Archive for October, 2009
Should we use Carrier Pigeons for B2B Large File Transfers?
Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
On September 9th, 2009 (09/09/09), while most of us were standing in line waiting to purchase the new Beatles Rock Band game, an IT company in South Africa introduced a new disruptive technology that could alter the dynamics of B2B integration forever. The company, Unlimited IT, proved that it was faster to transmit data using a carrier pigeon than to use one of South Africa’s leading Internet Service Providers. An 11-month old pigeon, named Winston, was dispatched carrying a 4GB microSD card from Unlimited’s offices near Pietermaritzberg to a destination 80km away. The pigeon proved much faster than the ADSL...
Dilbert Does Managed File Transfer
Monday, October 19th, 2009
In my last posted I proposed the need for a Napster-like service to enable businesses to more easily exchange large files with other companies in their value chain. Business users are more frequently pushing gigabyte-sized files across infrastructure that was designed for kilobyte or megabyte-sized transactions. Fortunately, there are a number of new cloud-style vendors which have emerged to offer large file exchange services similar to the concept I proposed. A few of these new services - YouSendIt and LeapFILE were even included in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for MFT. However, one that is not receiving as much attention in...
We Need a Napster-like Service for B2B File Transfers
Thursday, October 15th, 2009
In my last two posts I described how B2B integration infrastructures at major corporations are choking on the increasing number of large files transmitted crossing their firewalls. Most of the existing approaches to large file transfer are expensive, proprietary and complex. It is interesting to note that corporations have yet to achieve a simple, open, universal file sharing model comparable to what consumers enjoyed with the original Napster in 1999. Yet, business users expect to be able to share large files at work the same way they do in their everyday consumer lives. Recent technology advances compound the problem. Broadband...
So Long and Thanks for All the Fishhhezez
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
Or why I’m leaving GXS Those who know me well know that I really like science fiction and fantasy – books and movies. Greg Bear’s excellent but mind-numbingly technical works aside, these stories provide light entertainment, an opportunity to escape from reality for a while, and showcase the heroic nature we all wish we could summon. Thus, when I think of great “goodbyes” from stories and what might work for me, I’d like nothing better than to stand up on a podium, give a great speech and then slip the One Ring onto my finger and, like Bilbo Baggins, vanish...
Fixing ERP Data Quality Problems that Stem from B2B Integration
Monday, October 5th, 2009
AMR Research showed over 1/3 of all ERP data originates outside the business In my last entry I detailed some of the findings of a recent AMR Research study regarding ERP data. If your business has an ERP system, you can assume that at least 1/3 of the data in it originates outside your business. For many larger and/or sophisticated companies, much of this externally generated data enters electronically through EDI, XML or some other machine-to-machine or portal-to-machine process. And many companies either allow it to flow in without any checks or manually review and/or rework that information before allowing...