Digital B2B integration: What is it and how is it driving change?

The new reality is the data explosion. From mobile applications to real-time analytics, the explosion shined a light on the necessity of scalable, cloud-capable, B2B/EDI integration solutions.

Integration leaders now recognize that the traditional worlds of API, B2B/EDI and MFT are converging to meet today’s growing digital economy. When the industry talks about “B2B Integration,” they’re talking about integrating conventional technologies like MFT, EDI and APIs. This comes together into one seamless solution.

Driving change?

So how is Digital B2B Integration changing businesses today? When an advanced B2B/EDI gateway, such as Axway’s B2Bi, is implemented and combined with cloud-enabled managed services, the typical enterprise is given the ability to scale its deployment as needed. While remaining flexible to take advantage of API integration and analytics.

Furthermore, the company can rely on services to pursue an Op-Ex model, as opposed to the Cap-Ex model of old. That means freeing IT operations to focus on initiatives that contribute to generating new customer experiences and revenue-generating services.

The Digital B2B Integration: What is it and how is it driving change from Axway

When it comes down to it, Digital B2B Integration serves as the support structure that is enabling large enterprises to navigate the fast-paced digital economy of today in two main ways: Data Validation & Compliance. Let’s cover how:

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Data validation

Data assurance is the most important aspect of any business relationship and one that must be protected at all costs. The guarantee of protecting and facilitating the reliability of data requires that its use, processing, storage, and transmission are required in meeting regulatory compliance and guarding against cyber-attacks, including ransomware[ii].

Typically, there are four basic types of data validation: code checking, complex validation, range checking and data-type validation. Above all, data validation must ensure that data is correct, meaningful and secure. This can be accomplished using security protocols, data integrity checking, threat blocking, policy enforcement, monitoring and guaranteed delivery.

Today, B2Bi cloud and hybrid, plus integration services, are streamlining this process by supporting both the rapid integration of disparate data sources and synchronous validation. When combined with innovative APIs, businesses and data-dependent operations can rapidly integrate separate systems with each other, whether they’re networks, database systems or customer devices.

Compliance

To ensure compliance, it’s imperative for businesses to address each unique requirement for all parties in the value chain. This includes government entities, private suppliers, service-level agreements (SLA) commitments, B2B partners, local laws, regulatory bodies, manufacturers and other global businesses. This may be extended to describe privacy data, insurance, legal, healthcare data, data audit trails, proprietary data and financial data, as well as other types. The sensitive nature of such data requires the use of encryption during transmission, storage, processing and archival.

The solution to addressing mounting compliance requirements, risks and concerns demand that the infrastructure conforms to industry, not the other way around. Digital B2B Integration Services is allowing global partners from banking to healthcare, make the transition to a file interchange that fits their specific regulatory needs, by using the power of B2B/EDI communication combined with the support of integration services.

Put data to use with B2B integration services

Data is merely a commodity without utilization. As companies grow by acquisition, expand their workforce or incorporate more technologies and devices within their processes, it is critical that data flows and structured datasets can scale and support the growth. B2Bi is a familiar name, but it offers new capabilities with the power of the cloud.