Looking into the future everyone can agree that paper bills, invoices and other transactional business documents will be delivered electronically rather than on paper, through the mail. But where are we today?

When we walk through our favorite supermarket or department store, we see shelf after shelf full of goods from all around the world. Rarely, in the United States do we see an empty shelf or rack, in fact, when we do, we find it oddly disturbing. For decades now we have heard how the auto manufacturers are streamlining their production process with such MBA practices as Just-In-Time inventory, and we all know that this means that trucks are pulling up to the loading docks at the right time with the right materials.

As consumers, what we know about these systems is that they work, and we understand that buyers are buying, sellers are selling, and truckers are trucking. What few of us know is how all of these actions are synchronized and how these various companies and their suppliers dance their dance.

Well before the Internet was known to most of us, a few pioneers came together and decided to standardize various business documents so they could be sent between companies to support supply-chain automation. This technology has come to be known as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Today, trillions of dollars of merchandise and supplies are ordered, delivered and paid for electronically using EDI standards.

These EDI documents are often time-sensitive containing confidential data. They require greater controls and confirmation than normal e-mail can deliver, so most of these transactions are carried over various Value Added Networks (VAN) or delivered Peer-to-Peer using software based off of the EDIINT standards. Just as FedEx is used for critical business documents rather than first class mail, most of EDI uses these more highly accountable systems.

Loren Data takes the market one step further with ECGrid. Like long distance is to local telephone companies, ECGrid is the infrastructure that connects Electronic Commerce Service Providers (ECSPs) such as VANs, ASPs and other EDI hubs and systems. ECGrid is specifically not for end users, but for service providers to build substantial value added products and services. Being the only true wholesale provider in the market, Loren Data is in a unique position to assist its customers in not only expanding market share but enable entry into new markets.

Growing the market is a key component of Loren Data’s vision. Today, only a fraction of business documents are electronic. Through vision and action, Loren Data will create the world of tomorrow, fostering innovation and opening up new markets.