Aircast Inc. in Summit, N.J., is another example. Many are desperate to get involved in e-commerce but have no idea how to get started, given their current technology. In industries that already have online marketplaces and portals springing into existence, XML is often the required admission ticket. Many firms view the advent of XML as the golden opportunity to automate processes from beginning to end, with the XML format as the central touchstone. For EDI companies, the motivations emerge from some of the drawbacks to EDI itself.
Most EDI traffic flows over VANs, which can be expensive.
The open and free Internet beckons, and while EDI over the Internet is possible, it's not fun. In contrast, XML is a child of the Internet and seems a more natural format to use. As with the original adoption of EDI, one draw of XML is the fact that your potential business partners may be using it. For example, SupplySolution Inc. in Santa Barbara, Calif., aims to calm supply chain nightmares for clients with its i-Supply service. SupplySolution says it doesn't see either EDI or XML as complete answers, but as parts of a package it can offer clients.