4.1 Benefits
Some of the general benefits of EDI can be characterised as follows:
Simplicity. Confusion and delay are eliminated because everyone knows where to find the one copy of each item of information.
Accuracy. Each item is added to the central computer file by the best qualified person and never again transcribed - only copied electronically.
Flexibility. Each company can send and retrieve documents on a computer-to-computer basis without radically changing its own internal system.
Speed. Information is available to everyone within seconds of being added to the central computer file.
Security. EDI can only be accessed by authorised users. Audit trails reveal who did what, when and from where. Unauthorised users cannot easily change information, and records will show their attempts to do so.
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