoing FTP or OFTP connection that does not risk your network, or require new software or hardware installed.