A scale-free business network for digital ecosystems

The aim of this paper is to facilitate e-business transactions between small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in a way that respects their local autonomy, within a digital ecosystem. For this purpose, we distinguish transactions from services (and service providers) by considering virtual private transaction networks (VPTNs) and virtual service networks (VSNs). These two virtual levels are optimised individually and in respect to each other. The effect of one on the other, can supply us with stability, failure resistance and small-world characteristics on one hand and durability, consistency and sustainability on the other hand. The proposed network design has a dynamic topology that adapts itself to changes in business models and availability of SMEs, and reflects the highly dynamic nature of a digital ecosystem.