WHY IT MATTERS: Digital Transformation

WHY IT MATTERS: this list of technology questions for 2022 feels like an answer to the question "what is digital disruption?".

We have reached a moment in time where old technologies - eCommerce or videoconferencing for example - are finally breaking into established industries. And the impact, at scale, cannot be found in technology but rather in every single industry it disrupts.

Very thoughtful piece, very good questions.

WHY IT MATTERS: the article summarizes quite well what is possible when a whole country commits to a digital transformation. Note they've been at it since 1997, almost 30 years and they've had to make hard choices (not use a free analog phone system). Can covid crisis provide us with an incentive to do the same on healthcare, retail and government?

WHY IT MATTERS: the blockchain is showing promise for product traceability and this simple example from IBM shows how it is used.

WHY IT MATTERS: real-life applications of blockchain for traceability in the retail industry are starting to appear. With a global push towards fair-trade and local sourcing of products, we can expect solutions like this to be part pf every product tag in the future.

WHY IT MATTERS: this is a concrete example of a use case for blockchain that shows it is now possible to trace the products from source to consumer. Blockchain technology provides a "distributed" system that can be "trusted". Why is this important? recently the US FDA has recalled 207M eggs due to salmonella: with proper traceability this number could have been much much lower: https://qz.com/1252939/egg-salmonella-recall-how-to-tell-if-a-specific-carton-is-affected/ 

That is why Starbucks is also considering similar technologies as explained here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bringing-blockchain-to-the-coffee-cup-1523797205 

For more on the technology, see the video and explanation here: https://www.boulderai.com/ai-vision-systems-integration/ 

WHY IT MATTERS: we focus on the financial use cases of the blockchain. However there are many more - and potentially more important - use cases for blockchain outside payment and financial transactions. They must be considered careful by anymore preparing a digital strategy today.

Also:

- more recent infographics (2018): https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptoCurrency/comments/7y2zld/infographic_use_cases_for_blockchain/

- another list: https://www.experfy.com/blog/blockchain-use-cases-that-have-potential-to-disrupt-society

- other financial use cases explained: https://hackernoon.com/popular-use-cases-of-blockchain-technology-you-need-to-know-df4e1905d373 

- slideshare presentation: https://www.slideshare.net/IBTSMG/blockchain-use-cases-75417476 

WHY IT MATTERS: believe in blockchain technology but be careful about bitcoin. This article raises very valid concerns that should make anyone take very careful steps with their bitcoin investments - as it could all disappear the day that another "better" or more stable cryptocurrency appears on the market...

WHY IT MATTERS: I've used the electricity metaphor many times before to explain the digital transformation potential impact on businesses. Jezz Bezos here gives us a great presentation that I believe also applies to more current technologies that are artificial intelligence and the blockchain. Well invested 15min video (or 7.5min at 2x speed ;-)

WHY IT MATTERS: blockchain is the technology behind the crypto-currency bitcoin. It has applications in many industries and this short video shows how it can be used in to track food products and prevent illnesses.

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT

IBM has been an early adopter of blockchain technology and now videos such as this one begin to show where this new technology can be used in real businesses. Here the video presents blockchain in use for grocery food traceability from harvest to store shelves, in the grocery industry. The video is not great quality but the content is interesting.