For example, the military and federal government mandate the use of EDI for many transactions. EDI software products, computer and communications equipment, and VANs are all commercially available. Currently, there is a wide selection of EDI software available for all platforms, from personal computers to mainframes. VANs provide services that are similar to the post office in that they gather, store and distribute electronic mail. Trading partners are companies that you do business with.
Standards provide for a common communications medium.
You should follow the same process that you would in purchasing any other piece of equipment or software for your company. There are hundreds of software products on the market and, because of this, it may appear to be more difficult than it needs to be. You should try to select EDI software that meets your business needs based on a predefined set of evaluation criteria. The same is true for VANs. There are over 60 commercial VANs in the United States.