: How Hubspan and CNET ChannelOnline Streamline B2B ecommerce with Punchout GLOBAL INTEGRATION ON DEMAND
Executive Summary: with Punchout Streamlining B2B ecommerce improves shopping experience, customer relations and revenue Hubspan s Software-as-Service (SaaS) integration platform seamlessly connects vendor communities with customer communities. Working with CNET ChannelOnline, Hubspan provides integration services to enable CNET customers to more easily purchase online and manage procurement processes with the many CNET partners. This white paper details the punchout and related procurement processes between three parts of the integration community: CNET ChannelOnline, the resellers who use ChannelOnline to sell their products, and business customers. CNET ChannelOnline with punchout gives small to medium size resellers the operational advantages of their larger competitors. Those resellers are now better able to meet the needs of existing customers and attract new customers without taking on the task of building their own ecommerce infrastructure. Those customers experience a seamless transaction that keeps them coming back for more, regardless of which eprocurement solution they use. With Hubspan, all members of the CNET integration community can work in their existing systems, applications and protocols. What is Punchout? Punchout, generically speaking, is a protocol for interactive sessions managed across the Internet. Also sometimes called Tap Out, Roundtrip or other terms, Punchout enables a direct connection and seamless integration between an eprocurement system and any estore or online catalog. It provides centralized control for the seller, and simplifies purchasing for the buyers, who are employees at businesses using any number of different eprocurement applications. Purchasing via the Punchout process entails three basic messages: 1. A Punchout Set-up Request 2. A Punchout Set-up Response 3. A Punchout Order This process sounds simple, but imagine a scenario where one customer uses SAP, another uses Oracle, and others use home-grown procurement systems; plus they all use different transport protocols (see the chart on page 2 for specifics). If one customer s eprocurement system cannot communicate with your estore, you ve lost a sale and the chance to make them a loyal customer. Traditionally, solving these interoperability issues with traditional integration solutions or with an internal IT department would require addressing them one by one; an expensive and complex proposition. Hubspan Punchout, with its middleware-in-the-cloud approach enables manyto-many connectivity, allowing you to work with all those applications as well as the related document formats and transports. Messages can now be delivered to you in the format you need. In addition, since Hubspan Punchout is based on a platform-in-the-cloud delivered as a service there is no software to install or support, freeing your IT team to focus on other strategic projects. Hubspan simplifies and automates critical business processes like punchout and e-procurement, working across all applications, standards and protocols. Hubspan White Paper: Page 1
CNET ChannelOnline Punchout Connector with Hubspan CNET ChannelOnline is a Web-based service that automates key ecommerce processes and transactions for small to medium size resellers. The service allows these resellers to focus on their core business, as well as cut IT expenses by offloading complex functions to a third-party expert. Part of the underlying functionality of the CNET ChannelOnline service is the Hubspan Punchout Connector. Historically, CNET has been the premier location for buyers to find the latest technology products. To make it easier for its vendor community to sell to its customer community, CNET created ChannelOnline and uses the Hubspan integration platform to power punchout and e-procurement services. CNET ChannelOnline: Synchronizes employee, customer, supplier, pricing, and product content Provides resellers with better management control over the sales cycle Enables more buyers to connect to resellers CNEThosted online stores How Hubspan Integration Works Through its secure cloudbased integration platform, Hubspan enables companies to integrate and automate critical business processes across internal and external business communities. Hubspan gives its customers a single connection for processes such as supply chain, demand chain, logistics, and financials. Hubspan accomplishes this integration in four main stages: 1. Connectivity. Hubspan customers securely link up with its cloud-based platform, which supports all major transport protocols. 2. Send Services. Once connected, Hubspan manages the message to ensure it is validated and routed the appropriate way. Hubspan also authorizes the sender, making sure there is appropriate authentication and controlling access based on security and business rules. During this stage, Hubspan also schedules the integration and queues the message based on priority, type and other rules. 3. Business Process Services. Unlike point to point integration solutions, Hubspan provides business process integration. By focusing on the business process, Hubspan handles basic to complex choreography and processes, while defining and adhering to sophisticated business rules and policies. Hubspan also transforms the message to enable both sides to work in their preferred formats and standards. 4. Receive Services. Essentially the flip side of Send Services, when Hubspan manages routing, transport, scheduling & queuing, protocol management, and authorization for the system receiving the message. Plus there are two components of the Hubspan platform that work across the entire integration process: Administration and Security Security: The Hubspan platform ensures security and protection of data and identities throughout a transaction. You can think of security as a wrapper around the entire integration process. Administration: Hubspan provides administrative services, including reports, alerts and real-time visibility of the integration process. Hubspan Punchout Interoperability Hubspan supports the varied protocols, security standards, data formats and processes required across your company and your customers for seamless integration. Protocols Supported HTTP/S FTP/S SFTP SMTP AS2 RNIF EDI VAN REST SOAP Message Formats Supported E-Procurement Systems Supported Sample Processes (and many more!) PunchOut (cxml PunchOut, Ariba SAP Product availability OCI RoundTrip, Oracle XML, TapOut) Infor SciQuest Price check EDI (ANSI X12, EDIFACT, Epicor Science Warehouse Order status Spec2000, Tradacoms, etc.) eplusb2b Market4Care Shipment scheduling Flat File (CSV, ForcedWidth, Exostar Unity Shipment status MultiRecord, etc.) MRO SupplyNet Product tracking XML (cxml, OAGIS, UBL/ ebxml, customized, etc.) Oracle Ketera Code lookup HTML Forms PeopleSoft Oracle Exchange Contract status check Vendor Specific (OCI, CIF, Perfect Commerce IBM ShopOut idoc, etc.) Hubspan White Paper: Page 2
Punchout: Step by Step As an example, let s look at Burgess Computer Decisions (BCD), which is one of the strategic vendors customers can purchase from on the CNET ChannelOnline marketplace. The following is a step-by-step guide to punchout using a fictional customer, Acme Company, and employee Bob Jones. Bob logs into Acme s SAP eprocurement site to search for a new laptop computer. He sees BCD is an 1. approved vendor and clicks on their logo. Unbeknownst to Bob, he s automatically launched the Punchout process by clicking on the BCD logo. Let s look at what happens behind the scenes. 2. Acme s SAP eprocurement system sends a Punchout Set-up Request to Hubspan in the SAP format, identifying Bob as an authorized Acme employee via a HTTPs post. Hubspan then transforms the message into CNET s Punchout format. Hubspan securely authenticates Bob s credentials and authorizes him throughout the session so he doesn t have to sign-in multiple times. Hubspan White Paper: Page 3
3. CNET receives the Request and sends a Punchout Response to Hubspan, which it transforms into the SAP eprocurement system format used by Acme. The SAP eprocurement system accepts this Response (in the form of a URL redirect) and automatically connects Bob to the BCD ecatalog hosted by CNET s ChannelOnline. 4. Bob, free to browse the BCD ecatalog, finds the laptop he wants, clicks on Add to Cart and proceeds to Checkout, triggering the Punchout Order process. Hubspan White Paper: Page 4
5. ChannelOnline recognizes Bob is a special type of user and rather than immediately asking for credit card information, as with a regular consumer, sends a Punchout Order message with all the relevant data through Hubspan, which again transforms it into the acceptable SAP format. 6. This Purchase Order is then routed through Acme s eprocurement system for approval. If approved, a Purchase Order is sent to Hubspan, which transforms it into the proper format and delivers it to BCD. Hubspan can also send the Purchase Order to ChannelOnline if that is how the customer wants to work with CNET. Product Fulfillment and e-invoicing are also enabled via the Hubspan platform. Hubspan White Paper: Page 5
7. Upon receipt of the approved and transformed Purchase Order, BCD fulfills the order and sends an invoice via Hubspan to Acme s SAP eprocurement system. Through this entire interaction, Hubspan serves as the essential mediator between the different protocols and formats, allowing the two company s systems to work together seamlessly. All of this is happening in real time and is invisible to Bob. He sees the BCD ecatalog and purchases his laptop through Acme s SAP eprocurement system. It s also painless for Acme s IT department. They don t need to add any new infrastructure to make this work. Hubspan ensures all the messages are communicated in the format of Acme s SAP eprocurement system and that all of Acme s business rules and security policies are adhered to throughout the integration process. Bob s view of the transaction Hubspan White Paper: Page 6
Hubspan Is Your One Connection for Many-to- Many Integration This example showed a simplistic view of how Hubspan integration works between a single customer and a single vendor. The reality is most of Hubspan integration processes are between many customers and many suppliers, creating a large integration community with a wide variety of systems, standards, formats, business rules, security policies and communication protocols. No matter how large the integration community or how complex the business rules, security or choreography, it is the same as this example for the IT department and the end user a fast, seamless experience. Benefits of Hubspan Punchout Makes it easier for customers to purchase from your online store, increasing customer loyalty and revenue Controls costs through the SaaS pricing model and ability to start small and scale as needed Integrates with legacy eprocurement systems, while supporting all major standards and protocols Deploys quickly with a fast time to value and easy customer on-boarding Enables you to do business your customer s way CNET ChannelOnline Punchout with Hubspan CNET provides a centralized place for its customers to find the latest technology products. For CNET, Hubspan provides a robust integration service for its ChannelOnline service by giving its resellers a ready-made way to automate their critical ecommerce processes. By working with Hubspan, CNET s vendor community can work faster and easier with the customer community, by automating ecommerce processes and related transactions, such as punchout, purchase order exchange or e-invoicing. And all sides of the integration community can work from their existing systems and applications, even if they are legacy or custom built. CNET Channel Online with Hubspan Punchout dramatically reduces the cost and complexity associated with integration and the automation of procurement processes. Contact CNET or Hubspan today to learn more about how you can improve your ecommerce processes and grow your business and revenue. About Hubspan, Inc. Hubspan is the leading provider of business integration solutions, helping companies automate business processes and provide strong collaboration among internal and external communities. Hubspan s cloud-based integration platform is cost-effective, scalable and reliable. With its any-to-any connections, Hubspan ensures seamless interoperability across systems, applications, and standards. Thousands of companies worldwide, from small and medium enterprises to Fortune 500 companies, successfully use the Hubspan platform every day to achieve stronger business collaboration. For more information, go to www.hubspan.com. About CNET ChannelOnline CNET ChannelOnline is a sales-cycle automation solution that s designed to give small to medium-size resellers all of the operational advantages of their large competitors empowering them to maximize margins, increase revenues, as well as increase customer satisfaction. ChannelOnline provides resellers with a fast, resourceful, and effective Web-based service that automates key business processes and transactions, giving resellers total management control over the complete sales cycle. ChannelOnline is unique in synchronizing dynamic employee, customer, supplier, pricing, and product content into a single application and provides integration with leading distributors, carriers, and third-party service providers. CNET is part of the CBS Interactive family of brands. Hubspan White Paper: Page 7