By upnet, on April 8th, 2011
 Any company that has spent time working with large to mid-size retailers knows what compliance programs are. At their core, compliance programs dictate how manufacturers/vendors need to interact with retailers from the way they box their product to the methods of delivery they utilize. Today we are going to take a quick look at the current state of EDI Retail Compliance in 2011.
As electronic connectivity began to take its hold in the industry, EDI became one of the other main points of consideration for compliance. The ways that retailers send and accept documents ranging from Purchase Orders to Advanced Ship Notices (ASN) to Invoices became tightly controlled and the larger retailers switched to a “comply or die” model of compliance with EDI. This led to many manufacturers/vendors having to either make large internal investments to become EDI enabled, or simply stop doing business with some of their largest customers.
Continue reading The state of Retail Compliance – 2011
By upnet, on March 11th, 2011
 What are the real world results of a company’s trading partner collaboration on-boarding initiatives? Company’s and their providers are always striving for 100% of their customers to be on-boarded to the connectivity initiatives they partake in, but this is not the normal case in today’s industry. In most cases the 80/20 split comes into play, 80% of a company’s trading partners are straight forward to on-board and get running, but the other 20% cause many headaches, extra time and money investments, and in some cases are never even able to be on-boarded properly. The 80/20 rule can even slide to a 40/60 rule for some industries, where typically only 40% of a company’s trading partners are fully on-boarded!
What can company’s do to better reduce this risk within their connectivity initiatives? The first and most basic step is to ensure proper communication with all of your trading partners. Keep them up to date on what your internal technology initiatives are so that they can be better prepared to meet the demands of a more collaborative relationship. Secondly, prepare less invasive and cheaper alternatives to full system integration with your provider. For example, providing hosted web portal access to functions can lessen the trading partners requirements to be on-boarded with you. Third, ensure that you setup on-boarding documentation and timelines that are informative enough for your trading partners and allow for some exceptions they might have. Finally, company’s should work to maintain their communication with trading partners throughout the on-boarding process. Ensure that the on-boarding is going smoothly, deal with exceptions and problems early, and strengthen the relationship.
In summary:
- Communicate your internal initiatives and plans early
- Prepare solutions that take into account your trading partners situation
- Inform your trading partners with clear documentation and timelines for on-boarding
- Maintain the on-boarding process with communication throughout
With a focus on communication with trading partners, starting before the on-boarding process even takes place, and collaborative planning with their provider, companies can help to reduce their risk of falling into the 80/20 trap and find greater efficiencies and value in their connectivity initiatives.
By upnet, on February 17th, 2011
 In the age of the internet and everything being web connected, it was only a matter of time before business software started to make its leap to hosted deployments and infrastructures. While many groups have resisted this change, citing concerns over security, customization and investment, many more have found the benefits of utilizing on-demand solutions and that past items of concern are relics from a simpler time.
Today’s on-demand solutions put security concerns to rest, enable the customization users are looking for, and provide ROIs that can often shame traditional deployment models. On-demand deployments enable customers to use as much or little as they need and not have to worry about the scalability or up front investment into solutions. They are delivered to customers in the form of portals, web apps, and device integrations that allow access to the solutions from any web connected device. These deployments also break the traditional software upgrade cycle, customers need not worry about buying upgrade packages that often prove to be costly to purchase and implement. Instead, customers instantly gain the benefits of new enhancements to the software as they are created and offered.
Removing the focus on infrastructure and instead focusing on the process allows companies to leverage their competitive advantages and push forward their business goals instead of worrying about the technology behind them.
On-demand SaaS Benefits:
- Hardware costs are minimized
- Maintenance is handled by the provider
- Updates are on going through provider deployment
- Companies can focus on competitive advantages vs. infrastructure
By upnet, on February 8th, 2011
 Bloomingdales.com (BCOM) is on its way to becoming 100% compliant with the Macy’sNet standards / systems. Recently Bloomingdales.com underwent a large system conversion initiative and will be enforcing vendors to comply with the standards put in place by Macy’sNet. This includes everything from shipping / packaging to how data is transacted between parties.
Part of Macy’s compliance requirements is to be able to transact the following documents, which all BCOM vendors will need to utilize:
- 850 – Purchase Order
- 810 – Invoice
- 856 – Advance Ship Notice
- GS1-128 (UCC-128) Labels
UpNet makes it work! If you are struggling to figure out how to comply with these new requirements, or simply do not have systems that are enabled currently with the required functionality, UpNet is prepared to get you quickly online via iEDeX’s on-demand SaaS connectivity and applications.
Visit UpNettec.com for more information
By upnet, on February 2nd, 2011
UpNet is proud to announce that Jennifer Amys, CEO has been selected as a 2011 Pro to Know by Supply & Demand Chain Executive Magazine. Why is Jennifer a Pro to Know?
“Jennifer’s real life experiences and hands-on learning, as well as her ability to leverage advanced technology to answer the “what if…” questions and extrapolate the future implications of technical solutions have allowed her to build a company that can offer unique solutions to meet the complex demands of today’s supply chains. Cutting through the old standards with knowledge and vision, Jennifer has lead the creation of a unique platform that can further the bounds of data exchange through the convergence of integration and data transformation. She has the view and understanding from the perspective of both a buyer and seller, which has enhanced her ability to apply relevant technology to any business situation at hand.”
Read on to see the full SDCE press release.
Continue reading UpNet’s very own Pro to Know
By upnet, on January 27th, 2011
 If you are driven, resourceful, able to solve problems and think on your feet – we want to talk to you. UpNet is hiring two new positions to start off 2011; a Sales Development Representative and Inside Sales Representative for SaaS.
See the full job descriptions over on our Careers Page.
To apply for any of the current career opportunities, please submit your resume and cover letter to: careers@upnettec.com
A Better Experience: Unlimited Growth
We believe the excellence of UpNet is with our employees. Smart, motivated, well trained employees create positive experiences with our customers and foster an environment where innovation can drive results.
Learn more about us and our culture
By upnet, on January 24th, 2011
Most businesses will agree that to effectively carry out their operations and find efficiencies within their supply chain they need to leverage enhanced collaboration. They also know that the aligning of different companies within the supply chain effectively creates a network surrounding or encompassing their own operations. Many EDI and B2B connectivity companies have taken this new found understanding and applied it to their existing models so that over night they have moved from enabling connectivity to “creating a network”. But are these offerings really a “network” in the true sense of the word? Did one-to-one connections all of a sudden turn into a network? Do they live up to the expectations of the businesses joining the network? In many cases the answer to all of these questions is no.
Lets start off by taking a brief look at how a traditional EDI solution would tackle the job of connecting 4 trading partners, 2 of which are already working with each other. In this example Businesses A and B are already connected, then each partner gets connected with the other partners in this example EDI network.
Continue reading Unlocking the Collaborative Network Riddle
By upnet, on January 6th, 2011
 Recently Jim Cantrell posted an interesting article over at Retail EDI calling out some of the less than honest pricing practices many hosted EDI companies are utilizing. He points out how many of the transaction costs can be inflated behind the scenes, where vendors and retailers are not even provided with a clear understanding of the services rendered for the fees charged. In being presented with this representation of the industry, we felt the need to disclose a bit more about how our transaction pricing is structured and give a bit more insight into the workings of our iEDeX system.
First is the issue of charging for data stored in the hosted EDI environment rather than simply the traded data. UpNet does not charge based on the data stored in our systems. Even though we offer a wide array of transformation and translation services through our platform, our clients are still charged on a per document basis.
Next is the issue of splitting documents based on elements, such as SDQ (Ship Destination Quantity), and charging for these additional documents. While this is a situation where UpNet would charge additional fees, because of the additional documents, the choice to split the documents is one the client makes based upon their needs. We have found that some clients actually prefer this behavior and as such are willing to accept and pay for the additional document transaction fees involved. Clients that do not desire this behavior have no worries, as it is not done without their request.
Both of these issues are valid points that clients should bring up with their EDI provider. At UpNet we provide an honest and complete view, including end-to-end transaction monitoring through Status411, of what is happening with your data and how you are being charged for us to process it.
We welcome any questions from current or potential clients about our billing practices. You can get in touch with us at info@upnettec.com.
By upnet, on January 5th, 2011
 Supply and Demand Chain Executive (SDCE) has announced their 2010 Green Supply Chain Award recipients.
“The 2010 Green Supply Chain Awards recognizes companies that are working to achieve measurable sustainability goals within their own operations and/or supply chains in the areas of Sourcing/Procurement, Fulfillment/Logistics, Operations, Product Lifecycle Management, and other areas of the supply chain.”
UpNet would also like to congratulate local Twin Cities area winner Murphy Warehouse.
Murphy Warehouse Company (murphywarehouse.com) is a 105-year-old, family business that takes a long-term perspective on sustainability. It started its sustainability program in the late 1980s with lighting retrofit programs, and it moved on to planting the first of four native prairies in 1994, and to solar power on roofs in 2010. Just one example of results: Murphy Warehouse greenhouse gas emissions are significantly lower than the national average for warehouses – as much as 87 percent lower.
See the full list of recipients over at SDCE
By upnet, on December 15th, 2010
 Food Logistics has recognized UpNet Technologies as one of the Top 100 IT solution providers for 2010.
“Each year, the editors of Food Logistics recognize 100 technology and solution providers that help grocery and foodservice distributors and manufacturers reach their business goals. This year, the magazine focused the theme on bouncing back through tough economic times with technology.”
In response to FL’s question “how can our readers use technology to attain short- and long-term goals in this difficult economic environment?” UpNet’s VP of Sales Jacqueline Bailey replied:
In today’s economic environment we must all learn to do more with less. iEDeX from UpNet enables businesses to effectively utilize technology to reduce internal costs, drive efficiency throughout their supply chain and effectively collaborate with trading partners. Our cost predictable SaaS solutions increase technical capabilities and flexibilities, providing the ability to better manage risk.
UpNet enables businesses to effectively utilize technology to reduce internal costs, drive efficiency throughout their supply chain and effectively collaborate with trading partners. Our cost predictable SaaS solutions increase technical capabilities and flexibilities, providing the ability to better manage risk.
Continue reading UpNet recognized as Food Logistics Top 100 IT solution provider for 2010
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Any company that has spent time working with large to mid-size retailers knows what compliance programs are. At their core, compliance programs dictate how manufacturers/vendors need to interact with retailers from the way they box their product to the methods of delivery they utilize. Today we are going to take a quick look at the current state of EDI Retail Compliance in 2011.
