Page 14 - Logistics News Sept / Oct 2018

Thought Leadership

Bridge to blockchain

By Geoffrey Annseley, courtesy One Network Enterprises
A platform for orchestrating multi-enterprise networks.

BY NOW, most forward-looking corporate business for years to come. Many organisations
business leaders, IT leaders and business are still completely unaware of blockchain-based
consulting companies realise that the third organisations already targeting their business
generation of blockchain networks fundamentally models directly armed with advanced, well-
works, and sooner or later is going to impact funded blockchain platforms. Many decentralised
every market and corporation in one or more blockchain-based organisations aim to completely
important dimensions. Scaling issues are quickly disrupt brittle, complex B2B and B2C processes.
disappearing and transaction costs on many The problem is enterprise resource planning (ERP)
networks are plummeting. and B2B systems were not designed to operate in
The time for experiments to validate capability the blockchain-based multi-party network world.
is coming to an end. More and more companies One of the core ideas behind the vast majority
are making bold statements around their vision of blockchain networks and projects is to bypass
for utilising blockchains, many large iconic cloud the ‘middleman’, including many ’enterprise and
companies are in stealth mode, buying blockchain cloud services’, enabling parties at any location
companies and pouring money into their own in a business network to transact directly with
blockchain research. Some are motivated by each other and simplify business processes. But
fear of disruption, while others see new business the applications that populate today’s corporate
opportunities and a once-in-a-lifetime chance IT landscape were designed around servicing one
to get an edge on the competition or move into centralised, single corporation at a time. It is no
previously impenetrable markets. Yet others are surprise, then, that the value of moving enterprise
struggling with the basics of how blockchain can applications and single company business
help their business, or just fl at out ignoring the processes that involve one party to a blockchain
technology, hoping that it will not impact their network is small or negative. Processes that involve

12 September/October 2018 | Logistics News