A Look at Blockchain Hype

Good somewhat technical examination of work underway, including work by IBM, Hyperledger and hype of this space in general. 

Blockchain For What, Exactly?  By Doug Meil   in CACM   February 4, 2022

Blockchain is built upon multiple previously established technologies and techniques, such as consensus protocols and append-only data structures. Nearly everyone at this point should know that cryptocurrencies today run on blockchain, but not all blockchains need be cryptocurrencies. Which raises the question about what precisely blockchain can be used for in the non-cryptocurrency use-case, and according to some, the answer is "everything."

Every new technology has a hype cycle, but blockchain's hype cycle has an amplitude that few technologies have matched. Unfortunately, the lion's share of misunderstanding about blockchain has come from within its own community. It didn't have to be like this.

IBM, Blockchain, and Healthcare

IBM has been loathe to miss a hype-cycle, and it did not disappoint with blockchain. For example, in a January 2017 article titled "IBM Watson, FDA aim to tackle, tame blockchain for data exchange," an IBM executive said:

"Blockchain technology has advanced and has matured.  At the core, this technology can address various frictions in the health system, such as meaningful collaboration and coordination in healthcare that require addressing privacy concerns, lack of interoperability, and the issue of trustworthiness of data."

… and then went on to also say …

"For providers it can provide the continuity of the health record and the longitudinal 360 view of the patient that the providers need in order to provide the health services to the patient."

I have emphasized certain words in the quotations, as the phrases "privacy concerns," "continuity of the health record," and "longitudinal 360 view of the patient" mean specific things in healthcare. Yet how blockchain would specifically address those points is never made clear.

The reason this specific article is so personally important is that I had to respond to a customer about it back when I was at IBM Watson Health.  One of our unit's (healthcare) customers saw the story and wondered what these words meant for them, and wondered and worried if their data was going to wind up on a blockchain. I had to start learning about blockchain defensively, and the task was made more complicated because IBM's Blockchain group couldn't explain any of the claims in the article. I started reading about Hyperledger, a blockchain framework favored by IBM for private blockchain use-cases.

Consider the following high-level blockchain architecture diagram from the Hyperledger project, with respect to key questions that I typically don't see addressed well enough with private blockchain use-cases:  .... ' 

IBM Open Sources Hyperledger

 Had examined this sometime ago, seems IBM wants it and blockchain to succeed.  This will promote it it be be better tested. 

IBM Donates Code Improvements to Open Source Hyperledger

“The intent is to improve the usability of Hyperledger for all users,” said Christopher Ferris, CTO at IBM.

By Tanzeel Akhtar in Coindesk

 (NYSE: IBM) said it has contributed significant code to the enterprise blockchain network Hyperledger, “one of the largest in its history.”

IBM announced Wednesday it has donated updates to the Hyperledger code and the underlying code for the IBM Blockchain Platform Console, an intuitive user interface that will form what is now the Fabric Operations Console.

The firm said it is also donating the code that supports token exchanges on Hyperledger Fabric and the Fabric Token SDK, as well as support for interoperability among different distributed ledger technology (DLT) platforms.  .... " 

IBM Cuts its Blockchain Team

 Quite a considerable twist.  Big move since their work with HyperLedger we followed

IBM Blockchain Is a Shell of Its Former Self After Revenue Misses, Job Cuts: Sources by Ian Allison, in CoinDesk

“There is not really going to be a blockchain team any longer,” said a person familiar with the situation. IBM has cut its blockchain team down to almost nothing, according to four people familiar with the situation. 

Job losses at IBM (NYSE: IBM) escalated as the company failed to meet its revenue targets for the once-fêted technology by 90% this year, according to one of the sources.

“IBM is doing a major reorganization,” said a source at a startup that has been interviewing former IBM blockchain staffers. “There is not really going to be a blockchain team any longer. Most of the blockchain people at IBM have left.”   ... "

IBM towards Secure Enterprise Data

Hyperledger towards business goals with sharing secure enterprise data 

How IBM is using blockchain to transform the potential of enterprise data

Chris O'Brien  @obrien   in Venturebeat

Blockchain can be shrouded in babble about consensus and cryptography and ledgers, leaving IT managers stewing in a cauldron of confusion. But in 2020, IBM made big strides toward bringing blockchain into the mainstream by focusing on the benefits it offers enterprise users.

Those virtues include the ability to connect with a wider range of partners to share data across secure networks built on trust and transparency. For large enterprises focused on digital transformation, blockchain is becoming a critical tool for accelerating those efforts.

“I think almost every CIO that is driving transformation has pivoted to thinking how to attack this in a way that’s going to be iterative, agile, fast, and open,” IBM blockchain general manager Alistair Rennie said. “Where we’ve had success is getting blockchain onto their radar as a really useful business tool. It’s not an esoteric technology discussion at this point. If you are trying to do multi-party integration with security and privacy, and you need to do it quickly in a way that is going to have a rapid business impact, then blockchain is a suitable technology to pursue that business goal.”

Blockchain is taking its place as another way to help companies leverage the surging amounts of data they are collecting, and IBM is trying to advance the adoption of blockchain along three pathways. ... 

IBM Blockchain to Offer Smart Contract Options

This was the kind of direction we were looking at recently, and had indications that IBM was playing in the space.

IBM Blockchain to Offer Decentralized Smart Contract Option  in Coindesk

IBM is implementing the Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 base layer to support smart contract governance on its blockchain platform.

IBM Blockchain to Offer Decentralized Smart Contract Option
IBM is upgrading its enterprise blockchain solution to provide clients with a new decentralized governance option that will allow transaction parties to propose and amend smart contract parameters.

The blue-chip IT firm said last week that the IBM Blockchain Platform would carry over the changes in Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 – its base layer – claiming it "vastly improves" overall security and usability.

As well as improving performance and data privacy, IBM said in a blog post that the upgrade would completely change the platform's smart contract governance.

"IBM Blockchain Platform will support Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 and continue to add additional capabilities around the new decentralized smart contract lifecycle management and other new improvements," IBM said in its blog post. "In addition, the platform will allow the user to choose which version of Fabric to deploy and to migrate from one version to another."

Although IBM says it is "full steam ahead" with the Hyperledger Fabric 2.0 integration, it didn't provide a timeframe for when it expects to go live.  ... "

IBM, Oracle Team for WHO Virus Data Hub: MiPasa

Now have looked at lots of sites claiming to provide accurate data in this space,  and it is clear you can drive wrong results from much that is out there.  So this effort addresses a need.

World Health Organization Teams With IBM, Oracle on Blockchain-Based Coronavirus Data Hub
In Coindesk

Big names including IBM, Oracle and the World Health Organization (WHO) are among the collaborators on an open-data hub that will use blockchain technology to check the veracity of data relating to the coronavirus pandemic.

The solution, dubbed MiPasa, is launching as a “COVID-19 information highway,” said Jonathan Levi, CEO of Hacera, the company that built the platform. 

MiPasa, built on Hyperledger Fabric, is expected to evolve as a range of data analytics tools are added, followed by testing data and other information to assist with the precise detection of COVID-19 infection hotspots.

“We feel that there isn't enough information out there to make informed decisions,” said Levi. “How can we help all the people that would like to get access to data, analyze it and provide insights?”  ... " 

Wal-Mart Joins Hyperledger

Wal-Mart's early looks at this seem to be identification and tracking related supply chain applications.    Is this an indication of further dives into the space?

Walmart Joins Hyperledger Alongside 7 Other Companies  By Samuel Haig

Walmart has become the latest major conglomerate to join open-source blockchain consortium Hyperledger. Walmart is among eight new members to join the platform. The new members were announced on March 3 at the Hyperledger Global Forum 2020 in Phoenix, Arizona.

Sanjay Radhakrishnan, the vice president of Walmart Global Tech, expressed excitement in joining the platform, stating:

“We've seen strong results through our various deployments of blockchain, and believe staying involved in open source communities will further transform the future of our business."  ... '

Definitions for Use Cases of Blockchains

Useful simple user case examples, definitions, Major Players and cautions:

Understanding Blockchain Basics and Use Cases in Infoq

Key Takeaways:

Blockchains can be either public or private, permissioned or trustless
IBM Hyperledger and R3 Corda are two of the most widely used enterprise blockchains
Deployment of real solutions is still limited and patchy
The space is continuing to evolve and is in its early stages
Enterprise adoption is still cautious
Navigating the blockchain space can be very challenging.
A large number of articles have been written about the subject, many of which are filled with a large amount of hot air and hype, as well as specialist technical and other jargon.

In this article, we will explain the difference between the two major branches of blockchain projects (public and private) as well as some fundamental technical terms related the area.
This will allow us to address a fundamental question in the current discussion of blockchains and related solutions: What are the valid use cases for using a public, trustless blockchain vs a distributed private ledger vs a traditional database?  ... "

Waves Enterprise Blockchain

Been examining a number of applications of smart contracts recently, including those more closely connected to specific goal oriented and regulatory agreements and tasks.  With strong identity and process security.   Here another example.  See my 'smart contracts' tag below for more examples.

Waves Enterprise blockchain unveils major updates and hundreds of smart contracts per minute  By Kyt Dotson in SiliconAngle

Fast-transaction blockchain distributed ledger provider Waves Enterprise, an extension of Waves Platform AG technology, Thursday announced major upgrades to its network that adds significant improvements, putting it into the same class as the corporate blockchain Hyberledger Fabric.

Waves Enterprise, now in full Version 1.0, offers what the company says a powerful universal blockchain solution aimed at corporations and the public sector. Key features added in this update include containerized smart contracts, greatly improved performance, an updated application programming interface for developers and an improved user interface for users.

“There is now a transition to a new generation of IT systems and a new system of interaction between companies and even people,” said Alexander Ivanov, founder of Waves. “We are talking about the interaction between companies, which can be transferred to new tracks. This became possible with the advent of blockchain. This technology is designed to shape ecosystems in which participants trust each other.”

This is a major release for Waves Enterprise and deploys features that implement important new functions for enterprise clients. To start, Waves Enterprise has implemented an authorization service that will adhere to enterprise-level security using the oAuth 2.0 specification. Previously the Waves API was open, thus accessible publicly and available for anyone.   ... "

IBM Introduces Sterling Supply Chain Suite

Our earliest work in supply chain, from supplier to plant to consumer, was supported by IBM optimization methods.   Recently saw some of their proposals for integrating Watson with supply chain.   Also worked with some of IBM's clients validating their SC methods integrated with AI.  Direct integration of Hyperledger Blockchain.   So this is of interest. Via Walter Riker

IBM launches blockchain-based supply chain service with AI, IoT integration
Tied to its existing Sterling Order Management System service, the new blockchain and AI-enabled cloud offering enables real-time views of order shipments, alerts and optimization recommendations.
By Lucas Mearian   Senior Reporter, Computerworld  

IBM this week launched a new supply chain service based on its blockchain platform and open-source software from recently-acquired Red Hat that allows developers and third-party apps to integrate legacy corporate data systems onto a distributed ledger.

Through the use of open APIs, the new Sterling Supply Chain Suite allows distributors, manufacturers and retailers to integrate their own data and networks – as well as those of their suppliers – onto a Hyperledger-based blockchain to track and trace products and parts. Among the data that can be integrated are IoT sensor systems for real-time shipment position location.

[ Further reading: Blockchain: The complete guide ]

"This is the first move from IBM in what we anticipate to be a significant investment in the reinvention of supply chains by global organizations in the coming decades," an IBM spokesperson said via email.    .... " 

Blockchain for Hotel Commissions

Another indication of IBM working strongly in this space.  Had not heard this particular kind of application before.  And also new to the hospitality space.

Travelport, IBM Collaborate on Blockchain for Hotel Commissions

Travelport, a business and consumer travel services provider, announced it is using IBM’s Hyperledger Fabric to guarantee commissions paid to travel agencies.

According to a statement released on August 20, the blockchain was designed with input from IBM, travel management company BCD Travel, and three unnamed hotel chains. The system aims to “put the lifecycle of a booking on the blockchain,” to reduce the amount of payment disputes.

In 2018, Travelport processed over $83 billion of travel spend over $2.4 billion in net revenue.

“Traveler modifications at property, no shows, and complimentary room nights are just a few examples that drive commission discrepancies which in turn generate escalations, cost, and revenue loss,” said Ross Vinograd, Travelport’s Senior Product Director.

“The traveler can modify their booking multiple times, leaving room for information to go missing. For example, if a traveler arrives and then extends a hotel stay, that information might not make its way back to us as booking data,” said Marwan Batrouni, Vice President of Global Hotel Strategy, BCD Travel. Additionally, blockchain will help close the “gaps” made by different payments systems.  ... " 

IBM, Chainyard Build Supplier Trust Blockchain

Intriguing play by IBM, using their Hyperledger Blockchain.  Would seem also that 'smart contracts' would be natural additions to such an approach, to specify context and domain specific constraints.  Note the large number of companies involved.  This might be called a classic 'trust' type application.  Procurement view seen as a next step.

IBM, Chainyard unveil blockchain-based 'Trust Your Supplier' network in ComputerWorld

IBM has partnered with Fortune 500 companies to launch the network, which is aimed at automating the validation and onboarding of buyers and suppliers.    By Lucas Mearian

IBM and blockchain consultancy Chainyard today announced a new permissioned blockchain-based network designed to improve supplier validation, onboarding and life cycle information management.

Along with IBM, Anheuser-Busch InBev, GlaxoSmithKline, Lenovo, Nokia, Schneider Electric and Vodafone are founding participants in the Trust Your Supplier (TYS) network.

"This blockchain initiative represents a great opportunity for Nokia to further enhance our suppliers' experience and optimize the onboarding process," Sanjay Mehta, vice president of procurement for Nokia, said in a statement. "Using the latest technology to address a classical challenge will be of benefit for everyone, and further increase the speed of using innovative solutions."

Unlike IBM's other blockchain-based networks, which can track everything from produce to jewelry from origin to destination, there is no product tracking on the new distributed ledger.

"TYS plans to add additional functionality over time as the network scales," said David Post, managing director of Blockchain Ventures at IBM.

TYS was built to act as a cross-industry blockchain network for procurement functions. The network's first use case relates only to supplier onboarding and validation, according to Post. .... "

More on Chainyard:

We Turn Blockchain into Business Results.
Our team of blockchain experts bring extensive experience in architecting, designing, building, testing, securing and operating complex distributed systems to help adopters of blockchain technology succeed.  .... "

Amazon Managed Blockchain

Received from AWS:    See also FAQ.

Amazon Managed Blockchain
Easily create and manage scalable blockchain networks

Amazon Managed Blockchain is a fully managed service that makes it easy to create and manage scalable blockchain networks using the popular open source frameworks Hyperledger Fabric and Ethereum*.

Blockchain makes it possible to build applications where multiple parties can execute transactions without the need for a trusted, central authority. Today, building a scalable blockchain network with existing technologies is complex to set up and hard to manage. To create a blockchain network, each network member needs to manually provision hardware, install software, create and manage certificates for access control, and configure networking components. Once the blockchain network is running, you need to continuously monitor the infrastructure and adapt to changes, such as an increase in transaction requests, or new members joining or leaving the network.

Amazon Managed Blockchain is a fully managed service that allows you to set up and manage a scalable blockchain network with just a few clicks. Amazon Managed Blockchain eliminates the overhead required to create the network, and automatically scales to meet the demands of thousands of applications running millions of transactions. Once your network is up and running, Managed Blockchain makes it easy to manage and maintain your blockchain network. It manages your certificates and lets you easily invite new members to join the network.

Get started with Hyperledger Fabric using Amazon Managed Blockchain here.

For applications that need an immutable and verifiable ledger database, visit Amazon QLDB here.

*Hyperledger Fabric available today. Ethereum coming soon.   ...  

Speeding Up Blockchain

Speed becomes very important when we need to quickly apply in real time.  Note the permissioned vs Permissionless distinction here.

Speeding Up Blockchain to Meet Real-World Speeds and Needs
University of Waterloo News

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada are exploring the fundamentals of blockchain technology and how they could be applied to sectors like energy, finance, accounting, and health. The researchers altered the Linux Foundation's open source Hyperledger Fabric project to accelerate the permissioned blockchain system. Permissioned blockchains, unlike their permission-less counterparts, do not require proof of work—like computing cryptographic hashes—which limits transaction processing to only tens of thousands of transactions a second. The current version of Hyperledger Fabric is constrained to about 3,000 transactions a second. Waterloo's Christian Gorenflo said, "We rewrote parts of Fabric's source code using optimization techniques known from traditional database systems such as aggressive caching and efficient data structures to make the blockchain faster." This facilitated a nearly seven-fold boost in Hyperledger Fabric's throughput to 20,000 transactions a second.  .... " 

Linux Hyperledger for Supply Chains

Reported  earlier this year.  Finally getting to its implications in supply chain.  Smart Contracts

Linux Hyperledger to Give Developers Supply Chain Building Blocks
in Computerworld   By Lucas Mearian

The Linux Foundation's Hyperledger Grid Project will offer software developers tools to create supply-chain-specific apps that run atop distributed ledger technology. The project initially will deliver modular software and smart contract components to businesses to meet challenges like tracking and tracing shipped goods, electronic certifications, and bill of lading exchange. According to the foundation, "This project will accelerate the development of blockchain-based solutions to cross-industry supply chain problems." Grid encompasses libraries, data models, and software development kits to expedite development for supply-chain smart contracts and client interfaces. Grid also will employ other Hyperledger projects like Sawtooth, a modular framework for building, deploying, and running business blockchains. Hyperledger said it will pin much of the domain model work on GS1/Global Trade Item Number standards, "but many other implementations could be contributed and published, including models such as those being created by the Open Data Initiative, or more nuanced industry models like Identification of Medicinal Products (IDMP)." ... "

AWS Features Blockchain

How To Example of Blockchain integrated with AWS Cloud

How to Build an Application with Amazon Managed Blockchain

May 2 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM PT
(2:00 PM - 3:00 PM ET)

Building enterprise blockchain applications on your own infrastructure is often expensive, complicated, and time-consuming. Amazon Managed Blockchain makes it easy to build scalable blockchain applications by eliminating the need to setup and manage infrastructure, allowing you to focus on writing applications for your business. In this tech talk, you will learn how to build an application on Amazon Managed Blockchain with the help of demo applications and sample code. We will dive deep into product features, APIs, the Fabric SDK, and how to add new members and join Fabric channels.

Learning Objectives
Learn how to use Amazon Managed Blockchain and its features and functionality
Understand through a demo and sample applications on how to get started with building a blockchain application
Learn Hyperledger Fabric functionality such as Fabric SDK, how to create and join Fabric channels ...

SAP Pilot Tracks the SupplyChain

Note the use of open source Hyperledger.  Probably the simplest application idea in blockchain.   Mostly food companies participating, which indicates sourcing and quality assurance driven goals.

SAP pilots blockchain-based supply chain tracker
SAP has created a consortium of business partners to help it craft applications for a cloud-based blockchain platform that can track goods from creation to shipment to manufacturer as part of an automated supply chain system. 
               
By Lucas Mearian By Lucas Mearian
Senior Reporter, ComputerWorld

SAP is working with more than two dozen produce, pharmaceutical, tech and shipping companies on an automated blockchain-based supply chain tracking system that it believes will bolster visibility and ensure the authenticity of goods such as food and drugs.

The software giant is piloting its SAP Cloud Platform Blockchain with 16 farm-to-consumer produce suppliers such as Maple Leaf Foods, Johnsonville, Naturipe Farms, Tate & Lyle and Natura. It says the service enables enterprises to build and extend business applications with SAP's MultiChain blockchain service, which was built using the open-source Hyperledger Fabric platform from the Linux Foundation.  ... " 

Hyperledger Fabric for Smart Contracts

A technical look at Hyperledger Fabric Open Source Project for possible use.  This is one of the applications I have started to examine for agreement level contracts.   Bottom line from this is that the technology is immature and ready for only very narrow applications.   Details may be useful to understand what needs to emerge further and cautions involved.   More on Hyperledger.

Smart Contracts via Hyperledger

Brought to my attention.  Good descriptions and code for experiments with the idea.  I like some of the non technical descriptions of the idea provided.  I like the 'Smart Contracts' direction because it pays attention to specific process.  Useful with clients and colleagues. 

Create and execute blockchain smart contracts  

Create and execute smart contracts within a blockchain application using Hyperledger Composer ... 

Organizations that use blockchain depend on trusted transactions to securely automate processes that were previously completed manually. In this developer journey, you’ll learn how to use the Hyperledger Composer framework to create and execute smart contracts. Those contracts will run within a blockchain application built on Hyperledger Fabric. .... 

" ... A good way to understand smart contracts is to compare the technology to a vending machine. Ordinarily, to complete a contract you’d go to an attorney, pay that attorney a fee, and wait to receive the document in question, whether a house closing agreement, a divorce decree, or any other “official” documentation. With the smart contract model, you simply drop a token into the vending machine–that is, the ledger–and your document (or candy bar) is provided to you, or deposited into your account. It’s a straightforward process requiring no additional intervention from anyone. ... "

Food, Retail Aim for Blockchain Ledger Data

A considerable endorsement of a technology.  Where in more general terms is non-food is CPG?   Is this mainly driven by food safety considerations?

Walmart and 9 Food Giants Team Up on IBM Blockchain Plans    by Robert Hackett

Walmart and a group of food giants are teaming up with IBM to explore how to apply blockchain technology, also known as distributed ledger tech, to their food supply chains.

The coalition includes retailers and food companies such as Unilever (UL, -0.19%), Nestlé , and Dole (DOLE). They will be aiming to use blockchains, a technology that made its name as the basis of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, to maintain secure digital records and improve the traceability of their foodstuffs, like chicken, chocolate, and bananas.

These companies see blockchains as an opportunity to revamp their data management processes across a complex network that includes farmers, brokers, distributors, processors, retailers, regulators, and consumers. One potential benefit: investigations into food-borne illnesses to take weeks (see this summer's fatal Salmonella outbreak linked to papayas), but a blockchain-based system has the ability to reduce that time to seconds.  ... " 

Also, are they ready, legally and otherwise, for prime time?