Blockchain Overview – Types, Use-Cases, Security and Usability [slides]

This week I have a talk on a meetup about blockchain beyond the hype – its actual implementation issues and proper use-cases.

The main takeaways are:

Think of blockchain in specifics, not in high-level “magic”
Tamper-evident data structures are cool, you should be familiar with them – merkle trees, hash chains, etc. They are useful for other things as well, e.g. certificate transparency
Blockchain and its cryptography is perfect for protecting data integrity, which is part of the CIA triad of information security
Blockchain (a private one) can be a good enterprise integration solution for multi-organization setups where trust is required
Many proposed use-cases can be solved with centralized solutions + trusted timestamps instead
Usability is a major issue when it comes to wider adoption

As with anything in technology – use the right tool for the job, as no solution solves every problem.