The digital transformation megatrend is not only changing business processes, but also the role that data plays in companies. It is increasingly being viewed as an economic asset and a strategic resource. However, sharing and exchanging data with business partners is also a sensitive issue for many companies. They fear losing control over their own data. This is where the 'Industrial Data Space' project and association comes in. The idea behind it: A shared, protected data space in which the partners exchange and share their data according to certain rules. Each company defines in advance how its information may and may not be used within the scope of the collaboration. In addition, only certified participants whose identity has been verified beforehand may enter the protected data room.

"What sounds good in theory also works in practice," explained Prof. Boris Otto, Head of Research at Industrial Data Space and Director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Software and Systems Engineering ISST in Hanover. This is demonstrated, among other things, by an ongoing project with the Salzgitter steel group, which involves the transfer of warehouse data between customer and supplier systems. Data is exchanged automatically, securely and encrypted via the machine interface using smart data apps. Customers can enquire whether the desired type of steel is in stock on the desired date, while the supplier system reports the available quantity. The master data is mapped automatically. "The time-consuming manual data reconciliation is completely eliminated," says Prof. Dr. Heinz Jörg Fuhrmann, CEO of Salzgitter, describing the benefits of the Industrial Data Space.

Connectors - the central component in the IDS

Although the smart data apps mentioned provide various functions and, in some cases, user interfaces, according to Otto, these are not just ordinary apps that send their data over the internet. The actual decisive software component, or the core of the Industrial Data Space architecture, is the underlying connector.

Specifically, a connector serves as an interface between the companies and enables sovereign data exchange. To this end, it checks the identity of all participants, checks the authenticity of the software components, monitors the integrity of the data packages and manages the assignment of rights for data access. The Fraunhofer researchers are currently developing prototypes of various connectors and apps. Two prototype versions of a connector are currently available for companies: A basic variant offers the protected data space and also all the functions required for everyday operation. A high-security version, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied and Integrated Security AISEC, offers even more detailed functions and a level of security that also meets the strict requirements of business-critical applications. The Fraunhofer experts use the hardware-based Trusted Platform Module (TPM) for this purpose.

Download the reference architecture model

In addition to the management of warehouse data, the researchers are currently working with the Industrial Data Space to develop solutions for the real-time monitoring of transports in order to improve delivery processes. They also want to equip food transports with sensors that transmit parameters such as temperature, vibrations or light via the connectors. This would allow retailers to ensure that the delivered goods have not been opened and are fresh.

Last but not least, the Industrial Data Space is also able to connect different branches of industry. This allows them to "manage" the data together. The view of data as a strategic resource even gives rise to new business models. "We can imagine that the Industrial Data Space will create a kind of marketplace for data in which companies trade with data," says Prof. Otto, looking to the future.

An initial reference model of the Industrial Data Space architecture was published at Hannover Messe 2017. It is intended to provide a blueprint for the secure exchange and efficient combination of data and can be configured for individual cases. The 83-page document is available for download at computer-automation.de.

Around 80 international members are now active in the user association Industrial Data Space Association, including companies such as Allianz, Audi, Bayer, Bosch, Rittal, Audi, Sick, Siemens and Volkswagen. The Chinese IT giant Huawei also joined at the end of last year. The association intends to apply for DIN standardization for parts of the reference architecture model before the end of 2017.