Today, the Connected Systems Division signed an agreement to acquire the IP for Covast’s advanced B2B capabilities. This will be incorporated into a new "BizTalk Advanced B2B Pack" which will be available as part of Software Assurance benefits to customers who license BizTalk ServerR3 .

Why is this important? It builds on the most recent B2B improvements in BizTalk Server.  Some highlights include:

·         New standards for specific retail segments such as warehousing, grocery, energy, automotive and air freight

·         B2B metadata management for EDI ‘super’ interchanges, deeper integration with SQL Server repository/Visual Studio (EDI Explorer) and new reporting capabilities

·         Advanced B2B transports include new file adapters and transports and VAN connectivity

·         B2B operations monitor that enables role-based viewing, end-to-end tracking/tracing and automatic archiving

Please visit Steven Martin’s blog post for additional information.