FurnishNet Announces EDIINT AS2 Support
September 24, 2003

Retailers and manufacturers can now exchange EDI data over the Internet without VAN connections to lower communication and operational costs

SAN DIEGO, CA -FurnishNet today announced they now provide Electronic Data Interchange-Internet Integration (EDIINT) using the AS2 (Applicability Statement 2) protocol. The Internet Engineering Task Force developed the AS2 protocol standard for the secure exchange of business documents over the Internet. By implementing AS2, FurnishNet gives domestic and international trading partners the ability to send and receive electronic data globally without the use of value added networks (VANs). As a result, trading partners can transmit sensitive data with the same security as EDI but without the associated VAN charges. This provides a significant cost reduction for traditional EDI environments.

FurnishNet completed its AS2 implementation compliance as a result of work it has done in connecting suppliers to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart was recently named Furniture Today's #1 Furniture Retailer.

AS2 provides an Internet solution for securely exchanging EDI over the Internet using Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) and the hypertext transmission protocol (HTTP). This eliminates day-to-day VAN and long-distance dial-up charges while providing fast, reliable, 24/7 connectivity.

"Supporting AS2 standards is simply an extension of the service that FurnishNet provides," said Ronald B. Sellers, vice president for FurnishNet. "It allows traditional EDI shops to lower the costs of their B2B infrastructure and at the same time expand their electronic trading with smaller non-EDI capable trading partners. The result is increased speed, accuracy, and reliability of their transactions, and lower operating costs."

FurnishNet's solution for Transaction Management speeds the accurate transmission of purchase orders, purchase order acknowledgements, advance ship notices, ocean carrier and drayage company status alerts, and many other transaction types. By integrating e-mail, web applications, electronic data interchange (EDI), and XML, into a unique "Any-to-Any" exchange, FurnishNet is able to translate the information into the appropriate format for the immediate electronic flow of information between business partners of any size, running on any corporate system.

About FurnishNet
With over 425 trading partners and over $1.8 billion in contracted purchase order volume, FurnishNet is a leading provider of Internet-based supply chain solutions for retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers. FurnishNet's solutions for Transaction Management, Parts Management, and Container Management provide a cost-effective alternative to EDI, and help trading partners to streamline communications, reduce errors, and save hard costs. For more information, visit www.furnishnet.com.