From Bitcoin to Solana -- Innovating Blockchain towards Enterprise Applications

This survey presents a comprehensive study of recent advances in block-chain technologies, focusing on how issues that affecting the enterprise adoption were progressively addressed from the original Bitcoin system to Ethereum, to Solana etc. Key issues preventing the wide adoption are scala-bility and performance, while recent advances in Solana has clearly demon-strated that it is possible to significantly improve on those issues by innovat-ing on data structure, processes and algorithms by consolidating various time-consuming algorithms and security enforcements, and differentiate and balance users and their responsibilities and rights, while maintaining the re-quired security and integrity that blockchain systems inherently offer

Implicit Consensus: Blockchain with Unbounded Throughput

Recently, the blockchain technique was put in the spotlight as it introduced a systematic approach for multiple parties to reach consensus without needing trust. However, the application of this technique in practice is severely restricted due to its limitations in throughput. In this paper, we propose a novel consensus model, namely the implicit consensus, with a distinctive blockchain-based distributed ledger in which each node holds its individual blockchain. In our system, the consensus is not on the transactions, but on a special type of blocks called Check Points that are used to validate individual transactions. Our system exploits the ideas of self-interest and spontaneous sharding and achieves unbounded throughput with the transaction reliability that equivalent to traditional Byzantine fault tolerance schemes

A Distributed Ledger based infrastructure for Intelligent Transportation Systems

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are proposed as an efficient way to improve performances in transportation systems applying information, communication, and sensor technologies to vehicles and transportation infrastructures. The great amount of vehicles produced data, indeed, can potentially lead to a revolution in ITS development, making them more powerful multifunctional systems. To this purpose, the use of Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) can provide comfort and security to drivers through reliable communications. Meanwhile, distributed ledgers have emerged in recent years radically evolving the way that we used to consider finance, trust in communication and even renewing the concept of data sharing and allowing to establish autonomous, secured, trusted and decentralized systems. In this work an ITS infrastructure based on the combination of different emerging Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs) and VANETs is proposed, resulting in a transparent, self-managed and self-regulated system, that is not fully managed by a central authority. The intended design is focused on the user ability to use any type of DLT-based application and to transact using Smart Contracts, but also on the access control and verification over user’s vehicle produced data. Users "smart" transactions are achieved thanks to the Ethereum blockchain, widely used for distributed trusted computation, whilst data sharing and data access is possible thanks to the use of IOTA, a DLT fully designed to operate in the Internet of Things landscape, and IPFS, a protocol and a network that allows to work in a distributed file system. The aim of this thesis is to create a ready-to-work infrastructure based on the hypothesis that every user in the ITS must be able to participate. To evaluate the proposal, an infrastructure implementation is used in different real world use cases, common in Smart Cities and related to the ITS, and performance measurements are carried out for DLTs used

Blockchain-basierte Anwendungen im Online-Advertising - eine qualitative Inhaltsanalyse

Untersuchungsziel – Diese Arbeit untersucht, welche Chancen und Herausforderungen mit dem Einsatz blockchain-basierter Anwendungen im Online-Advertising einhergehen. Zweck dieser Arbeit ist es, mit den gewonnenen Erkenntnissen das noch junge Forschungsfeld, das die Schnittmenge von Blockchain-Technologie und Online-Advertising zum Gegenstand hat, durch Grundlagenforschung zu unterstützen und so Forschung und Praxis gleichermaßen dienlich zu sein. Methodologie – Zur Beantwortung der forschungsleitenden Fragestellung werden Websites von Unternehmen, respektive ihren blockchain-basierten Anwendungen, im Online-Advertising recherchiert. Hierfür kommen methodische Anleihen aus dem Bereich systematischer Literatur-Reviews zum Einsatz. Die Texte der recherchierten Websites werden dann qualitativ inhaltsanalytisch erschlossen. Das Vorgehen der Inhaltsanalyse orientiert sich maßgeblich an den Vorgaben von Philipp A. E. Mayring. Resultate – Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung zeigen, dass der Einsatz blockchain-basierter Anwendungen Transparenz schafft, Kontrolle der Supply-Chain ermöglicht, und damit einen Mehrwert für das Ökosystem stiftet. Die Kontrolle der Akteure und ihrer Aktivitäten sowie deren Validierung auf der Blockchain erzeugt Brand-Safety und reduziert Ad-Fraud. Durch Smart Contracts können manuelle und damit fehleranfällige Prozesse automatisiert und ersetzt werden. Für Konsumenten hält die Blockchain technologie-immanente Schutzmechanismen für ihre Daten bereit. Allerdings gilt es, die Kardinalprobleme Skalierbarkeit, Interoperabilität und Energieeffizienz zu überwinden. Implikationen – Die Wissenschaft sollte eben jene Kardinalprobleme erforschen und Lösungen entwickeln. Die Legislative sollte Rechtssicherheit schaffen. Verbraucherschützer sollten über die positiven (wie negativen) Effekte der Technologie informieren. Die Wirtschaft sollte weiterhin spezifische Anwendungsszenarien prüfen. Limitationen – Zur Untermauerung der Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung sollten quantifizierende Methoden eingesetzt werden

Digital Entrepreneurship

This open access book explores the global challenges and experiences related to digital entrepreneurial activities, using carefully selected examples from leading companies and economies that shape world business today and tomorrow. Digital entrepreneurship and the companies steering it have an enormous global impact; they promise to transform the business world and change the way we communicate with each other. These companies use digitalization and artificial intelligence to enhance the quality of decisions and augment their business and customer operations. This book demonstrates how cloud services are continuing to evolve; how cryptocurrencies are traded in the banking industry; how platforms are created to commercialize business, and how, taken together, these developments provide new opportunities in the digitalized era. Further, it discusses a wide range of digital factors changing the way businesses operate, including artificial intelligence, chatbots, voice search, augmented and virtual reality, as well as cyber threats and data privacy management. “Digitalization mirrors the Industrial Revolution’s impact. This book provides a complement of perspectives on the opportunities emanating from such a deep seated change in our economy. It is a comprehensive collection of thought leadership mapped into a very useful framework. Scholars, digital entrepreneurs and practitioners will benefit from this timely work.” Gina O’Connor, Professor of Innovation Management at Babson College, USA “This book defines and delineates the requirements for companies to enable their businesses to succeed in a post-COVID19 world. This book deftly examines how to accomplish and achieve digital entrepreneurship by leveraging cloud computing, AI, IoT and other critical technologies. This is truly a unique “must-read” book because it goes beyond theory and provides practical examples.” Charlie Isaacs, CTO of Customer Connection at Salesforce.com, USA "This book provides digital entrepreneurs useful guidance identifying, validating and building their venture. The international authors developed new perspectives on digital entrepreneurship that can support to create impact ventures.” Felix Staeritz, CEO FoundersLane, Member of the World Economic Forum Digital Leaders Board and bestselling author of FightBack, German

Digital Entrepreneurship

This open access book explores the global challenges and experiences related to digital entrepreneurial activities, using carefully selected examples from leading companies and economies that shape world business today and tomorrow. Digital entrepreneurship and the companies steering it have an enormous global impact; they promise to transform the business world and change the way we communicate with each other. These companies use digitalization and artificial intelligence to enhance the quality of decisions and augment their business and customer operations. This book demonstrates how cloud services are continuing to evolve; how cryptocurrencies are traded in the banking industry; how platforms are created to commercialize business, and how, taken together, these developments provide new opportunities in the digitalized era. Further, it discusses a wide range of digital factors changing the way businesses operate, including artificial intelligence, chatbots, voice search, augmented and virtual reality, as well as cyber threats and data privacy management. “Digitalization mirrors the Industrial Revolution’s impact. This book provides a complement of perspectives on the opportunities emanating from such a deep seated change in our economy. It is a comprehensive collection of thought leadership mapped into a very useful framework. Scholars, digital entrepreneurs and practitioners will benefit from this timely work.” Gina O’Connor, Professor of Innovation Management at Babson College, USA “This book defines and delineates the requirements for companies to enable their businesses to succeed in a post-COVID19 world. This book deftly examines how to accomplish and achieve digital entrepreneurship by leveraging cloud computing, AI, IoT and other critical technologies. This is truly a unique “must-read” book because it goes beyond theory and provides practical examples.” Charlie Isaacs, CTO of Customer Connection at Salesforce.com, USA "This book provides digital entrepreneurs useful guidance identifying, validating and building their venture. The international authors developed new perspectives on digital entrepreneurship that can support to create impact ventures.” Felix Staeritz, CEO FoundersLane, Member of the World Economic Forum Digital Leaders Board and bestselling author of FightBack, German