Description (deu)
This White Paper describes a sector-neutral process that specifies and facilitates the adoption of profiles of selected standards to support carefully defined Use Cases that depend on electronic information exchange. It accelerates the worldwide implementation of standards targeted to achieve the interoperability of information exchange between software applications within enterprises and across various other settings.
Interoperability of ICT systems is a key factor for the successful transition to digital business
Digital tools are becoming increasingly important in our society and economy. Successful online business (e-business) depends on data that flows seamlessly within and between organizations. The ICT systems must be scalable, both in terms of additional functions and the number of transactions and business partners and suppliers involved. The integration profiles and integration processes described here support the definition, implementation, testing and deployment of interoperable ICT systems for different business domains. This enables communities and businesses to develop cost-efficient and scalable integrated ICT-Infrastructures and applications that can support our society and economy.
Available communication standards allow for a large degree of flexibility. When integrating software solutions for specific business transactions, all vendors must agree on coordinated restrictions on the standards used. Governments, interest groups, vendors and users can together document these agreements in interoperability profiles. The basis of the methodology is to ensure acceptance and technical feasibility. This approach to interoperability covers the steps from the description of the business domain, the specification of the interoperability profiles to interoperability testing and deployment in real-world ICT systems.
The approach provides a common understanding and framework to develop and reuse solutions for data exchange: interoperability profiles instead of proprietary solutions. The transparency of the process ensures sustainable investment protection for vendors and fosters competition, increases product quality and performance at lower costs.
The approach to interoperability has been developed based on established processes in the healthcare sector and was adopted for the energy and railway sectors but can be used for any type of data exchange of ICT systems and also for other sectors.