For companies deeply invested in EDI operations, the idea of migrating from one VAN (Value-Added Network) provider to another is enough to cause real anxiety. Most of us have heard the same stories: onboarding delays stretch for months, migration projects stall on waiting lists, and deadlines slip by as costs quietly pile up. Why does something that’s supposed to deliver savings and efficiency improvements so often become so frustrating and drawn out?
Let’s dig into the real obstacles behind slow VAN migrations from the perspective of a team who’s lived it, managed it, and learned how to make the process dramatically easier for businesses like yours. We’ll look at where delays come from, why legacy approaches persist, and what actually shortens the path to a fully migrated, risk-free future.
If your organization is considering a change — or stuck in the middle of a stalled migration — it’s essential to recognize that migration timeframes aren’t just about technical work. The root causes of delay are a combination of:
Years of ongoing EDI operations mean your current VAN setup isn’t just a simple list of connections. It’s a living web: every trading partner has a unique set of protocols, requirements, mappings, and contact points. You’ve likely built custom processes to support business-specific needs or adapted to supplier/retailer quirks. Migrating isn’t just copying files; it’s reconstructing an ecosystem, which calls for systematic discovery and documentation.
Traditional providers too often start this from scratch, manually cataloging partner by partner—a process that can take weeks or even months if you don’t have comprehensive, up-to-date internal records.
Perhaps the single most significant blocker to a quick migration is the schedule of your trading partners. Many of your connections—especially major retailers or logistics players—have only certain time windows when they’ll accept configuration changes. Some require 60 to 90 days notice. Others limit onboarding requests to quarterly cycles. If a critical partner is in the middle of their own update or busy season, your entire migration may grind to a halt until they’re ready.
Additionally, providers often require serial onboarding: one partner must complete testing before moving to the next. For companies with dozens or hundreds of partners, this can stretch a process that’s technically feasible in weeks out to half a year or more.
It’s uncomfortable, but let’s be frank: traditional VANs don’t always have much incentive to migrate you quickly. Their business model is built on monthly recurring revenue. As long as you’re paying the old bill, dragging out migration is in their short-term interest. Deliberate understaffing of implementation teams, vague and sequential project plans, and scarce update meetings are more common than they should be. The longer your project is “in progress,” the longer you’re a dual-paying customer.
Ask anyone who’s been through a slow VAN migration and you’ll notice the common refrain: “We just can’t get a straight answer.” The pain comes not only from technical hurdles but from not being told where you really stand. You might hear: “waiting for trading partner response,” or “still configuring,” but never see a real breakdown of what’s finished and what’s pending. The absence of transparent status not only erases accountability on the provider side—it also paralyzes your planning and erodes trust.
Testing trading partner connections is essential, but many providers operate in strict sequence. Serial validation means each connection must be fully tested before moving on, rather than allowing multiple connections to be tested in parallel. If you have 60 partners and each takes just three days, serial testing takes half a year. Parallel process could accomplish the same goal within a month.
What’s worse, some partners require re-validating all document types, even when the underlying data hasn’t changed. You’re just swapping the VAN, not the data structure, but bureaucracy prevails. Multiply that across all your partners, and what should be a routine configuration exercise spirals into a major project.
Food for thought: Every extra month before go-live means another invoice at your old rates.
It’s easy to focus on calendar delays and overlook the full business cost of a lengthy migration. But every extra month before go-live means another invoice at your old rates—often far higher than what you’d be paying with a transparent, usage-based provider. Over a 6- or 12-month delay, those excess costs quickly wipe out any projected annual savings for the first year.
Opportunity cost is just as real. IT and supply chain teams tied up on status meetings, troubleshooting, and communications have less bandwidth for new partner onboarding or optimization projects. Strategic growth initiatives get pushed back. If your business is scaling or integrating new entities, any hold-up in migration blocks that momentum.
Security and compliance are vital, but rigorous providers build them intrinsically into their approach. While it’s true that some highly regulated industries require additional validation, this shouldn’t drag your migration out for months. Ask for SOC-2 compliance proof and precise documentation, not just reassurances that “ongoing audits take time.” If a provider uses compliance as a blanket reason for repeated extensions without specifics, you’re probably experiencing an avoidable delay.
Despite the challenges, migration doesn’t have to be painful or extended. With the right methodology and resources, even complex migrations can be delivered in 90 days or less, regardless of trading partner count or protocol complexity. Here are the critical ingredients:
At Nexus VAN, this isn’t just theory: it’s the standard. Our team leverages a purpose-built, intuitive migration dashboard that gives you a live window into every milestone. You always know which connections have completed, which are in testing, and which are waiting for partner action. Our experienced implementation specialists work multiple partners in parallel, keeping the process moving at top speed. Because we maintain live interconnects with every major VAN worldwide, your partners often don’t even need to touch their systems.
We align our interests entirely with yours via transparent pricing, meaning no setup, migration, or onboarding fees, and no mailbox, per-message, or hidden charges of any kind. You pay only for actual EDI usage, typically saving 40 to 80 percent. Our implementation team is scaled to ensure no waiting lists or backlog bottlenecks. And with a genuine 90-day free trial, you can complete your migration, gain full visibility into the new system, and then decide about long-term commitment at no risk.
If you want to go deeper on VAN cost structures, hidden fees, and how to identify legitimate vs. artificial bills, our past blog Common EDI VAN Fees Explained gives you all the details.
If you’re thinking of switching or stuck in a drawn-out migration, try these practical steps for more control over the process:
VAN migrations have become notorious for taking too long because the dominant model is broken by misaligned incentives, resource bottlenecks, and outdated, opaque processes. The operational risk and opportunity cost are real, and the financial waste quickly adds up. But modern approaches can change this equation: when project management is transparent, resources are adequate, and incentives are aligned, even large environments can migrate in 90 days instead of 9 months.
At Nexus VAN, we’ve set out to prove that seamless, fast, and risk-free migration is what well-run EDI operations should expect. If you want to see how a new breed of VAN makes the impossible simple, connect with us at nexusvan.com. Our experienced specialists will show you just how straightforward migration can be so you can reclaim your IT resources, eliminate unnecessary fees, and get your supply chain flowing faster than ever.
