Our Journey to Becoming an eHerkenning & eID Broker
In the Netherlands, digital trust isn’t just a technical requirement. It’s the invisible infrastructure that allows citizens, businesses, and governments to work with confidence at scale.
That trust is built on a well-established identity ecosystem: the standards and frameworks behind DigiD, eHerkenning, the emerging European Digital Identity (eID), and the broader eTD framework. These systems quietly power a large part of everyday digital interaction across both public and private services.
For Simptel Services, working toward becoming an erkende herkenningsmakelaar is both a real technical challenge and an important strategic step in our broader vision: connecting the world through simple, secure communication. We’re still on that journey, and like most foundational, regulated infrastructure, it progresses more slowly and proves more complex than any product roadmap alone.
The Role of Trust in eHerkenning
eHerkenning and eID are not single systems, but part of the eTD network with clearly defined roles. Users need access. Service providers need assurance. Identity providers deliver that assurance. The broker connects everything in between.
Why Becoming a Broker Is Hard
You don’t become an eHerkenning broker by shipping code quickly. Every layer from architecture and governance to security and certification must align with national standards, existing parties, and regulations. Progress depends not only on technical readiness, but on coordination with identity providers and service providers who must test and validate in parallel.
That dependency slows things down. But it also creates resilience. Trust at this level can’t be rushed.
Why This Matters
For Simptel, this journey goes beyond compliance. It’s about building foundations.
As digital identity evolves across Europe, systems like DigiD, eID, and eHerkenning will increasingly intersect with initiatives such as the European Digital Identity Wallet and international identity standards. Operating inside one of Europe’s most mature trust frameworks forces discipline and prepares us to build interoperable, identity-aware systems at scale.
Looking Forward
The path to recognition is deliberate by design.
Each dependency, checkpoint, and integration strengthens a system built on accountability and verifiable trust. Our ambition goes beyond certification. We’re building infrastructure that helps organizations integrate more easily, communicate more securely, and operate with confidence in a connected digital Europe.
Because in the age of digital identity, trust isn’t a feature.
It’s the infrastructure.
