Microsoft Is Now Connecting Blockchain To Major Products
Three years after being the first company to take blockchain to the cloud, Microsoft Azure is now trying to connect the nascent technology to everything. The company believes the distributed ledger technology will be crucial in a cloud environment as it will help amass data from multiple businesses in a standardized manner.
Matt Kerner, the general manager at Microsoft Azure says the company has been quietly developing links between its blockchain and other widely used platforms such as SharePoint Online, Dynamics 365 CRM Online, Twitter, SAP, Saleforce and Office 365 Outlook.
Kerner says the idea is to enable Microsoft customers to move their data from any of these platforms into the cloud and then onto a blockchain. This will, in turn, increase the opportunities for data mining.
This seems to be the reason why the company is integrating special tools like Logic Apps and Microsoft Flow. These two act as connectors on thousands of blockchain applications. In May, the company launched Azure Blockchain Workbench, a service that helps make creating blockchain apps easier.
Kerner says this is all part of the of the Big Data evolution. He adds that cloud computing made it possible for departments within the same company to escape data silos and in turn collaborate on diverse data sets. This has helped increase technological capabilities through artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML).
Speaking to CoinDesk on the matter, he said:
“Blockchain empowers the next step – enabling a single, authentic data set shared across counterparties. This is already improving the way transactions happen. We believe the same will be true with data analytics.”
It’s hard to argue with Kerner on data being the most valuable resource in today’s world. Already companies are preparing themselves to take over the data analytics market as the race heats up.
Kerner adds this is where Azure customers are getting the biggest advantage. With Microsoft’s enterprise blockchain, they get to enjoy structured and formatted data for free.
Cole is a freelance writer focusing on cryptocurrency and emerging technologies. Previous articles on Masternodes have been featured on leading crypto websites and quoted in Whitepapers
