Editor’s Note: The development of X-Road 8 “Spaceship” holds significant implications for professionals in cybersecurity, information governance, and legal discovery. By aligning with the Gaia-X framework, NIIS is poised to set a new standard in data sovereignty and interoperability, crucial aspects in today’s digital landscape. For cybersecurity professionals, the enhanced security features and robust data space infrastructure promise improved defense mechanisms against cyber threats. Information governance experts will find the increased transparency and controllability of data flows aligning with compliance and regulatory requirements. Finally, legal discovery professionals stand to benefit from the more streamlined and secure exchange of data, facilitating efficient and reliable legal investigations and compliance checks. This advancement underscores the evolving nature of data management and security, highlighting the need for continuous adaptation and innovation in these fields.


Content Assessment: The Future of Data Sovereignty: NIIS's X-Road 8 Aligns with Gaia-X Framework

Information - 92%
Insight - 90%
Relevance - 88%
Objectivity - 90%
Authority - 94%

91%

Excellent

A short percentage-based assessment of the qualitative benefit expressed as a percentage of positive reception of the recent announcement by the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) of its X-Road 8 "Spaceship" initiative.


Industry News – Cybersecurity Beat

The Future of Data Sovereignty: NIIS’s X-Road 8 Aligns with Gaia-X Framework

ComplexDiscovery Staff

The Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) is taking a significant step forward in the realm of digital governance and data exchange with the initiation of a proof of concept for its latest project, X-Road 8, “Spaceship.” This new version represents a paradigm shift in data space infrastructure, building upon the successful ecosystem model and security features of its predecessors.

The core objective of the X-Road 8 development is to explore the integration of standard data space protocols in place of the custom protocol stack historically used by X-Road. This strategic move aims to align X-Road’s trust framework with the Gaia-X trust framework; a European initiative focused on creating transparent and interoperable digital governance.

X-Road has been instrumental in enabling secure data exchange within and across X-Road member organizations. Its interoperability is underpinned by a set of defined protocols ensuring secure and standardized data exchange. Although these protocols have not been standardized outside the X-Road ecosystem, they are open source, making them accessible for implementation by interested parties.

The alignment with data space protocols marks a shift from X-Road’s traditional approach. Data spaces are distributed systems governed by frameworks that ensure secure and trustworthy data transactions, supporting the crucial aspects of trust and data sovereignty. This alignment aims to facilitate data sharing and exchange within and across various data ecosystems.

One of the challenges that NIIS aims to address with X-Road 8 is the interoperability with other data exchange systems like eDelivery, a technology used for cross-border data exchange in Europe. The current requirement for custom gateway components for protocol conversions poses a significant challenge in maintaining seamless interoperability. X-Road 8 seeks to eliminate these complexities by adopting a unified data space protocol stack, promoting easier integration and increased standardization.

The proposed data space protocol stack in X-Road 8 is structured into three layers: the trust plane, control plane, and data plane, each serving a distinct function in managing identities, contract negotiation, and data transfer. This multi-layered approach is expected to enhance the flexibility, security, and interoperability of X-Road with various data exchange ecosystems.

Moreover, NIIS is considering leveraging established open-source solutions like the Eclipse Dataspace Components (EDC) for the implementation of X-Road 8. This strategy not only aligns X-Road with broader data space initiatives but also opens avenues for greater community involvement in its development and maintenance.

The proof of concept for X-Road 8 “Spaceship” is divided into two phases in 2024, with the first phase focusing on validating the feasibility of this new approach. The results, expected in May 2024, will be followed by further testing within Estonia’s X-Road ecosystem in the second half of the year.

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