The ENX Association is an organization comprising European vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, and related organizations.
History
The Association Founded in 2000,Europäische ENX-Gesellschaft unter Federführung des VDA gegründet - European ENX company founded under the management of the VDA In: Automobilindustrie, 19. Juli 2000 the ENX Association is an organization under French law of 1901. Its headquarters are located in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, and Frankfurt am Main. The twelve members of the association, all represented on the ENX board, are Audi, Aumovio, BMW, Bosch, Magna, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Renault, Valeo, Volkswagen, and the automotive associations GALIA (France) and SMMT (UK). The association can accept additional members upon request; however, its rules specify that the total number of members is limited.
Fields of activity The ENX Association is a non-profit organization that serves as the legal and organizational framework for the ENX network standard. It provides participating companies with a platform for exchanging information and initiating pre-competitive project cooperation in information technology. The main impetus behind the German and French industries creating the standard was to protect intellectual property while reducing costs and complexity related to data exchange within the automotive industry.
One cited benefit of creating a "Trusted Community" for various industry branches is that, while companies protect their infrastructures, problems arise when encryption or authentication solutions are used across different companies but need to be acknowledged as confidential. An impasse often occurs when both sides try to implement their own mechanisms. This is exemplified by email encryption, where conflicting safety regulations and numerous unencrypted data connections create issues due to shared application use. A shared, confidential infrastructure offers a solution.Kampf der Beliebigkeit - Battle against arbitrariness. (PDF) In: Automobilindustrie, September 2009 (Interview with Lennart Oly) Ford, for example, cites the use of ENX to communicate with suppliers as an example of how significant savings can be achieved through consolidation and standardization.Ich erwarte, dass wir in der IT “more-for-less” liefern werden - I expect that we will deliver 'more-for-less' in IT. In: Automotive IT, 10. Dezember 2009 (Interview mit Hans-Joachim Heister)
Implementing industrial requirements for IT security between companies represents an additional area of activity. The following subject areas are addressed:
Secure cloud computing (between companies) Protecting intellectual property during development cooperation (e.g., using Enterprise Rights Management, ERM) The assessment of meeting these requirements is standardized and carried out by approved external service providers. The ENX Association approves these providers and develops and governs the TISAX standard for this purpose. The Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange (TISAX) enables producers to rely on the information security practices implemented by their service providers and suppliers in their ISM systems. TISAX serves a similar function to the ISO/IEC 27001 standard but is tailored to the needs of the automotive industry, does not issue public certificates, and distinguishes between different levels of implementation.
The ENX Association is a member of the ERM Open Project by ProSTEP iViP e.V. and was active in the precursor project SP2, working alongside Adobe, BMW, FH Augsburg, Continental, Daimler, Fraunhofer IGD, Microsoft, PROSTEP, Siemens PLM, TU Darmstadt, TAC, Volkswagen, and ZF Friedrichshafen.
The SkIdentity project, in which the ENX Association is involved, was named one of the 12 winners of the BMWi technology competition "Secure Cloud Computing for Medium-Sized Businesses and the Public Sector - Trusted Cloud" by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) on 1 March 2011 at the IT exhibition CeBIT in Hanover. The BMWi established the Trusted Cloud program to promote "the development and testing of innovative, secure, and legally compliant cloud solutions."
Use of the ENX network
Usage scenarios
The automotive industry is characterized by strong international cooperation and a need for companies to closely coordinate linked processes, which requires precise alignment and seamless data exchange between partners. This makes "integrated global network concepts" necessary.Jürgen Appel: Kommunikation über Firmengrenzen hinweg - Communication beyond company borders In: Computerwoche, 17. September 2004 ENX is a platform that provides the foundation for these cooperative production models.Helga Biesel: IT im Automobilbau: Spannende Entwicklungen - IT in the automotive industry: Exciting developments In: Computerwoche, 17. September 2004
Realignment began at the end of 2002 with the aim of aligning technical development consistently with user requirements, particularly for small and medium-sized businesses.ENX wechselt auf die Überholspur - ENX moves into the fast lane Computerwoche, 13. September 2002 The implementation took several years. In June 2004, French users complained about the lack of cost-effective entry-level solutions in the France Telecom portfolio.Aurélie Barbeaux: L’extranet européen de l’automobile déçoit - Das europäische Extranet der Automobilindustrie enttäuscht - The European automotive industry extranet disappoints In: Usine Nouvelle, 10. Juni 2004
According to the trade press, some vehicle manufacturers have been advocating for the use of OFTP2 over the Internet since 2010, affecting "tens of thousands of suppliers." In this widely accessible medium, substantially more security is required for the transfer of sensitive data, and estimating the implementation costs can be challenging.An OFTP2 kommt kein Zulieferer vorbei - No supplier can get around OFTP2 In: Automobilwoche 5. August 2010
Registration as a pre-requisite for use
To use the ENX network, you must register with the ENX Association. Registration can be completed either directly with the ENX Association or through one of its representatives.
Representatives of the ENX Association
In some countries and industries, ENX is represented by industrial associations and organizations (known as ENX Business Centres). These organizations act as contact points in the relevant local language, process registration applications, and handle the initial authorization of new users within their area of representation.
The ENX Association has adopted this model of representation to enable industrial associations and similar organizations to manage user groups independently.
Organisation Headquarters Country of domicile Area of representation GALIA Boulogne-Billancourt France French automotive industry DGA Paris France Defence and aerospace industry ACAROM Bukarest Romania Romanian automotive industry Odette Schweden Stockholm Sweden Swedish automotive industry ANFAC Madrid Spain Spanish automotive industry SMMT London United Kingdom British automotive industry
Operating the ENX network
Operating the network and the data links
Operation by certified service providers
The ENX network meets the quality and security requirements typical of company-owned networks while remaining as open and flexible for participating vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, and their development partners as the public Internet.Zugang für Unbefugte verboten: Porsche setzt auf Branchennetzwerk ENX - No unauthorised access: Porsche relies on ENX industry network Computerwoche, 3. August 2001 Data exchange between ENX users occurs via the network of a communication service provider certified by the ENX Association, using an encrypted Virtual Private Network (VPN).Alexandra Haack in: Sichere Tür zu Tür Kommunikation - Secure door-to-door communication Automobilwoche, 9. September 2006
The first certified communication service provider was Deutsche Telekom's subsidiary T-Systems.VDA: Weg frei zum European Network Exchange - DeTeSystem und Automobilindustrie unterzeichnen Rahmenvertrag - VDA: The road is clear for the European Network Exchange - DeTeSystem and automotive industry sign framework agreement This was followed by Orange, Telefónica, Infonet, and, in 2007, Verizon Business. In 2010, three additional companies—ANXeBusiness, BCC, and Türk Telekom—successfully acquired ENX certification. According to information from the ENX Association, Open Systems AG is another service provider currently undergoing the certification process.
The services provided by the certified service providers are interoperable and offered in a competitive environment.
Overview of the service providers certified in line with the ENX standard
Certification Company Country of domicile Geographical focus Comment 2010 ANXeBusiness Nordamerika 2010 BCC GmbH Approx. 150 countries worldwide ENX services also via public Internet 2005 Infonet Corp. / BT Infonet Approx. 100 countries worldwide ENX operation since 2011 through KPN International 2010 KPN International Approx. 100 countries worldwide Formerly Infonet Nederland 2011 Open Systems Approx. 200 countries worldwide ENX services via public Internet 2002 Orange Business France 2001 T-Systems GmbH Germany, individual countries worldwide 2010 Türk Telekom Turkey 2007 Verizon Deutschland GmbH Approx. 150 countries worldwide ENX services also via public Internet
Certification process
According to the ENX Association, certification is a two-stage process. The first stage, known as the concept phase, involves testing to determine whether the service provider's ENX operating model meets the technical ENX specifications. The second stage involves putting the operating model into practice. This includes inspecting the internal organization, testing IPSec interoperability in the "ENX IPSecLab,"Netzsicherheit der europäischen Automobilindustrie - Network security in the European automotive industry In: Automobilindustrie, 7. Februar 2003 implementing ENX encryption, and connecting to providers already certified via private peering points, known as "ENX Points of Interconnection." Once these steps are completed, the implementation and adherence to ENX specifications are tested in a pilot run. With appropriate preparation by the service provider, the chargeable certification can typically be completed within approximately three to four months.
Central operational elements behind the scenes
Central services are provided on behalf of and under the control of the ENX Association. These services facilitate simplified connectivity ("interconnectivity") between individually certified service providers and ensure the interoperability of the encrypted hardware used. They include the Points of Interconnection ("ENX POIs"), the IPSec Interoperability Laboratory ("ENX IPSec Lab"), and the Public Key Infrastructure ("ENX PKI") at the ENX Trust Centre.
The Points of Interconnection have a geographically redundant structure, are interconnected, and are operated in data processing centers located in the following regions: Rhine-Main region, Germany; Île-de-France, France; and the East Coast of the United States.
These central operational elements are not visible to individual users. The customer sources their own connection, including IP router, encryption hardware, key material, uninterrupted end-to-end encryption for each communication, and individual service level agreements, directly from the certified telecommunications service provider they have chosen.
Global availability
JNX industry network and the ANXeBusiness in North America
The Japanese automotive industry has an industry network similar to ENX in terms of technology and organization, called the Japanese Network Exchange (JNX). The network is managed by the JNX Centre, which is associated with the Japanese automotive associations JAMA and JAPIA. JNX and ENX are not linked.