Integration: Cyclone Lets Companies Connect SecurelyIntegration: Cyclone Lets Companies Connect Securely

It's no surprise that connecting the internal applications that support a company's supply chain hasn't been easy. Consider this for starters: The financial, human-resources, inventory, order-management, warehouse-management, and point-of-sale apps are made up of legacy systems and numerous flavors of multiple vendors' software. So how, then, will companies manage to integrate their internal applications with those of their suppliers?

Cyclone Commerce Inc. says it has the answer, and its software is gaining ground. The company has carved out a niche with a product designed to help companies securely connect with their trading partners over the Internet.

Cyclone provides a secure transport between businesses that can handle a variety of data types, communication protocols, and security that make up a trading community. Its Open Business Connections Suite supports protocols based on XML, including ebXML and RosettaNet, as well as non-XML protocols such as EDI, File Transfer Protocol, and Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. In addition, Cyclone provides security connectors that include Entrust, PKCS, RDB, RSA-J, Secure Multipurpose Internet Mail Exchange, and VeriSign standards.

"No one's ever really focused on making collaborative commerce work outside a company's four walls. We make it easy and secure," says Jeff Kukowski, VP of marketing at Cyclone.

The company's approach is catching on. To date, Cyclone has more than 320 customers, including Gillette, Kraft Foods, Nestlé, and Pfizer.

Owens & Minor Inc. uses the software to send and receive transactions over the Internet with its customers, suppliers, and E-commerce exchanges. The medical-supplies distributor receives almost $1.5 billion worth of orders through Cyclone's software each year. The software lets Owens & Minor exchange information with partners much more quickly than a traditional EDI network would. "A typical EDI conversation takes place over hours rather than seconds," says Paul Higday, director of architecture and external systems at Owens & Minor. "By using Cyclone, we receive, process, and respond to electronic information in near real time, giving all members of the supply chain more time to react to potential problems."

Owens & Minor considered a number of alternatives, but each required the company and its business partners to make significant changes to their processes and technology. Cyclone's software required minimal changes, Higday says, resulting in a faster implementation at a lower cost.