What are the steps to follow to integrate VMS with Banks for vendor payment | Amazon | VendorPayments|Walmart|Integration|EDI|B2B|Security

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Integrating a vendor management system (VMS) with banks for vendor payment involves several steps to ensure a seamless and secure payment process. Here's a comprehensive overview of the integration process:

Step 1: Define requirements and objectives

Clearly define the objectives of integrating the VMS with banks for vendor payment. Identify the specific payment methods, data exchange formats, and security protocols that need to be supported. This will help in selecting the appropriate integration approach and tools.

Step 2: Select a VMS and bank connectivity solution

Choose a VMS that offers integration capabilities with multiple banks and supports various payment methods. Evaluate the compatibility of the VMS with the bank's payment systems and ensure it meets your specific requirements.

Step 3: Establish data exchange standards

Determine the data exchange standards that will be used for transmitting payment information between the VMS and the bank. Common standards include XML, EDI, and SWIFT. Ensure that both systems can communicate effectively using the chosen standards.

Step 4: Implement data mapping and transformation

Map the data fields in the VMS to the corresponding fields in the bank's payment systems. This may involve data transformation, such as formatting and conversion, to ensure compatibility. Develop data validation rules to ensure data integrity and prevent errors.

Step 5: Configure payment workflows

Define the payment workflows between the VMS and the bank. This includes specifying the authorization process, payment initiation, and reconciliation procedures. Establish clear roles and responsibilities for each step in the workflow.

Step 6: Conduct testing and validation

Perform thorough testing to ensure the integration is functioning as expected. Test various payment scenarios, including single payments, batch payments, and error handling. Validate data accuracy, transaction processing, and communication between the VMS and the bank.

Step 7: Deploy and monitor the integration

Deploy the integrated solution to a production environment and monitor its performance closely. Continuously review and refine the integration to address any issues or optimize the payment process.

Additional considerations for secure integration:

• Employ strong encryption and authentication mechanisms to protect sensitive payment data.

• Implement access controls and user authorization to restrict access to payment information based on user roles and permissions

• Conduct regular security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential security risks.

• Follow industry standards and best practices for secure payment processing.

  
  
  

What are main problems facing by small vendors when doing business with Amazon , Walmart , ebay etc.

Dears

Interesting video on what are main problems facing by small vendors when doing business with Amazon , Walmart , ebay etc.

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https://youtu.be/WZrsjZPNdhY

Small vendors face a multitude of challenges when doing business with large e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Walmart, and eBay. Here are some of the most significant problems:

1. High Fees and Commissions: Large platforms charge a variety of fees, including:

• Listing fees: Costs per month or per item listed.
• Selling fees: Percentages of each sale.
• Fulfillment fees: Costs for warehousing and shipping through the platform's services.
• Advertising fees: Pay-per-click or other charges for promoting products on the platform.

These fees can eat into a small vendor's profit margins significantly, making it difficult to stay competitive.

2. Uncontrollable Algorithms and Visibility: Platform algorithms prioritize larger brands and high-performing products, making it harder for small vendors to gain visibility. Sellers have limited control over how their products are displayed and ranked, leaving them vulnerable to changes in the platform's algorithms.

3. Counterfeit Concerns and Brand Protection: Large platforms struggle with managing counterfeit products, creating an uphill battle for smaller brands to protect their intellectual property and maintain brand integrity.

4. Dependence on Platform Policies and Terms: Small vendors are subject to the platforms' ever-changing policies and terms of service, which can change overnight and impact their business significantly.

5. Customer Service Burden: Many platforms require vendors to handle customer service directly, which can be overwhelming for small businesses with limited resources.

6. Competition from Amazon as a Retailer: Amazon increasingly sells its own private-label products in competition with third-party sellers, further diminishing profit margins for smaller vendors.

7. Difficulty in Building Brand Recognition: It can be challenging for small vendors to build brand awareness and attract loyal customers within the large marketplaces with established branding giants.

8. Data Ownership and Insights: The platforms collect valuable data on customer behavior and sales, but small vendors often have limited access or control over this data, hindering their ability to make informed business decisions.

9. Inventory Management Challenges: Managing inventory across multiple platforms and fulfilling orders efficiently can be complex and costly for small businesses.

10. Limited Marketing and Promotional Opportunities: Smaller vendors might have limited access to promotional tools and advertising options compared to larger brands, making it difficult to stand out in the crowded marketplace.

Despite these challenges, many small vendors find success on these platforms by carefully managing their business, diversifying their sales channels, building strong customer relationships, and adapting to the ever-changing landscape of e-commerce.

How to Integrate SAP ERP system and external or Internal API services

 Find our Analysis on how smoothly and seamlessly you can integrate SAP ERP system with different varieties of API services in the market

Click below link for explanation video

SAP ERP and API Integration possibilities

how to SAP ERP system can consume API services provided by external parties or partners 

This integration can be done through 3 ways

1. Direct integration with API services using SAP Netweaver middleware 

This allows SAP ERP systems to connect to API services using a variety of protocols, such as HTTP, SOAP, and XML-RPC

Direct integration can be complex and time consuming but it gives us the high degree of control over the integration process

2. Third party Middlware 

These products can provide a variety of features, such as routing, transformation, and security, which can simplify the process of consuming API services

3. Cloud based Intgration platforms

These platforms will provide hosted environment for integrating SAP ERP systems with API services which

can simplify the process of integration and reduces on-premises cost     

What are the third party middleware software's are using for integration between SAP ERP and API services

There are multiple Third party softwares are available for integration between SAP ERP system and API services

Some of most popular ones as below

1. SAP Cloud Platform Integration

This platform can be used integrate SAP ERP ssystem with wide variety of API services using different communication 

channels like HTTP , SOAP , REST API 

2. Mulesoft Anypoint platform 

it is hybrid middleware platform which can be used to integrate between SAP ERP and different APIs using  

different communication channels like HTTP , SOAP , REST API etc. It is most user friendly software and drag and drop

interface.

3. IBM Websphere ESB 

it is one of middleware platforms which can be used to integrate between SAP ERP and different APIs using  

different communication channels like HTTP , SOAP , REST API etc.

4. Oracle Integration Cloud

This is cloud based Integration platform and this can be used integrate between SAP ERP and different APIs using  

different communication channels like HTTP , SOAP , REST API etc.

5. WSO2 Enterprise Integrator

This is open source Integration platform and this can be used integrate between SAP ERP and different APIs using  

different communication channels like HTTP , SOAP , REST API etc.

There are several cost-effective and dependable third-party middleware software options available for integrating

SAP ERP systems with API services

1. WSO2 Enterprise Integrator (EI)

2. Apache Camel

Commercial products will provide comprehensive set of features , security and support 

How do we resolved first time FTPS connectivity issue with partner using IBM B2B Sterling Integrator

😟😟😟Background of Actual problem :

            I am working for Banking client who is doing business with their partners by sending payment files using different communication channels like SFTP , HTTP , API etc. For first time one partner come up with integration requirement by using FTPS communication which is new to our banking client. My client using IBM Sterling Integrator as B2B/EDI tool to do integration with partners and this is the first partner using FTPS connectivity. While implementing and getting connectivity established with partner , we encountered many issues with their FTPs Server.

😮😮😮Problem Statement :

           When we trying to connect and to do list out the files which are available in their remote directory , initially we are getting handshake failure and cannot move forward to do list files operation. We have already opened outbound ports at bank firewall and customer are  also opened bank ports at their side. As part of analysis we have asked partner to provide acceptable ciphers at their side and compare with ciphers which are configured at Bank side.while initial analysis we found that there is Ciphers mismatch at handshake and it causes the issue.

😲😲😲Suggestion : 

           To resolve this issue, we have conducted multiple debugging sessions with all the stakeholders  partner , Bank's team (myself) , Network team , operating system admin and B2B application vendor etc. In each session we have implemented below suggestions/changes mentioned at B2B server level by B2B vendor team and did the testing in meeting when all the stake holders are present and do the monitoring the traffic.Initially we asked to do below mentioned changes at their FTPS server side and they didn't aggree to do changes. Partner side they cannot make necessary changes to accepts ciphers which are configured at bank because already they are integrated with their partners and they dont want to expect any issues with their partners by cipher changes.

• SNI need to be disabled
• TLS 1.3 version need to disabled if it is enabled already and TLS1.2 version should be default

 Next trouble shooting session we have verified all the settings , logs and configurations with help of IBM vendor. We have found issue with certificates (Intermediate , Root and Leaf) and while importing 

 certificates it is giving error as "Auth chain is incomplete". To resolve this issue, we have directly

 downloaded the certificates from their server using certificate grabber utility in Sterling B2B integrator

and imported into B2B server. Then it resolves the certificates issue. Now we tried to post file but

 it is not successful. at this time we enabled trace at both Network level and OS level. In trace root

 we saw as B2B server sending packets but we are not receiving client hello packets back.

When customer did the CA certificates validity check using openssl it is giving result as OK , but there can still be some problems with the way SI checks additional points in validity beyond whether certificate is expired or properly chained.

To resolve this issue we have conducted multiple trouble shooting sessions with all the integration stake holders. As part these meeting IBM vendor suggested server level changes and we have done those changes and restarted the IBM SI server and verified the connectivity.

Suggestion 1 :

   Change the order of security providers in Java security file in SIB2BInstallationPath/jdk/jre/lib/security/java.security

Existing

#

# List of providers and their preference orders (see above):

#

security.provider.1=com.ibm.crypto.fips.provider.IBMJCEFIPS

security.provider.2=com.ibm.crypto.provider.IBMJCE

security.provider.3=org.bouncycastle.jce.provider.BouncyCastleProvider

security.provider.4=com.certicom.ecc.jcae.Certicom

security.provider.5=com.sterlingcommerce.security.jcae.STERCOMM

security.provider.6=com.ibm.jsse2.IBMJSSEProvider2

security.provider.7=com.ibm.security.jgss.IBMJGSSProvider

 

Change it to

 

security.provider.1=com.ibm.crypto.provider.IBMJCE

security.provider.2=com.ibm.crypto.fips.provider.IBMJCEFIPS

 

And restart the SIB2B server.

Suggestion  2 :

In Properties folder in installation path

Set FIPSMode=true in security.properties

And restart the server

Suggestion 3 : 

You can try putting in customer_overrides.properties: in SIB2B installation path

    security.FactoryTrustManagerAlgorithm=IbmPKIX

This trust manager is more lenient than default IbmX509, if you manage to connect with it might give us additional clue. You need to do this on both nodes.

And restart the SIB2B server.

Finally we are able to connect out client FTP server using security certificate.

Suggestion 4 :

After that we faced files posting issue after connecting their server. To resolve this issue

we have added new configuration in customer_overrides.properties: in SIB2B installation path

 ps_ftpclient.honourPASV=false

 After changing all these configurations then we (Bank) are able to connect their partner FTPS server and post files successfully.  

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Amazon Payee Central integration with OMS application running on AWS cloud using Opensource Tools

 Amazon payee Central integration with OMS application running on AWS cloud using Opensource Tools

   

   Recently I had opportunity to work on integration between Amazon Payee Central and OMS running on AWS cloud. 

   Initially we have implemented the Invoice Payment message integration as part of this project. In this 

   implementation there are multiple applications involved to archive the required integration requirement.

   

To implement this integration below mentioned tasks are performed

   

   Pre requisites information for this implementation has been provided to customer .

   

   1. Having Amazon payee central account for generating invoices

   2. Having personal/Business Website with own web space and domain name for your website and Email account if notification are required

       3. Having any commercial Order Management System or own OMS application or any Database with Order Management schemas and tables.

       

       Implementing actual high level integration steps which I have followed    

   1. EDI setup in Amazon payee Central for exchanging EDi files over AS2

   2. Create our own self-signed or CA certified AS2 certificates for our company / business

   3. Create AS2 http/https url (resource) for receiving or sending files to/from Amazon 

   4. Configure our company / business certificates and Website AS2 resource URL in Amazon payee central

   5. Install opensource AS2 software application running on on-premise or on cloud (AWS or Azure or IBM cloud or google cloud)

   6. Configure our company certificates and Amazon AS2 certificates in our AS2 application

   7. Now coming to Translation, we need to use either opensource EDI translator or any coding language like java, .Net , Python or PHP etc. to do the translation from OMS format to corresponding transaction EDI format.

   8. In our case, as requested by customer I have used PHP script to do the translation and after successful translation file will be written some folder on AWS cloud

   9. Internal OMS application will generate some invoice file in application format (Ex. Flatfile , CSV or Database) and written to some folder on AWS

   10. From that folder translation program will pick and do the translation. After successful translation , files written to another folder where AS2 program can pick and push the file to Amazon.

   11. Initially Amazon wont receive the files until we activate the EDI connection in Amazon Payee central

       12. To activate the AS2 connection , we need to upload 3 EDI formatted Invoice files successfully in the Amazon payee central dashboard by licking connections tab.

       13. Once EDI invoice files successfully validated then the AS2 connection will be changed to Active status. 

       14. Once connection is activated then only Amazon can receive files from us and files can be tracked/showed in search results whether the files are processes or failed.     

   

Just for reference, here is the list of available OMS software's with commercial license

         1. Quickbooks Commerce                https://quickbooks.intuit.com/quickbooks-commerce/

         2. Brightpearl                        https://www.brightpearl.com/

         3. Skubana                            https://www.skubana.com/

4. Freestyle Solutions                https://www.freestylesolutions.com/

5. Odoo — Best Open Source OMS        https://www.odoo.com/

6. Brightpearl                        https://www.brightpearl.com/order-management

7. Veeqo                              https://www.veeqo.com/order-management-system

         8. Magento                            https://www.magestore.com/features/magento-order-management/

https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/order-management-system/