During the Data Spaces Symposium in Darmstadt, the International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) awarded TNO – coordinator of the CoE-DSC – with the IDSA Certification Award for the TNO Security Gateway (TSG). This software is a connector that companies can use to participate in international data spaces, which are decentral platforms that allow for sovereign and secure data exchange. Thanks to this certification, the TNO Security Gateway can now be used by the market. It’s the third certified data space connector worldwide and it is used in the first operating data space in the Netherlands, the Smart Connected Supplier Network (SCSN).
Future standard for exchanging data
International data spaces allow organisations to securely exchange data without data flows running through a centralised platform. As a result, the original owner always retains control over the data and sets restrictions and conditions on its use. These decentralised platforms are based on technical, legal and economic agreements to exchange open and private data securely and smoothly. An example is the integration of (open) data on air quality with (private) data from medical records. Parties have access thanks to a special gateway software component, the so-called connector, which can share data in a safe and trusted manner.
TNO Security Gateway
The connector, developed by TNO, enables companies to connect to a data space with minimal effort. Like other connectors, the TSG adheres to the Reference Architecture Model (RAM) of the IDSA. A unique feature of the TSG is that it enables integration with existing services by means of specific data apps, using an abstraction of the Reference Architecture Model. The first lighthouse project where the TSG is being used is the Smart Connected Supplier Network (SCSN), an operating data space in the Netherlands with over 300 participants.
Certification can stimulate the adoption of data spaces
Certification is an important step in the adoption of data spaces, because security is essential in trusted data sharing. It improves trust in the connectors, because independent third parties have validated the security requirements that are needed for trusted and secure data sharing. This means companies do not have to rely on only the developer or maintainer of the component, but they can be assured that the connector adheres to the security standards that are vital for secure and trusted data sharing.
