GXS Trading Grid®

Integration Cloud Platform

top

GXS Trading Grid was started in 2004 and built as an integration cloud platform. The physical hardware architecture consists of modular blade servers, storage area networks and a high capacity, intra-data center WAN. There are no mainframes or antiquated dial-up networks. The logical architecture is a virtualized implementation of Linux with centralized management software. Benefits to customers include:

• No Software Licenses—Users of GXS Trading Grid need not license any software or purchase any server hardware to leverage our extensive suite of B2B integration services. Many of our customers are choosing to connect their SAP or Oracle ERP application to GXS Trading Grid directly, enabling seamless integration with their business partner community.
• Subscription Pricing Model—GXS offers its B2B integration services for a monthly subscription fee that is much more aligned with actual usage of the services than traditional software license models. Companies can choose to pay an up-front implementation fee to reduce their monthly subscription cost or pay nothing up front with a higher monthly recurring fee. Both fixed-fee and usage-based monthly pricing are available.
• Scalability and Flexibility—GXS Trading Grid’s cloud-style architecture enables GXS to dynamically scale up and down processing capacity with the same economics. As a result, GXS Trading Grid has the scalability to support extreme transaction loads for short periods of time and enables GXS to reduce planned downtime. Our cloud infrastructure offers the ability to move application footprints across different hardware nodes in just a few hours.

Service Oriented Architecture

top

All of GXS cloud-based applications leverage a common Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) platform for development and runtime environments.

• Shared, Reusable Components—All applications on GXS Trading Grid leverage shared components. The common services range from identity, context and accounting to document translation, protocol mediation and data quality. Applications share content repositories, which contain trading partner profiles, configurable business rules and a centralized data store.
• GXS Trading Grid Online—Customers benefit from the SOA platform with support interfaces such as GXS Trading Grid Online, a single, web-based portal by which customers can access all GXS applications and services. Additionally, GXS Trading Grid Online also allows end users to perform account administration, initiate billing inquiries and submit trouble tickets.
• GridStream—The benefits of the SOA strategy extend to business partners as well. GXS recently introduced a set of GridStream services, which allow third-party developers to program to GXS Trading Grid. As a result, remote, third-party applications can perform web service calls to GXS Trading Grid to access B2B integration functionality.

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Applications

top

GXS has developed a portfolio of SaaS applications to support processes in the value chain. The GXS applications leverage the high volumes of transactions flowing through GXS Trading Grid by warehousing them in a central data store for the purposes of exception management, business intelligence and event notification. GXS applications include:

• Product and Price Management—GXS Active ℠ Product and Active Price applications enable suppliers and retailers to share product attributes such as branding, packaging and pricing and promotional data electronically.
• Supply Chain Visibility—GXS Active℠ Orders and Active Logistics allow merchandising, customer service, transportation managers and supply chain planners to track the status of orders, shipments and inventory as they move through the value chain.
• Invoices and Payments—Active Invoices and Active Payments enable accounts payable organizations to digitize workflows such as supplier invoice validation, three-way document matching and bank payment instructions.

Network of Business Partners

top

By connecting to GXS Trading Grid you gain access to the world’s largest electronic business community. Over 100,000 businesses in 50 countries use GXS Trading Grid every day to facilitate the transfer of goods, money and information with their customers, suppliers and service providers.

• Manufacturing—Tens of thousands of manufacturing companies utilize GXS Trading Grid daily for demand forecasting, materials management and financial settlement. GXS customers include many of the world’s largest apparel & footwear, food & beverage, consumer packaged goods, automotive parts, electrical components and computer OEM brands.
• Service Sector—GXS Trading Grid supports a wide range of business activities in the service sector as well. Most of the world’s largest banks, wholesale distributors and transportation providers support their manufacturing client’s international trade activities using GXS Trading Grid. GXS also hosts large communities in the retail, insurance, utilities and telecommunications sectors.
• Interoperability—To further extend our reach we have established interoperability and interconnect agreements with EDI VANs, B2B exchanges, GS1 data pools and e-invoicing networks—providing access to an even larger community of business partners worldwide.

GXS Trading Grid Design Principles and Operational Guidelines:

top

• Non-Stop Commitment—GXS maintains an unprecedented state of readiness 24x7x365 to respond to events, exceptions or requests that may impact our customers’ e-commerce and supply chain operations.
• Five Continent Footprint—GXS offers local service and support in North and Latin America, Europe, Asia and Australia. We also have business partners in the Middle East and Africa. View a list of GXS offices around the world.
• Green by Design—GXS Trading Grid is designed to minimize environmental impact with an integration cloud platform that consumes significantly less power and dissipates much lower heat. Learn more about GXS Corporate Sustainability practices.