Simpl-Open Q&A | Simpl Programme

Simpl-Open: integrate the best, build the rest

This session examined how Simpl‑Open built upon and complemented existing solutions within the data‑sharing ecosystem.

Why use cloud providers when it is possible to build your own infrastructure in a privat, souvereign cloud in local datacenters which are not subject to Cloud Act etc. This will also cover the connection between different dataspaces.

The architecture is not designed around any specific cloud vendor or geography. Simpl-Open is built on open standards, meaning that European data center operators and infrastructure providers can fully onboard and offer their services through the middleware, just like any hyperscale cloud provider.

Regarding Cross Dataspace Interactions. EDC rejects the idea of having interactions between participants that are part of different dataspaces. Participants communicating with each other must be member of the same dataspace. How fits?

To my knowledge, the EDC connector as a standalone in fact is enabiling exchange between participants no matter which data space and it is encouraging the interaction in an interoperable manner, by implementing the Data Space protocol. Simpl-Open goes beyond the Connector and allows for more regulation and access control and also supports with more functionalities and security. Therefore, using the EDC connector in the Simpl-Open based data space, means that for a participant in a data space onboarding is required to interact using the connector. Furthermore, Data Spaces can in the future federate with each other, allowing also cross-data spaces interactions.

Simpl DS are a right path to succeed in consuming in an standard way data that is already shared and aligned with stardarized requisites, but would this also ensure easier one-to-one data later integrations apart from the federated DSs?

Simpl-Open aims to enable the Set-Up of Data Spaces and provides core functionalities, like User Management, Data Discovery, Data Exchange. Furthermore, it will also provide data processing capabilities for the data provider & consumer, which might be a useful feature for data integration.

Some of the FIWARE components used in dataspaces support OID4VC therefore enabling users (end users, devices, software agents, AI agents) to access data, services and applications. Why aren’t they integrated in SIMPL and only EDC?

Basically, all EDC connectors outside the Simpl-Open agent use SSI + Verifiable Credentials with the IdentityHub (which relies only on the DCP) for:

Identifying each other using credentials (VC) issued by the Governance Authority
Exchanging credential claims needed during the DSP Data Space Protocol
No secured connections with mTLS ensured by the GA are in place
No ABAC in place

Inside the Simpl-Open agent, all EDC connectors use x509 Certificates + Identity attributes for:

Identifying each other using credentials (X509) issued by the Governance Authority
Exchanging identity attributes (ephemeral proof) needed during the DSP Data Space Protocol
Uses x509 certificates to establish secured connections with mTLS ensured by the GA
Uses ABAC with Identity Attributes
No DCP or OIDC4VC is needed (so also IdentityHub is not needed)

Finally, Simpl-Open with the SSI Implementation Tier 2, will provide both identity attributes as VC and x509 credentials as DID, to enable IAA interoperability with other SSI-based connectors/dataspaces (e.g. integrating the IAA Tier 2 Authentication Provider with the IdentityHub).