The International Data Spaces Association (IDSA) awarded TNO 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, decentral platforms that allow for sovereign and secure data exchange. The certification means that the TNO Security Gateway is ready to be used by the market. It’s only the third certified data space connector worldwide and is used in the first operating data space in the Netherlands, the Smart Connected Supplier Network (SCSN).
TNO Security Gateway
The connector developed by TNO enables companies to connect to a data space with minimal efforts. Like other connectors, the TSG(opens in a new window or tab) (refers to a different website) 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.
For most use-cases, using the connector out of the box will suffice, but in case special requirements are needed companies can modify the components as they wish. This is because the connector is available open-source with the Apache 2.0 license.
This certification is an important step towards an European standard for secure and independent data sharing. European companies can exchange data more easily and securely with standardized and interoperable data spaces. This way, there not entirely dependent on non-European Big Tech companies and their centralized platforms. Now it is up to the market to scale up and use the software for their own applications.