Real Business Applications and Investments in Blockchain Technology

This paper provides an empirical study to identify the objective of companies that are currently investing in adopting blockchain technologies to improve their processes and services. Unlike other studies based on the theoretical potential application of blockchain technology in different sectors, the main objective of this paper is to analyze real projects and investment of companies in blockchain technology. More than 100 blockchain projects from different sectors were examined with the aim of extracting the perceived applicability and business value of blockchain technology by managers, customers, and partners. We identified the most demanded business value and functional properties in each sector and company size, as well as the relationship between the properties that are demanded together. This article assesses the main functional values attributed to blockchain, highlighting those really appreciated by companies that invest in them and identifying new applications of blockchain technology in different sectors, and generating organizational change. The article reveals that, as expected, significant deviations are already occurring between theoretical applications identified in the literature and those finally adopted by the industry.This research was funded by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, grant number PID2019-105291GB-I00; and by The Basque Country University, grant number GIU20/019

Trusted, Decentralized and Blockchain-Based M2M Application Service Provision

Decentralized M2M service platforms enable the integration of end-user-based M2M applications and end-user-located M2M resources without the use of central entities or components in the system architecture. Sharing end-user-based M2M applications with other users’ part of an M2M community allows the creation of new and complex M2M applications. However, a fully decentralized system often leads to several trust issues regarding the behavior of end-users and M2M applications. A powerful measure to overcome possible limitations of decentralized M2M service platforms and to replace the missing control authority are trust relationships among the nodes. Therefore, this publication proposes a novel concept for trusted M2M application service provision. Moreover, it introduces the integration of blockchain elements and trust evaluation techniques to optimize the M2M application service provision. A trust consensus protocol is integrated in order to secure the decision-making process among the stakeholders which optimizes several aspects, such as peer joining, service registration and application configuration

The Machine-to-Everything (M2X) Economy: Business Enactments, Collaborations and e-Governance

Nowadays, business enactments almost exclusively focus on human-to-human business transactions. However, the ubiquitousness of smart devices enables business enactments among autonomously acting machines, thereby providing the foundation for the machine-driven Machine-to-Everything (M2X) Economy. Human-to-human business is governed by enforceable contracts either in the form of oral, or written agreements. Still, a machine-driven ecosystem requires a digital equivalent that is accessible to all stakeholders. Additionally, an electronic contract platform enables fact-tracking, non-repudiation, auditability and tamper-resistant storage of information in a distributed multi-stakeholder setting. A suitable approach for M2X enactments are electronic smart contracts that allow to govern business transactions using a computerized transaction protocol such as a blockchain. In this position paper, we argue in favor of an open, decentralized and distributed smart contract-based M2X Economy that supports the corresponding multi-stakeholder ecosystem and facilitates M2X value exchange, collaborations, and business enactments. Finally, it allows for a distributed e-governance model that fosters open platforms and interoperability. Thus, serving as a foundation for the ubiquitous M2X Economy and its ecosystem

Distributed ledger technology for trust management optimisation in M2M

Decentralised environments with a high number of end-users and M2M devices used in several M2M services increase the importance of a secure trust management and comprehensive trust evaluation system to avoid frauds from malicious nodes. Blockchain, as part of the distributed ledger technology (DLT), helps to improve the overall security in a decentralised M2M community in various aspects. This research publication summarises several existing trust management and evaluation approaches, concluding with their benefits and limitations. Besides these, it highlights the advantages of the distributed ledger technology with the focus on blockchain and consensus mechanisms. In this context, most relevant consensus mechanisms are reviewed and an optimisation concept is proposed. Finally, a blockchain-based trust evaluation system is presented which can be used for trust evaluation and computation of decentralised M2M services part of an M2M community

Cognitive Machine Individualism in a Symbiotic Cybersecurity Policy Framework for the Preservation of Internet of Things Integrity: A Quantitative Study

This quantitative study examined the complex nature of modern cyber threats to propose the establishment of cyber as an interdisciplinary field of public policy initiated through the creation of a symbiotic cybersecurity policy framework. For the public good (and maintaining ideological balance), there must be recognition that public policies are at a transition point where the digital public square is a tangible reality that is more than a collection of technological widgets. The academic contribution of this research project is the fusion of humanistic principles with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies that alters our perception of the machine from an instrument of human engineering into a thinking peer to elevate cyber from technical esoterism into an interdisciplinary field of public policy. The contribution to the US national cybersecurity policy body of knowledge is a unified policy framework (manifested in the symbiotic cybersecurity policy triad) that could transform cybersecurity policies from network-based to entity-based. A correlation archival data design was used with the frequency of malicious software attacks as the dependent variable and diversity of intrusion techniques as the independent variable for RQ1. For RQ2, the frequency of detection events was the dependent variable and diversity of intrusion techniques was the independent variable. Self-determination Theory is the theoretical framework as the cognitive machine can recognize, self-endorse, and maintain its own identity based on a sense of self-motivation that is progressively shaped by the machine’s ability to learn. The transformation of cyber policies from technical esoterism into an interdisciplinary field of public policy starts with the recognition that the cognitive machine is an independent consumer of, advisor into, and influenced by public policy theories, philosophical constructs, and societal initiatives