Labels:text | screenshot | menu | font | document OCR: COMPARING INTERNET AND COMMERCIAL VANS Both Internet access providers and VAN providers offer store-and-forward mailbox- ing of electronic message documents. This capability, says BIS Strategic Decisions, "is the basis for wide-area messaging applications, of which EDI is a prime instance." BIS compared other characteristics of the two network types: FEATURE INTERNET ACCESS VALUE-ADDED PROVIDER NETWORK Store and Forward Yes Yes Mailboxing Secure Environment No Ye Reliable Performance No Yes Service Provider Limited Complete Accountability Customer Support Only for Intemet Extensive services for" connect; some for EDI and commercial hosting content applications Interactive Access Comes with flat Extra charge monthly fee Electronic All that's available Limited to what Information Access on the Internet VAN provides: may cost extra Content Hosting Costs extra; content Costs extra content Services available free to all restricted to VAN users Intemet users and may cost extra Price, services and security are among the biggest differentiators of VANs and the Internet as an EDI transport mechanism. The security advantage goes to commercial VANs, says BIS, because only identifiable users - the network operator or customers - can use the network. As for costs, the Intemet holds sway: Internet access providers charge one-third to one-tenth the fees that VANs charge to transmit EDI message.
