The Cisco AON Secure File Transfer Extension Module introduces the first significant change in B2B document exchange since server-based point-to-point B2B gateways appeared in the late 1990s. It is the first complete, out of the box, network-embedded, integrated hardware and software solution for secure managed file transfer.

By providing B2B communication functionality in a network form factor, this solution eliminates the need for complex server-based software deployment and management, and addresses a number of the barriers faced by organizations deploying large-scale B2B trading networks.

With the introduction of this solution, InterTrade and Cisco are the first to provide full support for the AS2 protocol in a network-embedded form factor. While AS2 has been primarily deployed in retail supply chains, it is increasingly being adopted in other industries such as high tech, health care, and oil and gas. AS2 offers standard based means for sending information between organizations in a confidential and reliable way over the Internet. The Cisco AON Secure File Transfer Extension Module has been certified by Drummond Group Inc for AS2 server and client functionality.

Being payload agnostic, AS2 provides an interoperable, standards-based method for transmitting any business document safely over the Internet. This includes binary documents and various industry-standard XML and flat-file EDI formats such as ANSI X12, EDIFACT, HL7, PIDX, OAG BODs, and RosettaNet PIPs. AS2 is providing standardized support for security, confidentiality, compression, message receipt confirmation, message retries, and non-repudiation, thus covering all important factors for B2B exchanges. It is quickly becoming the de facto standard for secure file exchange over the Internet using HTTP or HTTPS.

This innovative approach helps enable companies to use the same reliability and scalability traditionally found in their networks for unprecedented wide scale B2B collaboration.