Implementing WebSphere Business Integration Express for Item Synchronization

24 Implementing WebSphere BI Express for Item Synchronization

2.1 Overview

Applicability Statement 2 (AS2) is a draft standard from the Internet Engineering

Task Force for securely exchanging business documents over the Internet, with

guarantees in place to ensure that a document is not lost. AS2 provides the

instructions for software at one company to send any type of document (called a

payload) to software at another company using HTTP. If you host a Web site and

can browse other Web sites, you have all the connectivity required to use AS2.

AS2 offers options for security ranging from sending data over a secure

connection (HTTP/S) to package encryption (using a digital certificate to

completely encrypt the business document). A document also can be digitally

signed, letting a receiver be confident that the document is valid.

The fastest way to send a document is to deliver it directly to the recipient with no

intermediate routing or mailboxing, and this is exactly what AS2 specifies.

AS2-capable software at the sender establishes a connection over the Internet to

the receiver's AS2 software and sends the document. The receiver then gives the

sending system a receipt.

Because large e-commerce networks use service providers that have long

guaranteed reliable document exchange, delivery has seldom been a worry for

EDI managers. But as small companies begin exchanging documents over the

Internet, all bets are off. Therefore, a system of receipts is needed. Fortunately,

AS2 offers flexible yet standard receipts usable under many circumstances.

2.2 What is EDIINT?

EDI over the Internet (EDIINT) is a working group of the Internet Engineering

Task Force (IETF) that is chartered with creating specifications for transporting

EDI or XML documents over the Internet in a secure (digitally signed and

encrypted), highly-reliable manner. Initially IETF focused on technologies needed

to transfer existing EDI documents between existing EDI Trading Partners

without the use of Value Added Networks (VANs) for the domestic and

international user.

Security is an issue for any organization transmitting data electronically.

Business data exchanged via the Internet typically includes sensitive information,

such as inventory or sales figures, intended for a specific person at a specific

organization. For this reason, it is important that data transmissions address

privacy, access control, and data integrity.