US-based telecom conglomerate AT&T has just announced a suite of blockchain-based services to cut costs and speed up automation process for its enterprise customers. By creating a decentralized ledger, AT&T is enabling companies to track and manage flow of information more easily and transparently. AT&T is also making use of its internet of things (IoT) solutions to help the automation and monitoring process.
The company is working with IBM and Microsoft Azure blockchain technologies to develop the services. AT&T also has plans to integrate its Asset Management Operations Center with IBM Maximo Network on Blockchain and Maximo Asset Health Insights to improve their infrastructure asset management. The integration with IoT will also bring more transparency and accountability to the supply chains according to the company. The company is aiming to use blockchain solutions for manufacturing, retail and healthcare.
According to Andy Daudelin, vice president for alliances business development, AT&T. , Blockchain as a technology is far more than just Bitcoin or cryptocurrency. “It’s transforming the way many companies conduct business,” he said. “Blockchain improves security and enables better management of transactions through complex processes.”
While initially, the company is only targeting supply chain applications in healthcare, retail, and manufacturing, Mobeen Khan, assistant VP of IoT strategy and product management told that blockchain can be used for utilities and energy companies along with governments and the military. “It’s a capability a lot of our customers are starting to ask about, so we’re taking steps to make it available to them,” Khan said.
He further acknowledged that blockchain as a technology is not without its limitations. “It’s not for everything. It’s not a replacement for cloud, not a replacement for databases”. But in cases where “multiple people need to share that data and have the auditability of that data, it makes a lot of sense,” he concluded.
To know more about the company’s blockchain solutions, check out their website.
