Widely known as the technology underpinning the digital currency bitcoin, blockchain has acquired a new identity in the enterprise. Today, more than 40 top financial institutions and a growing number of companies across industries are experimenting with distributed ledger technology as a trusted way to track the ownership of assets without the need for a central authority, which could speed up transactions and cut costs while lowering the chance of fraud. Blockchain remains in the experimental phase inside many large firms, but the ecosystem has grown rapidly to include eager startups, major technology vendors. Here’s a look at blockchain technology, its primary components and an overview of the current landscape. Read More »

Data has become every company’s problem and opportunity. Researcher IDC predicted in 2014 that data would more than double every two years, reaching 44 trillion gigabytes by 2020. Companies in many industries now need the sort of data processing power pioneered by consumer Internet companies. Enter Hadoop, the open-source data-processing platform. Limited adoption notwithstanding, Hadoop is a critical part of the data discussion at a very broad range of companies. Every business person with an interest in data ought to understand it. That’s why we have made this critical technology the focus of our first CIO Explainer. Here’s a look at Hadoop, its capabilities and its limitations. Read More »