Supercharging the VAN (IBM’s EDI Value Added Network) – 2020 Update When I wrote the post below in 2018, I’d already seen an upswing of interest in interest in Peppol from traditional EDI capable businesses, and along the way have worked to help them continue to use existing investments wile also enjoying Peppol access. To this end, in conjunction with the IBM services teams, I recently published a “How-To” guide for Peppol on the IBM VAN. In the link above, you’ll find most of what you need to get started quickly using Peppol from an OnPremise EDI / VAN perspective, including some code snippe ..read more

I was recently asked, “if we are intending to process all our invoices via an OCR solution why do we need Peppol?”. Well, without focusing on OCR, here’s 3 dimensions to consider why the common framework of open standards can provide benefit. Remembering it’s more about the collective good of the ecosystem/community rather than about the “my standard is better than all the others”, or “these are not the latest/bleeding edge standards”. The benefits accrue across: Reducing trading partner friction – trading partners (buyers, sellers, intermediaries) doing their work via their business manageme ..read more

Looking into transaction lifecycles Every business conducts transactional trade, handling purchase orders, invoices and intermediate documents like ship notifications; which can be administratively messy. If something goes wrong, a Customer Service call can quickly turn into detective work or treasure hunting, to reconstruct a picture of what happened, where, when and why, in order both to solve the issue and prevent recurrence.   When Track + Trace is not enough While IBM has a very capable Track + Trace capability for our electronic document flow, it is constrained by the fact that each ..read more

Show me how Peppol works A number of times I’ve been asked by clients to show a live demonstration of how Peppol works. Typically, this is a difficult thing to visually simulate, as a Peppol provider will only manage 1 side of a trade transaction, so in the video below, I will represent the sender of an invoice, but the receiver will be represented by a different Peppol provider. It’s like watching me drop a letter into the mailbox, and a few seconds later hearing a voice saying “delivered” come from the mailbox, but where everything happens out of sight. I can usually show the IBM track+ trac ..read more

Interoperability Earlier in summer 2019, I wrote about my experiences from attending a number of global eInvoicing events. All of these examined themes of Global Interoperability as a future driver both of demand for and as a solution to demand for “better” electronic trade. After attending the eInvoicing Exchange Summit in Vienna recently, I see that same Interoperability trend still progressing strongly. As I return from, attending the eInvoicing Exchange Summit in Singapore last week, I’m convinced that there is about to be an explosion of adoption of Interoperable electronic trade systems ..read more

The Right Thing A few months ago, in a relatively short period, I attended three industry events related to electronic trade: the OpenPEPPOL General Assembly, the Miami eInvoicing Exchange Summit and the General Assembly of EESPA (European Einvoicing Service Providers Association). The overarching theme running through each of these events was “global interoperability” and how governments, regulators, businesses and service providers are increasing working together to make electronic business easier for all concerned. The consensus across all of these events is something I’ve been convinced of ..read more

Webinar Summary The Pan-European Public Procurement Online (PEPPOL) electronic trade standard enables interoperable document exchange over its network.  Although PEPPOL started in the European Union electronic public procurement, already it’s spreading across the globe. Use PEPPOL standardisation and interoperability to take control of your electronic trade. Learn about the key factors that can help you choose the right PEPPOL provider and how IBM can help.   REGISTER HERE Gerard Clancy, Offering Manager, PEPPOL and e-Invoicing , IBM Watson Supply Chain The post IBM OnDemand Webinar – F ..read more

Webinar Summary The Pan-European Public Procurement Online (PEPPOL) electronic trade standard enables government organizations and private companies to exchange electronic trading documents over its network. While PEPPOL started in the European Union to establish standards for electronic public procurement, it’s now being adopted across the globe. Join our Panel Discussion webinar to hear PEPPOL and electronic trade thought leaders discuss the impact and prospects for this standard. Watch this webinar to: Learn why PEPPOL is capturing the attention of the U.S. Federal Reserve, Governikus, an ..read more

I would like to share with you a some news items that have come up this past month, as well as from the recent OpenPEPPOL General Assembly. The PEPPOL network now reaches over 190,000 direct addressable entities- up almost 400% from the beginning of 2016 at 51,000. In France there are another approx. 150,000 public sector entities can receive invoices in ChorusPro, via a single PEPPOL “ClearingHouse” EndPoint. There are many more countries in the process of rolling out PEPPOL services in 2019, so the expected 2020 level will be likely a multiple of this. Singapore will start trade by mid 2019 ..read more