There are many integration aspects to consider when deploying new blockchain applications onto an existing IT architecture. Many of them are listed here.
One of the more intriguing challenges is the integration of existing data assets with a blockchain. Many people consider blockchain a trusted platform for value exchange (e.g., cryptocurrencies). I like to think of it as a trusted data exchange (with cryptocurrency as one form of data). It becomes critical therefore to have a platform for integrating existing and new data assets into an enterprise blockchain environment.
One new term used to describe the registration of assets onto a blockchain is "data anchoring." Chainpoint.org is "an open standard for creating a timestamp proof of data." They describe anchoring as follows:
Anchor an unlimited amount of data to multiple blockchains. Verify the integrity and existence of data without relying on a trusted third party.
A sensible approach to enable anchoring is the use of Dell Boomi. Recently a team of Dell technologists published a demo that highlights Boomi's blockchain capabilities.
In this post, I'd like to outline the implementation of the demo and the features that make Dell Boomi a leader for blockchain use cases.
Tierion is a new company that has begun to publish APIs for blockchain data anchoring. For example, their API can accept a new hash value (uniquely representing a data asset) and provide a receipt of that asset (proof of data anchoring). The APIs for registration and receipts are listed on Tierion's website and depicted below.
Boomi excels at consuming such APIs to bring different ecosystems (e.g., existing data assets and a blockchain) together. The demo highlights the integration of Tierion's API by taking data assets from Box and registering these assets onto a blockchain. The diagram below highlights the sequence of events.
There are two aspects of the Boomi implementation that are worth calling out:
- The Boomi Atom Cloud depicted above implements the Boomi AtomSphere integration platform as a service (iPaaS). This platform allows integration between cloud platforms, software-as-a-service applications, and on-premise systems. In other words, no matter where your data lives, Boomi Atomsphere provides a simple, cloud-based API for data management (without having to install any middleware).
- Boomi Flow is used to create sophisticated and straightforward workflow-based applications that allow businesses to extend their data integration capabilities with other entities (e.g., online/offline mobile apps and web portals).
The demo described above results in a corporate catalog of receipts. Each receipt is a timestamped-registration of data assets onto a blockchain, and it enables a whole new set of data-based business processes, including data ownership, transfer, broadcast, lineage, etc.
Data anchoring with Boomi can be especially applicable to GDPR. I plan to write about relevant use cases in future posts.
The Boomi team is looking for additional use cases to solve. If you have questions about their work, contact them at [email protected]. For more detail, browse the Boomi website at www.boomi.com.
Steve
Twitter: @SteveTodd
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