The AS2 Standard for EDI Over the Internet (EDIINT)

Though I have concerns about AS2, it IS the B2B standard for exchanging electronic business documents over the internet using the popular http/https communications protocol. AS2 is more sophisticated than just plain HTTP or HTTPS because it defines extra standards such as HTTP protocol responses, and message format wrappers for EDI documents. AS2 can be used with non-EDI documents where non-EDI acknowledgments called Message Delivery Notifications (MDN) are used to acknowledge receipt of AS2 files.

AS2 Acronyms. EDI-INT AS2 is a mouthful of acronyms. EDI stands for Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). EDI-INT stands for EDI over the Internet which is a working group of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). This group is charge with documenting the requirements and best practices for secure, interoperable EDI over the internet. AS2 stands for Application Statement 2 which is based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and HTTP Secure / Secure Socket Layer (HTTPS).

Why Use EDI-INT AS2? If two businesses desire to exchange electronic business documents directly, by by-passing traditional Value Added Networks (VAN), then they should use a secure, viable communications protocol. The biggest reason to implement EDI-INT AS2 is that the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) recommends it as the standard for HTTP/HTTPS data transfer. The IETF is the key International standards group for internet architecture and the smooth operations of the internet. The AS2 standard is recommended for its security and interoperability. At the same time, AS2 is a cumbersome protocol to implement.

Characteristics of EDI-INT AS2. The AS2 is the http-based standard for exchanging B2B documents over the internet. My concern with AS2 is whether a business or its trading partners have the technical know-how and resources to implement it and maintain it. Below are some characteristics of the AS2 standard.

Security and Verification. Increased verification and security achieved through the use of receipts and digital signatures.
Real-time Data Exchange. Transactions and acknowledgments occur in real-time. This can be a plus for transactional-based data exchange such as with financial authorizations and other real-time operations.
Exchange of Public and Private Keys. Public keys are used for encrypting each other’s EDI files, while the private key is used for decrypting.
Always Open Link. AS2 is a push-only protocol. It is not ad/hoc or push/pull as with a FTP-type communications protocols. With AS2, companies receive AS2 data by having a computer waiting for incoming http requests.
Cumbersome to Implement and Maintain. Because of the security, certifications and verifications, AS2 adds on layers of complexities that can overwhelm a technical staff in terms of know-how as well as labor to maintain the B2B interfaces.

More EDI-INT AS2 Links. Wikipedia AS2 | EDIdEv - Electronic Data Interchange Development | Secure File Transfer Protocols | EDI University - AS2.