T Systems
Future digital identities for the “Gaia X” cloud project
On the Internet, digital identities could replace the analog ID card. photo
© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa/dpa-tmn
The European super cloud project “Gaia X” has become quiet since the traffic light coalition came into power. But now there is a service that can be used to prove digital identities.
The Telekom subsidiary T-Systems will in future provide a so-called “ID Wallet” for digital proof of identity for the European cloud project “Gaia X”.
The client is the eco Association of the Internet Industry on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Economics, T-Systems announced Berlin with. The company was also commissioned to build an ID solution for the industry for the business software provider Datev, which specializes in tax advisors.
Almost like an “ePerso”
With both major projects, T-Systems is developing into an important player in the digital identity market. The health insurance company Barmer had previously commissioned T-Systems to provide the digital wallet from T-Systems and the login service Verimi for its 8.7 million insured persons. The solution was officially approved two months ago by the company Gematik, which is controlled by the Federal Ministry of Health.
T-Systems’ ID solutions are based on the electronic ID card. Since the “ePerso” cannot be loaded directly onto the device on most smartphones for technical reasons, the IT group outsources the ID data to a cloud solution on the Internet that is strictly protected with encryption. With this system, T-Systems not only wants to digitally identify people, but also organizations and networked machines in the future.
T-Systems CEO Adel Al-Saleh explained that the EU wants EU citizens to decide sovereignly with whom they share data in the future. “Digital, secure identities are the key to this.” In the future, they will enable new digital applications in many industries.
The “Gaia X” project
The “Gaia X” project was launched in 2019 with big promises at the then federal government’s digital summit. The aim is not to create a large, independent European cloud solution, but rather a networked system that connects many providers and users of data and cloud services.
While many goals have not yet been achieved with “Gaia X”, certain individual solutions that were removed from “Gaia X” are considered showcase projects. This includes, above all, “Catena X”, the automobile manufacturer’s cloud.