Business Models for Open Digital Ecosystems of Trustable Assistants

Abstract

Digital ecosystems (DEs) are self-organizing, robust and scalable environments where various stakeholders interact to solve complex problems. The idea of building digital ecosystems is not new. Thus, we can currently draw on an extensive body of literature on the topic. Although academics have addressed the technical and architectural challenges of building digital ecosystems as well as their desirability regarding innovativeness and privacy, research on how to ensure the economic viability and thus sustainability of such DEs remains scarce. In this study, we address this void in the literature and focus on the economic challenges of building open DE. We discuss this topic in the context of an open DE for trustable assistants in the Internet of Things (IoT) and vet the research question: “which are the business models an open DE must support to be economically viable?" Based on a structured research analysis we identify seven business models,which are most likely essential to the economic success of the analysed DE.