With a business-first approach, the FACIS project accelerates the integration of Europe’s federated infrastructure landscape, pioneers joint SLA Governance, and supports the development of innovative business solutions through open and interoperable digital services. Project Lead Emma Wehrwein (eco – Association of the Internet Industry) gives inspiring insights in her interview, as part of the series FACES of FACIS.
Emma, you already have experience with European projects that strengthen digital ecosystems. What makes this project special in your eyes?
The FACIS project is quite distinct from my previous experiences, such as GXFS/XFSC within the Gaia-X initiative. Previously, our primary focus was on transforming complex concepts and theoretical papers into operational implementations – essentially translating requirements directly into functionalities and code.
FACIS, however, places the business perspective front and center. Here, we prioritize demonstrating how functionalities such as Sovereign Identity, Trust Services, distributed catalogue services and management of federated ecosystems can effectively address real-world challenges within digital ecosystems. By adopting this approach, our goal is to drive scalability and facilitate rapid adoption in practical settings.
Please give us a brief overview. Which are the key challenges you try to address?
One of the biggest challenges in Europe is the fragmented landscape of cloud and edge infrastructure. This is something we must overcome to enable future scenarios that require real-time data processing with zero interruption – such as autonomous driving or telemedicine. For this, the 8ra initiative is working on establishing an interconnected network of cloud and edge providers where infrastructure is reliable across borders as a cohesive, coordinated system. But such a network can only work if there are clear and consistent rules for how providers and their services interact. This is where FACIS steps in.
Our goal is to drive scalability and facilitate rapid adoption in practical settings.
We’re developing a joint SLA Governance Framework that defines and standardizes Service Level Agreements (SLAs) across multiple providers and regions. So, when your car crosses the border into France, it doesn’t just connect to a new provider – it should transition seamlessly based on pre-defined, shared SLAs to ensure consistent service.
But we’re going a step further. Alongside the framework, we’re also building a Digital Contracting Service – a practical tool that – among others – will help to create, negotiate and manage SLAs and other contract types between providers.
Additionally, we tackle common difficulties faced by companies in orchestrating (FOSS) software solutions and resolving interoperability challenges. We develop Federation Architecture Patterns (FAPs) as innovative design patterns to build federated ecosystems.
Exciting. What did you start with?
We began by organizing an SLA Workshop to engage directly with the 8ra community. Industry experts collaboratively defined essential requirements for the future of joint SLA provisioning, addressing critical issues such as cross-border service continuity, legal accountability within federated environments, and SLA standardization and taxonomy.
At the same time, we’re gathering detailed requirements for our planned Digital Contracting implementation, which we aim to publicly tender this year.
In addition, we’ve started developing a high-level concept for the FAPs, designed to streamline and accelerate software orchestration. These patterns utilize a Low-Code Platform built on the XFSC stack. To showcase this approach, we’ll soon implement our first reference FAP, planned for the next three months. This initial demonstration will standardize the onboarding process, simplifying how new partners join an ecosystem.
We’ll soon implement our first reference FAP, planned for the next three months.
When will the community be involved in the development of the (technical) deliverables?
The community has already begun to be actively involved in the development of technical deliverables through participation in our workshops. While our internal experts contribute significantly to the project, external perspectives and requirements from community stakeholders are essential to ensuring that our deliverables serve clear purposes and provide substantial added value.
Following the insights and specifications derived from these workshops, we plan to publicly tender our technical implementations. All outcomes resulting from this collaborative approach will be maintained within the Eclipse XFSC (Cross Federation Services Components), ensuring transparency and continuous community engagement.
Moreover, in alignment with the Eclipse Foundation governance rules, any interested party is encouraged to provide feedback, propose modifications to the publicly accessible code, and collaborate on future functionalities as part of the Free & Open Source Software (FOSS) community. The project team, together with all committers, will ensure adherence to this inclusive and open governance process, providing guidance and support in managing related activities.
Last but not least, let’s take a look at the bigger picture: How would you describe the vision in your own words – especially when you think about what will improve in the future? Perhaps also for you personally as a consumer of digital services?
When I think about the bigger picture of FACIS – also in the context of the 8ra initiative and its vision – I imagine myself, as an everyday user of digital services, navigating through an interconnected digital world without the frustrations I currently experience.
Today, many digital services feel disconnected, complicated, and sometimes insecure. FACIS envisions a future where these services seamlessly talk to each other, securely share information, and prioritize my privacy and control over my own data.
FACIS envisions a future where these services seamlessly talk to each other, securely share information, and prioritize my privacy and control over my own data.
For example, imagine effortlessly moving your health records between doctors, securely and instantaneously, without complicated paperwork or privacy concerns. Or think about managing your finances across various banks and investment platforms effortlessly, knowing your data is safe and under your control.
Personally, I look forward to the day when digital services truly serve us as individuals – securely, simply, and transparently – allowing us all to enjoy a more comfortable, connected, and empowered digital life.