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What is AS4

What is AS4?

2013

AS4 becomes an OASIS standard for secure and payload-agnostic document exchange using web services.

2015

Drummond Group publishes an AS4 FAQ on the Wayback Machine.

2016

PEPPOL adopted AS4

2020

AS4 becomes an ISO standard.

What Is AS2 and AS4 and How Do They Differ?

AS2, or Applicability Statement 2, was formed in 2002 as a messaging protocol to exchange data securely. AS4 was inspired by AS2, which has already proved to be a successful communication protocol in many industries and countries. The development of standard AS4 was built using common web standards such as Web Services and SOAP, which instantly improves its usability and ease of adoption. The technology also features substantially enhanced security features that protect the data at every stage of the journey and optimise visibility through send, receipt, and error notifications.
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How secure is AS4?

What are the benefits of AS4?

AS4 provides many benefits over alternative communication protocols, the most obvious being the ability to use modern web services such as SOAP to transfer the data. Using web services instantly makes this communication protocol more accessible to businesses that already use web services for a range of other applications. This also makes the communication protocol more accessible to developing countries where skills for older technology platforms aren’t available.

 

AS4 provides robust security around the transfer of data. The use of AS4 often facilitates the movement of sensitive trading documents, so this additional security is crucial.

 

Standard AS4 provides the visibility and audit trail required to track data through the EDI network and confirm the sending and receipt of a message. Many alternative communication protocols rely on multiple networks to transmit a message, which often causes issues when a message fails.

 

Lastly, the technology supports large file compressions, providing greater flexibility for businesses that exchange complex files and rich datasets.

Why You Should Choose Celtrino for Your AS4 Solution?

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Where can AS4 be used?

AS4 can be used by any organisation that wants to send and receive documents electronically in safe, secure and encrypted transmissions.

Suppliers in the public sector and the Peppol network would find it particularly useful, as Peppol only supports AS4 now.

Increasingly used in markets that use a service-orientated architecture for B2B messaging, for example, utilities, retail and health sectors.

AS4 can be a replacement for customers who currently use AS2/SFTP/FTP clients.

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Advantages of AS4?

Designed to push and pull data securely and reliably over the internet

24/7 availability, fast and reliable connectivity

Encryption ensures that only the sender and receiver can view the data

Digital signatures ensure authentication so only messages from authorised senders are accepted

Support for large file compressions
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Why Choose Celtrino?

We have over 30 years’ worth of experience exchanging electronic documents

We collaborate and share data safely outside your own company

We simplify security to allow you access data for improved efficiency

We offer unparalleled support & customer satisfaction

Get in Touch

You can learn more about Applicability Statement 4 by exploring our case studies and discovering how we have offered EDI solutions and EDI integration across multiple industries. 

If you have any questions about how AS4 works or just general EDI questions you’d like to discuss or would like to learn more about us, be sure to contact us, and a member of our dedicated team will be happy to help.

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