Blockchain & Distributed Ledger Technology

Engage, Explore, Evaluate, Enable & Execute

The Opportunity

Enhance, extend or re-imagine

Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) are among the most widely discussed technology trends.

Blockchain is recognised as part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution by the World Economic Forum; has received attention from the World Trade Organization for its potential to revolutionise international trade; features heavily in technology trend analysis and forecasts by global consulting firms such as Gartner, Deloitte & PWC and has reached the popular media in the form of headlines around crypto-currencies.

So why has Blockchain & DLT gained so much attention from this spectrum of organisations?

Foundational Technology

Redefining economic, collaborative & social models

Blockchain & DLT are foundational. They are not the solution in themselves, however, they provide powerful mechanisms upon which new or improved solutions can be built.

Economic, collaborative and social models reflect the way the world does things. Blockchain & DLT provides ways of robustly underpinning the fundamental concepts and interactions that exist in these models, e.g. people, assets, transfer of value/control, information exchange.

There are now a number of established and maturing eco-systems which can be used to harness this foundational technology. Examples being Ethereum, Hyperledger, Corda, EOSio, MultiChain, IOTA and NEM to name a few.

Put simply, Blockchain & DLT provides us with the opportunity to:

  • better connect new & existing value-adding participants with those who'll benefit from that value
  • improve traceability and transparency of interactions between these participants
  • remove/minimise functions, roles, groups or organisations that are non-value adding or centralised
  • Threat To Existing Business Models

    Extend reach, improve transparency & disintermediate

    Capitalising on the ability of Blockchain & DLT to improve, and extend, the reach of processes such that they more easily span multiple organisations is a double-edged sword.

    For some, it provides the opportunity to increase the scope, integration and transparency of their workflows such that all participants can benefit from better alignment, continuity of information and the analytical insights this may bring. Holistically allowing everyone that participates to achieve some tangible or intangible business benefit.

    For others, it can be a threat to their existing business models. This could be in the form of others achieving competitive advantage in the market by harnessing Blockchain & DLT solutions to improve their own business performance, services or capabilities. In some cases, the threat may be as extreme as being the middle-man organisation that has been removed from the business equation via disintermediation.

    Broad Spectrum Of Potential Applications

    Financials to farming, government to gaming & more

    As a foundational technology, Blockchain & DLT can apply to a broad spectrum of industries and applications.

    There is already momentum behind solutions that target business functions and processes that are core to most organisations, common examples being financial processes and supply-chain processes.

    Additionally, more solutions are emerging which seek to solve specific problems for more specialised domains, processes and systems. These provide some exciting prospects for innovation and tackling long-seated problems or constraints within these domains.

    From areas as diverse as Aviation to Policing, Rental Management to Intellectual Property Rights, the breadth of potential applications has captured the interest of many.

    Reinvent Or Discover

    Improve current solutions or imagine new services

    The potential to improve and refine existing solutions and services to take advantage of Blockchain & DLT is the starting point for many.

    This has benefits in that there are less unknowns and seeing the way forward, along with justifying and quantifying it, is closer to familiar territory. The ability to establish and maintain a distributed, high-integrity, record of information across multiple parties or even remove an existing participant from the equation to reduce through lifecycle costs are attractive propositions for many.

    The alternative, but often more difficult, proposition is to discover new services or products that were previously impractical or unimaginable. Some of this challenge comes from leveraging Blockchain & DLT into a usable solution but challenge also comes from thinking in unfamiliar territory and away from the previous real, or perceived, constraints.

    Large, established, enterprises may initially be attracted to the ‘reinvent’ route, whilst the ‘discover’ route could initially be more attractive to startups & new entrants. Either way, there are opportunities for all types of businesses to benefit from Blockchain & DLT based solutions.

    Your Story

    Startup, small/medium enterprise or global corporate

    As a foundational technology with a multitude of potential uses, Blockchain & DLT can be a daunting proposition regardless of your company size, shape and history.

    Let us share some storyboards, is your story similar?

    Startup

    Mobilise, focus, grow & stretch

    As a startup that has decided to build a product or service around Blockchain & DLT you’re facing some challenges.

  • "Mobilising our venture is proving difficult. We could benefit from some objective guidance, advice and an experienced sounding-board."
  • "Great, we’ve got over the initial hurdles but are now being stretched. We need gaps filled and capability levels increased. How are we going to get this work covered?"
  • "We’re laser focussed on our primary goal but have also identified some promising extended or alternative use cases. Who could pursue these for us?"
  • Small/Medium Enterprise

    Add more value, understand the threats & opportunities

    As a small/medium enterprise you wonder what Blockchain & DLT will mean for you.

  • "We feel ill-informed when approached by customers, partners and suppliers who are exploring new ways of working. How do we leverage other peoples knowledge?"
  • "We wonder if we're missing out on business-changing opportunities. How do we find out?"
  • "We're worried our existing business may be threatened in the future but aren’t sure how, why or when. Who could help us objectively explore this?"
  • Global Corporate

    Maximise existing investments, protect core revenue streams & find the new tomorrows

    As a global corporate you already have significant investments in technology solutions that underpin your core revenue streams. You want to ensure you defend your business but are also striving for a better tomorrow.

  • "We know at some point we will want, or need, to integrate with Blockchain & DLT solutions from others. Do we have the strategy and capability?"
  • "We should examine options for enhancing or extending our existing technology solutions. How are we going to identify where Blockchain & DLT adds value?"
  • "What new products, services and revenue streams are now imaginable and feasible? Who can help us explore, prototype & evaluate these?"
  • "Reinventing what we already have is a risk and a missed opportunity. Who'd provide fresh thinking and challenge our mindset?"
  • How We Can Help

    Consulting, design, development & integration

    We take a concept or idea and build it.

    We help organise businesses and projects to succeed.

    We deliver difficult projects and programmes.

    Opportunity Search

    We can help bring both an objective view of your business and knowledge of Blockchain & DLT. Working collaboratively, we can help you understand what to look for you and also help you find where the opportunities lie.

    Whole Problem, Whole Solution

    With nearly 100 years combined experience of large-scale, complex, systems and integration our leadership team is able to bring both technical and business skills to our engagements. This means we think 'whole solution' not just your glossy new smart contract.

    Find The Value

    Not all opportunities are equal, just because you could do something doesn't mean you should. Scoping Blockchain & DLT solutions realistically is key, we can help you objectively determine where to draw the line.

    From Idea To Prototype

    You may have one or more ideas that you want to evaluate but don’t have the capacity or means to convert these into prototypes or Minimum Viable Products. We’re able to work collaboratively with you to iterate and develop just enough to aid your next decision. How far we take it is driven by where you see the potential value.

    Preparing For The Real World

    Moving from localised prototypes to production environments comes with both technical and non-technical challenges. We can help you prepare for a successful transition.

    Old World & New World

    Rarely will Blockchain & DLT solutions exist in isolation. Having significant experience of systems integration, we can help you blend your new solution into your existing landscape.

    Find out how we can help you succeed with Blockchain & DLT

    Contact Us