Key takeaways.

  • Platform economies are becoming a key success factor for industrial organisations. 

  • Industrial data spaces provide the foundation for secure and sovereign data exchange. 

  • Organisations that align data strategy, platform architecture and AI at an early stage can secure lasting competitive advantages. 

What does platform economy mean for organisations?

For Bechtle, platform economy is not an end in itself. It is an approach to creating digital ecosystems in which organisations, partners and customers exchange data, applications and services to generate shared value. As data, AI and digital services become increasingly important, competitive advantage is no longer defined solely by products, but also by the digital infrastructure that connects and enables them. This shift is making platform-based business models increasingly relevant for industrial organisations. 

How do digital platforms accelerate growth?

Digital platforms make it easier to connect customers, partners and services while requiring relatively little additional effort. As a result, organisations can scale more efficiently and benefit from network effects that are difficult to achieve with traditional business models. 

Do industrial data spaces form the foundation of digital ecosystems?

Industrial data spaces form the foundation of digital ecosystems by enabling organisations to exchange data within a secure, rules-based framework. Participating organisations retain control over their data and decide for themselves how it is used and who can access it. 

If we succeed in establishing interoperable and trusted data spaces across industries, enabling European companies to use and share data in a sovereign manner, this will represent a fundamental step towards strengthening Europe’s competitiveness.

Michael Guschlbauer, COO, Bechtle AG

Strategic benefits: 

  • Faster development of new business models 
  • Scalable integration of partners and services 
  • Accelerated innovation 
  • Stronger foundations for AI applications 
  • Greater connectivity across the value chain 

Technology requirements: 

  • Standardised interfaces 
  • Scalable infrastructure 
  • Integration-ready platform architectures 

Organisational requirements: 

  • Clearly defined responsibilities 
  • Robust governance frameworks 
  • A shared understanding of data usage 

Is platform economy becoming more relevant for IT decision-makers in the SME sector?

For IT leaders, the question is no longer whether data should be shared and connected, but how this can be done securely, cost-effectively and in a controlled manner. 

Many SMEs hold vast amounts of data but are still unable to fully leverage it for digital services, platform-based business models or AI applications. The reasons often include limited visibility into existing data assets, inconsistent quality standards and unclear governance structures. 

Can data ecosystems strengthen Europe’s competitiveness?

From Bechtle’s perspective, trusted and interoperable data spaces can make an important contribution to Europe’s digital competitiveness. The goal is not to replicate existing international platform models, but to translate the strengths of European industry into connected data ecosystems. 

Bechtle helps organisations to: 

  • analyse data structures, 

  • build platform architectures, 

  • establish governance models, 

  • identify AI use cases, and 

  • implement data spaces. 

Together, these measures create the foundation for sustainable digital value creation.