FAQ

Everything we do in our private lives is moving from paper to online, so it is no surprise that what we do in business is following the same path. If you send more than 200 invoices a month by post, you will immediately notice the savings of doing that same business electronically. For example, less time will be spent on filling out invoices and mailing them, because these types of operational tasks will become simple, and more money will be saved on admin (postage, printing, etc.).

EDI can be used in all industries.

There is a high EDI adoption rate in industries such as retail, eCommerce, manufacturing, distribution and logistics.

There are two models of EDI. For customers who either want to focus on core business rather than IT operations or for whom the extra investment in in-house capability doesn’t make sense, an EDI Managed Service from an MSP is the obvious choice. , Like many EDI specialists, Omnizon offers a comprehensive suite of EDI managed services that caters for all needs.

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For companies who prefer to rettain a more direct level of operational control or who already have in-house skills and capabilities that they wish to use, then an IPaaS option is often the most appropriate one. This allows the user to invest in software functionality without the hassle of buying and managing hardware, and without the responsibility of full software lifecycle management and security but still allowing them to develop very specific processes and document formats that best meet their specific business needs. For this type of customer, we make the Omnizon Platform fully available for them to consume on an IPaaS basis.

EDI has been adopted by over 80% of large companies and is the preferred method of B2B integration for the majority of businesses. With EDI, disparate B2B systems do not have to be supported with custom coding nor is API integration with each trading partner needed. Sensitive APIs do not have to be exposed over the Internet, and of course EDI can handle very big volumes of transactions in comparison with other B2B integration methods.

Yes. Omnizon allows you to make and exchange legally binding electronic invoices (certified with an applicable electronic signature and time stamp).

Omnizon Enterprise Connect access is meant for companies at a high level of business process digitalization. Omnizon Enterprise Connect receives or collect documents and data from your business systems (usually some type of ERP suite such as SAP, for example) and can then perform many functions including routing and tracking of the documents your partners need from you, extracting key data for inclusion in other documents or securely storing them in the e-archive….. and so much more.

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Omnizon Web EDI access is meant for companies which are not currently at a high level of digitalization (for example, those operating without an ERP system) and therefore are not able to use Omnizon Enterprise Connect.

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The size and sophistication of your current operation will determine which mode of delivery and tools are most appropriate – the critical point that we always make is that wherever you are on this scale, Omnizon can help.

With Omnizon Enterprise Connect in a Managed Services mode of delivery all you have to do is deliver your data to either a specified repository within your infrastructure for us to collect, or to an agreed Omnizon platform destination.

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Customers who are using the Omnizon Platform in an iPaaS delivery mode have access to a library of preconfigured scenarios for document processing, which can be used ‘out of the box’ but also as templates to configure new, custom-made document processing scenarios.

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With Omnizon Web EDI access you do not need to make any changes to your existing system and you can create electronic documents freely.

The exchange of electronic documents covers all document types used in the acquisition process: purchase orders, purchase order confirmations, bills of lading, receipts, invoices (approval, payment, cancellation).

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The type of electronic document you will exchange depends upon the arrangement between you and your business partner.

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If there is a need for exchanging any other types of documents, we can help you.

Feel free to contact us, and we will include other types of documents upon request.

The exchange of electronic documents can be done within the Omnizon platform between any two business entities who are using some form of EDI as long as one of the entities (most obviously you) is a user of the Omnizon platform.

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If you have any questions or concerns about connecting to specific partners you want to communicate with electronically, just get in touch and we will talk you through the process and explain how it can be achieved.

A Global Location Number (GLN) is a numerical code which identifies a legal, functional, or physical location in a business or organizational structure. Global Location Numbers can be used for identifying anything that has, or could have, an address. For instance: companies, departments, rooms, factories, shelves, delivery points, or EDI network addresses.

If the partner you wish to exchange electronic documents with is using GLN in their business systems, you also need to use it in the electronic exchange of documents.

All you need is a computer or other device with an internet browser, and an internet connection.

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If you opt for Omnizon Enterprise Connect access, you will need to tell us the connection type you will use (SFTP, AS2..) and the electronic document formats you will be using in the exchange. For all additional questions or just to talk through the options as they relate to your business, please contact us.

As soon as you have picked the first business partner you want to exchange electronic documents with, chosen your method of accessing the Omnizon system (Omnizon Enterprise Connect or Omnizon Web EDI), and defined the format and the manner of exchange, you’re ready to start your test period.

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In the test period, the validity of the electronic document’s structure and the entered data is checked. For testing purposes, electronic documents need to be created based on their paper counterparts. By checking the structure and comparing it to the equivalent paper document we can confirm the validity of the electronic document.

Initiating a new user in the electronic document exchange usually takes from 3 days for simpler document sets (Omnizon Web EDI) to 3 weeks for more complex or extensive document sets ( Omnizon Enterprise Connect).

To use an e-signature, it is necessary to obtain a certificate from a recognized issuer (depending on the country your business operates from). Omnizon will be happy to help you with the implementation of electronic signing, so that all your electronic documents will be confirmed with the identity of the signatory.

All exchanged documents are stored according to the highest security standards in the designated AWS cloud and can be delivered to you via an electronic medium of your choice.

Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) is a range of cloud services that enable organizations to develop, use and govern their data; it links applications and processes within the organization, and between multiple organizations.

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What that means in plain language is that you pay a small amount for a ‘pay-as-you use’ service that links the applications and processes within your organization with those of your suppliers, customers, and partners.

By implementing an iPaaS solution, companies gain Trading Benefits, Governance Benefits and Operational Benefits. You can find out more about this in our Blog “ What is iPaaS and why your business needs it ”

The Omnizon Integration Platform enables the integration of business processes and data sharing between multiple enterprises and applications, no matter whether B2B or A2A connections need to be made. The automation, instant data availability and connectivity of all business processes contribute to direct cost-cutting and enhanced organizational and human efficiency.

Basic Freemium supports SFTP and REST API and Base Monitoring protocols to get you started. As you work through the various Pricing plans more protocols are added as standard and these are summarised in the Pricing Plan Summary . If the protocol you need is not included within the plan you are interested in, don’t worry, let’s have a chat and we will investigate whether we can include the protocol you want, and confirm any additional charge.

In essence, FreemiumEDI is a way for you to try digital document transfer to up to five of your business partners (suppliers or customers) and with a small number of documents a month, for as long as you like…. for free. You can learn about the processes, protocols and benefits of iPaaS EDI without pressure or stress and if and when you decide to use it for more partners, or more documents, you can seamlessly grow your use on a monthly ‘pay as you go basis’ No need for investment in IT infrastructure or complex project implementation.

In a word, no. But as you want to expand usage beyond the free trial volumes you will need to take a look at our Pricing Plans and choose the one that fits you best. Our team will be happy to guide you through if you need any advice.

Yes. We have a series of Payment Plans that allow you to build up your usage in logical increments and scale gradually on a month by month basis. That way you never need to commit to long-term, large step new contracts.

Absolutely yes. Whilst we try and cover most needs in our Payment Plans we know that every customer’s needs will be different and so we provide a variety of chargeable ‘add-ons’ within our various plans, for example, adding IoT, Time Stamp or Sandbox Testing to your existing functionality. These are shown in the pricing plans with a ‘$’ symbols as elective options… and of course if you really need something that you cannot find mentioned anywhere, we are always happy to talk.

From FreemiumEDI through the SOHO and SMB levels of volume and variety of protocols , we have designed Omnizon iPaaS B2B/EDI to be simple to use and you are well supported by video tutorials and start-up wizards. As your company’s document volumes grow or you maybe face more complex integrations with new partners, transformations with new or changed documents and the introduction of new business processes there is always consultative support on hand from our Customer Success and Integration Developer team.

Yes. The OMNIZON NETWORKS company is based within the EU and has clients in the EU. In recognition of our obligation to follow the law, we maintain a GDPR compliance project team. We constantly consult with industry experts, external legal experts, and leading security vendors to verify our approach to GDPR compliance.