Secure Process-oriented Integrative Service Infrastructure for Networked Enterprises

SPIKE (Secure Process-oriented Integrative Service Infrastructure for Networked Enterprises) is a collaborative 36-month research and development project. The project is co-funded by the European Commission within the under the Information Society Technologies (IST) priority, contract No. FP7-2007-217098. This project addresses the strategic objective SO 2.4.13 Strengthening the Integration of the ICT research effort in an Enlarged Europe .
The SPIKE project aims at developing a software service platform providing tools and methods for implementing virtual business alliances , and at the same time bringing more flexibility to the collaboration of networked enterprises.
The following targets are set for the SPIKE software platform:
*Enable flexible outsourcing between business partners, also specific parts of the value chain
*Provide business processes and workflows for organisations using the SPIKE platform
*Enable interoperability and integration between both small and middle-sized enterprises (SMEs) and bigger enterprises
*Provide sample use cases with user instructions
*Emphasise security and trust issues
Background, motivation
Nowadays the global competition is forcing companies to be more effective and agile, and also being innovative what comes to new business models . SPIKE will provide a new solution for building more flexibility to the collaboration between networked enterprises and finding new business opportunities.
SPIKE is also linked to the European Union's targets for information society and digital economy. The i2010 strategy demands "A European Information Society for growth and employment" having the idea of a global digital economy that would benefit especially the European small and middle-sized enterprises.
Trials
The SPIKE project will include two trials. The first one is for evaluating the basic components and their interaction, and the second one to guarantee that feedback from the first trial is accurately incorporated in the final productive version of SPIKE.
Application Cases for trials:
* Application Case 1: In the Information Hotel the SPIKE system will be used for controlling and automating the supplier vs. documentation management processes and related sub-processes.
* Application Case 2: Legacy Applications describes the requirements for locating partners’ services, using them in a structured way, and integrating them into workflows on a detailed level.
* Application Case 3: Identity Federations will allow individuals to use the same account and password they have in their company to get access to a collaboration partner’s network by using the SPIKE platform.
Example of a SPIKE application
The SPIKE modules will be based on an open source solution, and the SPIKE platform providers will be able to use the SPIKE modules free-of-charge focusing mainly on areas like consulting, customisation of business processes, custom development of integration processes, and user interfaces for legacy applications. Other fields of exploitation are semantic annotations or setting up the technical infrastructure. The main markets for SPIKE and its exploitation are collaboration and service integration.
One of the pilot applications within the SPIKE project is aimed at testing the concept of the Information Hotel. The Information
Hotel solution unifies and defines methods and technology for the collaboration processes so that documentation services
can be offered under involvement of multiple parties, that is, clients and suppliers. The purpose of the information hotel is to provide
customised, up-to-date information to each party of the process.
*DMS (Document Management System)
*ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
*PDM (Product Data Management)
*EPCM (Engineering Procurement Construction Management)
*CPEM (Chief Project Engineer Mechanical)
*CPEC (Chief Project Engineer Civil)
*CPEE (Chief Project Engineer Electrical)
*PE (Project Engineer)
Benefits of SPIKE solution
*low initial adoption cost
*reduced lifecycle costs
*better return on investment (ROI)
*business opportunities, especially for SMEs
*a low-cost solution for short term alliances
*a flexible platform
Project outcomes
<ol style="list-style-type:lower-roman">
<li>SPIKE SW platform for the easy and fast start-up of virtual business alliances.</li>
<li>Methodological Guideline for instructing how to set up, operate, and dissolve a business alliance.</li>
<li>Trial 1 focusing on implementing the basic functionality necessary for offering fundamental collaboration services, that is, evaluating the basic components and their interaction, giving the intended audience of SPIKE the possibility to get an overview of the overall progress of the project, and providing feedback to the SPIKE development team with further details about the next steps to be taken. </li>
<li>Trial 2 aiming at further extending the SPIKE platform with elaborated collaboration capabilities. It will also be ensured that feedback from Trial 1 has been accurately incorporated into the further development of SPIKE. </li>
</ol>
 
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