Blockchain Essentials

About This Course

Blockchain is radically improving supply chains, banking and other business networks, as well as creating new opportunities for innovation.

Blockchain technology provides a dynamic shared ledger that can be applied to save time when recording transactions between parties, remove costs associated with intermediaries, and reduce risks of fraud and tampering. Businesses contain many examples of networks of individuals and organizations that collaborate to create value and wealth. These networks work together in markets that exchange assets in the form of goods and services between the participants.

The video lectures in this course help you learn about blockchain for business and explore key use cases that demonstrate how the technology adds value.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this course, you learn about some of the common challenges facing business networks and how a new approach to recording and processing transactions that uses blockchain technology can solve some of these challenges.

When you finish this course, you should understand:

• Blockchain and distributed ledger systems in a business environment
• Important concepts and key use cases of blockchain for business
• How assets can be transferred in a blockchain network
• The role of Linux Foundation's Hyperledger project
• IBM's Blockchain Strategy

COURSE SYLLABUS

Module 1 - What is Blockchain?

• Business networks
• Assets
• Ledgers, Transactions and Contracts
• The problem with existing networks
• How blockchain solves this problem
• Different types of blockchain
• Requirements of a blockchain for business

Module 2 - Example Blockchain Networks

• Overview of active networks
• TradeLens - Improving global trade
• IBM Food Trust - Supply chain transparency
• Further examples by industry
• Key players for blockchain adoption

Module 3 - IBM and Blockchain

• How IBM can help with a blockchain project
• IBM's blockchain strategy
• The IBM Blockchain Platform
• The Linux Foundation's Hyperledger project
• Hyperledger Fabric
• Continuing your blockchain journey

GENERAL INFORMATION

• This course is free.
• It is self-paced.
• It can be taken at any time.

Prerequisites

None

This course is intended for audiences of all experiences who are interested in learning about blockchain in a business context; there are no prerequisite courses.