Blockchain: Empowering the Workforce of the Future

PETERBOROUGH, Ontario - March 18, 2019 - PRLog -- Zigurat, a Global Business School focused on Innovation and Technology, has performed a research on the main benefits, barriers, applications, and opportunities to take full advantage of the potential that Blockchain Technologies brings to the table.

Even in today's world, where disruptive technologies have become our new reality, the appearance of one technology that embodies such a potential for improvement for so many industries is a rather unique occurrence.

Blockchain is a type of distributed ledger technology that thanks to its immutability and transparency could create new foundations for global economic and social systems. The use of blockchain promises to bring significant efficiency to global supply chains, financial transactions (including cryptocurrencies, Token economy, and ICOs), asset ledgers, legal regulations (e.g. smart contracts), and decentralized networking.

The range of potential uses of blockchain technologies is wide and could have repercussion on various aspects of our daily life. The most promising potential uses and main applications are in security, healthcare, real estate, retail, supply chain management, multinational policy management, finance and banking, crowdfunding, construction, and legal and governmental sectors.

Tech Giants like IBM, Microsoft and Amazon are working on many projects empowered by Blockchain technology. It is foreseen that even if these projects won't result in immediate inflows of large revenues, they do hold a promise for the years to come.

IBM has been the most interested in expanding its dominance in the blockchain solution market, and through hard work and many investments, they have gained 32% of the market share. Hyperledger Fabric, an open-source blockchain infrastructure managed by the Linux Foundation is the starship project of IBM. BaaS (Blockchain as a Service) strategy, which IBM launched in 2017, offering companies and governments the possibility of deploying their own network, was based on that platform.

Microsoft is the second great technology company that has made considerable efforts to incorporate blockchain into its commercial offer. In these moments, Microsoft holds a significant 19% of the market share. Their most notable initiative is probably Microsoft's Blockchain Workbench, a set of tools designed to simplify the development of Blockchain networks using Azure as a platform. The company is using Blockchain also internally to guarantee better protection of the copyright in its gaming platform and that of the Xbox content and to manage payments in a more agile (decentralized) way. In collaboration with Accenture and Avanade, Microsoft is working on the creation of its own blockchain platform.

Amazon has also every intention to take advantage of business opportunities that blockchain entails. A few months ago they launched AWS Blockchain Templates, a service that aims to facilitate for the companies the use of Ethereum or Hyperledger. The use of templates makes working on the projects much faster, without having to start from scratch.

On the other hand, Amazon's commitment to the blockchain was also pronounced through their strategic alliance with Kaleido, a blockchain business cloud that promises companies to develop their own blockchain network in a matter of minutes.

Despite the discussed benefits, there are still considerable barriers that prevent the companies and governments from taking full advantage of the potential this technology brings to the table. One of the most significant obstacles on the way of wider application is the lack of professionals with proper education on this groundbreaking technology. The lack of general knowledge and the fact that most of the people still associate this technology with cryptocurrencies also stall the advancement.

The appearance of blockchain has brought along the need for many new skills and the market is flooding with new blockchain careers and jobs. A well-educated blockchain expert has the makings to become one of the most demanded profiles in today and future business processes. These are the main demanding job positions for Blockchain Experts:

• Blockchain Developer: Blockchain development relies a great deal on computer science, therefore it is a highly technical position.
• Blockchain Engineer: He is in charge of understanding the technological needs of the company and is the one to create the blockchain apps based on those needs.
• Blockchain Project Manager: The expert who has the know-how of a project manager combined with expertise in blockchain technologies, which allows him to serve as a link between blockchain designers and the non-technical people of the company.
• Blockchain Quality Engineer: He is in charge of testing and ensuring all areas of quality in the environment of blockchain development, guide the test strategy for blockchain development and maintaining the best standards of QA.
• Blockchain Legal Consultant or Attorney: Only well-prepared blockchain attorneys can advise companies on the legal implications related to their launch, such as how transactions are tracked and confirmed or how identities must be handled.

To cover the gap between the small number of experts available in the market and the growing demand for new blockchain related skill-set, Zigurat Innovation & Technology Business School, in collaboration with the University of Barcelona, launches the Global Master's in Blockchain Technologies (http://bit.ly/2UAojFX), designed to help technical and business-oriented profiles. The program provides insights into blockchain architecture, cryptocurrencies, smart contracts, and legal implications. To complete the program, participants will be able to choose between two paths, to create a final project focused on developing a blockchain application or a business model based on this technology.

About Zigurat Innovation & Technology Business School

Zigurat is a Global Business School focused on Innovation and Technology. We offer a range of programs, including masters, corporate events, tailored to professionals and businesses needs. Zigurat's programs are dynamic and based on the experience and knowledge share of a faculty board, that are digital industry leaders. Driven by a multicultural and talented team, looking to change the educational sector, contribute to the development of society, through disruptive training and digital transformation.