Aruba joins IDSA to boost data space access for SMEs

Aruba has joined the International Data Spaces Association, bringing the Italian cloud and data centre provider into a European industry effort to expand the use of shared data environments.

The membership gives Aruba a role in the association’s work on standards and adoption models for so-called data spaces, where companies exchange data under agreed rules on security, interoperability and control. Aruba is also taking part in the Data Space Adoption Forum, a working group focused on practical routes into these systems.

The move comes as businesses and industry groups across Europe try to widen participation in data-sharing networks beyond large companies with dedicated technical teams. One of the sector’s main challenges is not the underlying technology, but the expectation that organisations deploy and run the required infrastructure themselves.

That has created cost, skills and integration hurdles, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses. Aruba’s approach centres on moving that infrastructure into managed environments, so companies can connect to data spaces without building and maintaining the full stack on their own systems.

Access Model

Aruba is developing managed services based on multi-tenant architectures and plans to offer data space connectors as a service. The model is intended to simplify deployment, automate onboarding and reduce the time businesses need to gain access.

The company is using technologies including Eclipse Dataspace Components and Virtual Connector in that work. The aim is to reduce operational complexity and make costs more predictable for participating organisations, especially smaller firms that may struggle to justify bespoke infrastructure projects.

That matters to European policymakers and industrial groups because SMEs make up a large share of regional supply chains. If data spaces remain expensive or difficult to join, the networks risk being limited to bigger participants, weakening their value as shared industry platforms.

The issue has become more visible as initiatives in manufacturing and transport have moved from concept to operational use. In those sectors, companies are increasingly trying to share information across supply chains while retaining control over how data is used.

Automotive Focus

Aruba pointed to the automotive sector as one of the more advanced examples of data space adoption. It cited Catena-X, a collaborative data ecosystem for the car industry, as an example of a system built around IDSA principles for trusted and sovereign exchange.

Within Catena-X, member companies define standards for interoperability across the supply chain. Aruba is developing a beta release of a connector designed to comply with Catena-X requirements.

The work could support use cases including company certification management and digital product passports. Aruba also linked it to broader supply-chain digitalisation and regulatory preparation, as businesses face growing pressure to document sourcing, production and lifecycle data more consistently.

For cloud providers, the shift offers an opening to position themselves as operators of shared infrastructure rather than simply sellers of computing or storage. In the model being discussed within the Data Space Adoption Forum, providers host compliant environments that allow customers to join data ecosystems with fewer integration demands.

That could change the economics of participation if the service model proves workable at scale. It would also align data spaces more closely with how many companies already consume software and infrastructure, rather than requiring a custom deployment for each new participant.

Founded in 1994, Aruba says it has 16 million users and operates seven data centres. The company has built its business across cloud, data centre and digital services, with infrastructure in Italy and elsewhere in Europe.

“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.

“The challenge today is no longer to demonstrate the value of data spaces, but to make them scalable and widely adoptable. Through as-a-service models and collaboration with the Association and the Data Space Adoption Forum, we aim to simplify access for businesses, reduce technical barriers, and accelerate value creation across supply chains,” he said.

IDSA has more than 160 member companies and institutions and promotes a framework for data sharing in which data providers retain control over usage. Its work forms part of a broader push in Europe to create trusted industrial data networks that can support cross-border business processes.

“We welcome Aruba as a new member of the International Data Spaces Association. Their active work in the Data Space Adoption Forum brings the practical mindset the market now needs,” said Lars Nagel, chief executive officer of the International Data Spaces Association.

“By focusing on managed solutions and based on a powerful distribution channel of a cloud service provider, Aruba helps turn data spaces into a practical reality especially for SMEs. This is how data spaces become scalable in practice,” he said.