Secure transmission of EDI data via OFTP2

Electronic data interchange (EDI) has become an important part of business processes in many industries. It involves exchanging business documents such as purchase orders, invoices and delivery bills between companies electronically. EDI offers numerous advantages, such as faster and more efficient handling of business processes, a reduction in manual interventions and paper documents, and improved business relationships between the companies involved.

Secure data exchange via the Internet

A crucial factor in EDI is ensuring security. When exchanging business data, it is of paramount importance that it is protected from unauthorized access. This is where the Odette File Transfer Protocol 2 (OFTP2) comes into play. OFTP2 is an advanced protocol designed specifically for the secure exchange of business data over the Internet. OFTP2 offers first-class security standards to ensure this protection.

Already when establishing the connection to the business partner, an encrypted connection via Transport Layer Security (TLS) is used. In addition, OFTP2 provides other optional mechanisms to enable secure authentication, encryption of individual files, and the use of signatures. These measures ensure that the data cannot be intercepted or manipulated during transmission and that only authorized users have access to the data.

Acknowledgement of receipt by the recipient

Another important aspect that OFTP2 takes into account is the guarantee of data integrity. In the case of a conventional file transfer, such as via FTP, the sender has no certainty after successful transmission as to whether the file has actually arrived correctly at the recipient. This problem is solved in OFTP2 by the use of EERPs (end-to-end responses). With OFTP2, each file transfer is sent a confirmation from the recipient in the form of an EERP. This allows the sender to ensure that the file was received successfully.

If the file is received incorrectly or, for example, an encrypted file cannot be decrypted at the recipient, the recipient can acknowledge this with a negative confirmation, a NERP (Negative End-to-End-Response). Regardless of whether the confirmation is positive or negative, the sender thus receives information about the status of the file it sent and can react accordingly.

OFTP2 and EDI with !MC5

Data transmission via OFTP2 with !MC5 from Bartsch Software is certified by Odette International and thus meets all requirements for the secure exchange of EDI data. The latest extensions of the OFTP2 standard, such as the exchange of partner data via XML files (PDX - Partner Data eXchange), are also supported by !MC5. The user-friendly interface of !MC5 enables even inexperienced users to set up new connections and exchange data with business partners within a very short time. The data exchange can be fully automated and in case of problems, notifications can be sent automatically by !MC5 via e-mail.

If a business partner requires EDI data to be exchanged in a format that is not supported by your company's internal systems, !MC5 can be extended with the EDI module to convert the data into the desired format. In addition, !MC5 offers the possibility to add further supported protocols like AS2 or SFTP, and thus to control EDI data exchange as well as conversions centrally with one application. This allows you to flexibly respond to the requirements of new partners, regardless of industry, transmission method or EDI message format.

With !MC5, companies can be sure that their data is transferred securely and reliably and that they are able to communicate with their business partners around the world. With the free trial version of !MC5 you can convince yourself of its performance and ease of use.

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