hi,
I don't whether i understand your requirement correctly.But onething i can tell is..
You can tell ur company(s) that "u can get information by accessing the following URL
http://mycompany/servlet/retrievedata?companyname=foo this will reply them back an xml file.. and later that company can process
that xml data with XSLT or some xml parser....
You can also do the same by asking them to
provide u with a url which emits XML upon request from you..
But this u have to strict with XML,and moreover u can't make a loop,which may eats ur memory.
I think the best idea is to read JMS(Java messaging server) where both asynchronous and synchronous is possible..
no need to use XML,u can use ur own encoded data.Please read the tutorial and see whether u can get something for your need.
I believe someone will give more idea on this.
Regards
Balaji