Electronic data interchange (EDI) was developed in the 1960s as a means of business-to-business communication. One computer could “speak” to another without human interference. Purchase orders, invoices, shipping notices, and the like could be transmitted at the touch of button. Over time, EDI became a flexible standard to facilitate the exchange of information in industries such as retail, logistics, transportation, and healthcare—especially when companies were separated by distance or language.
During the 1990s, EDI went from option to necessity. As EDI matured and achieved widespread adoption in an increasingly global economy, the needs of EDI compliance changed. 1 EDI Source was established to provide an efficient, secure, and stable means of integrating EDI into the wide variety of electronic environments.
But EDI standards were maturing faster than the software supporting them. 1 EDI Source founder John Onysko, who had been consulting for several companies, saw that EDI was requiring custom development for every implementation.
He decided to solve that problem by creating a software platform called EDI-Max. Combined with EDI communications software called a “translator,” EDI-Max provided a way to integrate EDI data with any customer’s computer system—regardless of that system’s requirements.
Next came a software package that would satisfy the whole range of EDI requirements. John started a collaboration with Chris Manchen, one of his most technologically advanced clients, to develop a software package that would meet all the requirements of the EDI industry: communications, translation, validation, deep integration, and reporting. Many versions later, that product, now known as EDI HeadQuarters (EDI/HQ®), continues to power 1 EDI Source offerings—supporting clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies.
EDI/HQ became the leading EDI software because it provided a complete solution for implementing and managing EDI environments. Over time, John and Chris realized that the data contained in EDI/HQ was indispensable to every client. The problem? In most cases, only an EDI coordinator had access to the data. So John and Chris decided to take the 1 EDI Source platform further. Their goal: to break down critical EDI data so that multiple departments could access and understand the information.
Then, 1 EDI Source solved the problem of data visibility. With a dedicated team, Chris created a web-based data visibility tool with a user-friendly interface: IntelligentXchange® (IX). With easy-to-use lookups, dashboards, and reports, IX provided access to normally hidden data, such as invoice mismatches, price mismatches, complete audit trails on orders, invoices that needed attention, or chargeback notifications and reconciliations.
Today, 1 EDI Source remains at the forefront of EDI technology. We take pride in offering EDI educational materials as well as serving current and potential clients with our personalized service and support.