Connections: AS2, SFTP, VAN

How EDI documents physically travel — AS2, SFTP, and VANs — who decides which one you use, and why EDISQ operating them means you never do.

EDI documents have to physically travel between your partner's systems and yours. Your retailer decides how; EDISQ operates whatever they decide.

The three transports

• AS2 — encrypted, signed document exchange over the internet, with a cryptographic receipt (MDN) for every transmission. The large-retailer default.
• SFTP — files dropped into and collected from a secured folder on a schedule. Common for smaller programs and some AP-side programs.
• VAN — a Value-Added Network, the traditional EDI "post office" that stores and forwards between mailboxes. Some partners still require one.

What this means for you

Nothing, operationally. Connections are provisioned, monitored, and maintained by us — certificate exchanges and renewals, key management, mailbox monitoring, retransmissions. There's no software on your side and no connection fee surprise: the transport your partner mandates is part of the service.

The one variation worth knowing: a few programs (Amazon Payee Central is one — see the program page) require a dedicated connection per supplier rather than shared infrastructure. Where that applies, it's a flat monthly fee for the dedicated line, stated up front on the pricing page.