Secure Data Exchange

Not long ago I read an article about security issues that some companies are facing as they look to cloud services providers to replace their data services. These companies are just one configuration error away from exposing their company data to the world. This article made me think of the publish-subscribe architecture of Teamcenter Supplier Collaboration and how it provides secure data exchange.

With Supplier Collaboration, you can protect your data by assigning access rights to suppliers and to your designers (sponsors) who exchange data with them. Any OEM sponsor with the correct access rights can create an exchange package. However, before the package is sent to the supplier users, their access rights are also checked. Supplier users can get access by being members of projects, having company-wide access or having individual access rights.

If the OEM sponsor wants to allow a supplier user to change a sub-assembly, the sponsor must give the supplier user modification rights for the sub-assembly before sending the package. Modification rights can only be given when the supplier user has previously been given write access to the sub-assembly. The figure below describes a secure data exchange round trip.

In summary, in order for a supplier user to be able to download data these things must take place:

1. The OEM sponsor must have the authority to share the data.


2. The supplier user must have been given read access.


3. The OEM sponsor must create the package and send it to the supplier.

And, in order for a supplier user to be able to send data back, these things must take place:

1. The OEM sponsor must give the supplier user modification rights


2. The supplier user must have been given write access.

So, you can see that with Supplier Collaboration’s secure data exchange it is very unlikely that you will accidentally expose your data to the world.

In addition to security benefits, Teamcenter Supplier Collaboration also offers integrated supplier business processes such as Design Data Exchange, Direct Materials Sourcing, and Supplier Program Management. Please check these links to our other blogs to give more background. https://community.plm.automation.siemens.com/t5/Teamcenter-Blog/Teamcenter-Supplier-Collaboration-Enhanced-User-Experience/ba-p/342968/label-name/supplier%20integratio