This model provides more predictable costs, reduced operational overhead and simplified management; all of which are essential for enabling large-scale SME adoption.

Use case in the automotive sector

Through its membership in IDSA, Aruba is strengthening its contribution to the development of an interoperable and scalable data space ecosystem, while prioritising practical adoption models that better support SMEs. The company is actively participating in the Data Space Adoption Forum( DSAF), one of the association’ s key working groups, to help develop ready-to-use solutions that simplify and accelerate enterprise access to data ecosystems.

As highlighted during the latest Data Space Symposium, the main barrier to widespread adoption is not the maturity of the underlying technology but the complexity of current deployment models. For SMEs in particular, the need to independently deploy and manage complex infrastructures creates high costs, skills shortages and integration timelines that are often unmanageable.

This challenge has limited SME participation, despite their critical role in the European industrial landscape.

To address this, the Data Space Adoption Forum promotes a shift towards managed services, moving infrastructure beyond individual organisations. In this‘ as-a-Service’ model, cloud providers act as an enabling layer, delivering shared security, interoperability and compliance while allowing SMEs to focus on extracting value from data rather than managing infrastructure.

In line with this approach, Aruba is developing managed, multi-tenant solutions designed to lower the barrier to entry. Its‘ click-and-connect’ data space connectors aim to simplify onboarding, reduce deployment complexity and significantly shorten the time required for SMEs to access data ecosystems.

The benefits of this approach are already visible in sectors such as automotive, where initiatives like Catena-X have been operating a sovereign data exchange based on IDSA principles since 2024. Catena-X represents a collaborative ecosystem where companies define interoperability standards across the supply chain, creating opportunities for SMEs to participate in a trusted datasharing environment.

The core values of Catena-X are: Trusted Digital ID, Interoperability, Self- Sovereignty and Industry Governance.

Aruba is developing a beta release of a Catena-X-compliant connector, with the aim of supporting SME inclusion in supply chain data exchange. By enabling easier integration and compliance with shared standards, the solution helps smaller businesses overcome traditional barriers to participation.

This opens up opportunities for SMEs to engage in use cases such as digital company certification management, adoption of the Digital Product Passport and, over time, integration with advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence powered by shared data.

“ Joining IDSA represents an important step toward contributing to a truly interoperable and accessible data ecosystem,” said Marco Mangiulli, CIO and R & D Director at Aruba. �

Intelligent SME. tech

29