Book Reviews

The Real Business of Blockchain: How Leaders Can Create Value in a New Digital Age Hardcover – October 15, 2019, reviewed

By @SimonCocking, latest in our series of blockchain related book reviews. This time we review The Real Business of Blockchain: How Leaders Can Create Value in a New Digital Age Hardcover – October 15, 2019.

Available from Amazon here.

Blockchain is transforming business. What’s your strategy?

Leaders of forward-thinking organizations are exploring how blockchain can transform the way they create and seek value. Whether it’s used to streamline multiparty processes, create and trade new assets, or leverage artificial intelligence and the internet of things, blockchain enables entirely new business opportunities.

This is just the start. As blockchain becomes more widely adopted, it has the potential to radically change the way companies and societies operate, as transformative a paradigm shift as the launch of the internet.

The Real Business of Blockchain is one of the first books on this transformative technology written for business leaders. Authors David Furlonger and Christophe Uzureau–both of Gartner, the world-renowned research and advisory company–will help you:

  • Assess how blockchain will impact your business
  • Explore the value proposition that blockchain offers
  • Make smart near- and midterm investments
  • Position your organization in a new competitive landscape

Timely, visionary, and accessible, The Real Business of Blockchain cuts through the hype and helps you unlock the vast capabilities of this powerful and potentially world-changing technology.

The Real Business of Blockchain, reviewed

We frequently see the Gartner hype curve applied to blockchain technologies, often then followed by a healthy discussion about where on the curve we now are in relation to the world of blockchain technology. With both authors from Gartner themselves this is a healthy topical and interesting discussion about blockchain, and its actual, or otherwise, business potential.

We get sent a lot of books about blockchain to review (see some examples of blockchain review books here) some convinced it will solve all our problems, others saying it will the complete opposite. This book treads a much more considered and thoughtful approach to the topic. For those new to the topic and looking to filter between the BS and the evangelists who have drunk the koolaid this is a well written, well reasoned and smart read to get up to speed on the roller coaster world of blockchain technology and what it is capable of.

With chapters on gaming, the internet of things, the value of decentralised consensus and other relevant blockchain related areas Furlonger and Uzureau also aim to lead the conversation with relevant and practical case studies and examples. Chapter Seven especially brings in the key, parallel technologies of AI and IoT, and reminds the reader of the combined power and potential once all three are harnessed together to leverage their combined computing power and unexpected potential big data driven insights. If you want to hit the ground running this book is a timely and relevant blockchain primer.

About the Authors

Simon Cocking

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