Evaluating EDI/EAI/B2B Software Platforms

1. Wayne Marshall May 18, 2007 207 827-4395 wmarshall@edispecialists.com Evaluating EDI/EAI/B2B Software Platforms

2. Agenda Details • Personal & Attendee Introduction – Why here? • About EDI Specialists • Internal Context: Strategy/Alignment/Buy-in • External Context: Partners/Industry/Vendors • Software Categorization • Evaluation Criteria – General & Specific • Other Factors – Subjective & Objective • The Process – Whittling, Demos, Pilots • Sample Matrix • Helpful Hints

3. Internal Context: Strategy/Alignment/Buy-in Evaluations should be conducted in the context of an overall business and IT strategy. • Alignment between Business, IT and Departmental goals & strategies. • Aim for buy-in among stakeholders, functional areas and IT management. • Include internal competition. • Look 3-5 years out.

4. External Context: Partners/Industry/Vendors Evaluations should also be performed in the context of the outside world. • Ask your trading partners what they might be doing with phone calls or formal surveys. • Keep abreast of industry trends, mandates, etc. by talking, reading & attending conferences. (newsletter) • Listen to the vendor community & understand the technology direction. • Look 3-5 years out.

5. Software Categorization This is not your grandfather’s Oldsmobile anymore! EAI, Workflow, BPM, Dashboards, etc. have changed our world. Three Categories (Wayne’s World) : • EDI Translator Engines – vanilla, no workflow • EAI Platforms – workflow component, modular • High-end Transactional S/W – speed, volumes

6. Evaluation Criteria – General & Specific General – what anyone would want to know Specific – to your company’s requirements General criteria includes: Costs, Training, H/W & OS, Support, etc. Note: Costs include many factors……….. Specific criteria includes: ERP integration, H/W & OS, Standards Support, etc.

7. Other Factors – Subjective & Objective Subjective – based on judgment & instinct Objective – based on facts & observations Subjective criteria includes: User friendly interface, client ratings & support, etc. Objective criteria includes: Cost to own, vendor stability, resource availability, etc.

8. The Process – Whittling, Demos, Pilots After you have done your fact finding & developed the matrix.... Note: Matrix will be more complete after the following: • Start whittling down the options – some will be discarded quickly. • Choose 3 or 4 on which to focus. • Ask for demos/road shows – this could be an iterative process. • Ask them how they would implement your most complex process. • Pilots can be valuable – but costly.

9. Helpful Hints • Calculate the Total Cost of Ownership. • Implementation, h/w, db, training, migration, hiring, etc. • Get more than the vendor’s references – do a client visit. • Ask vendors about their strategy. • Try to develop an all inclusive list of s/w options. • This can seem like you’re comparing apples to oranges. • Do your homework – this takes time. • Buy at the end of a quarter or year.