Cybersecurity

Microsoft's implementation of blockchain

March 22, 2021

Question

Based on our readings and discussions, where will we find the best implementations of blockchain? If your client uses blockchain, please describe how it is used.

Answer

Some of the best implementations of blockchain currently are supply chain management, social justice initiatives that could help prevent human trafficking and forced labor, and smart contracts. This is because all these spaces can be improved through blockchain’s key characteristics. The first characteristic, decentralization, refers to blockchain not being validated through a central agency. Persistence represents blockchain’s property of quickly determining valid transactions without an option to roll back. Furthermore, the identity of blockchain users remains anonymous. Finally, auditability refers to blockchain’s characteristic of easily verifying and tracking all transactions.¹

Microsoft is in the business of selling blockchain solutions to customers. One way that they uniquely use blockchain is through an exciting initiative called Azure Heroes. In Europe, community members are awarded digital “badgers” for their “meaningful impact in the technical community.” In partnership with the company Enjin, these digital badges “have been tokenized into a digital asset on the Ethereum public blockchain.”²

This initiative is incredibly valuable because it introduces all Microsoft technical community members to blockchain through a gamified experience. By being awarded a digital badge, they learn more about blockchain while being recognized for their contributions to the community. Furthermore, these badges are completely transparent so no one can create their own counterfeit badge.

This article is part of my Information Assurance and Cybersecurity Series. Learn more here.

Sources

¹ Vrudhula, Padmaja. “Overview of Blockchain.” INFO415 Cyber Risk Concepts and Paradigms lecture. 3 March 2021.

² Microsoft. (n.d.). Azure Heroes. Retrieved March 5, 2021, from https://www.microsoft.com/skills/azureheroes