Accenture Partners with Thales on Blockchain Security

As the algorithms and technologies associated with securing the enterprise become more robust, there is an increasing need to offload the processing of that software from servers and network infrastructure. Nowhere will the need for that capability become more evident as when various forms of blockchain technologies begin to be employed across a broader range of applications.

To facilitate that transition, Accenture has partnered with Thales to apply blockchain to help better secure IT environments. Blockchain transactions occur across what is a distributed database that will run on top of the hardware that Thales developed to process cryptography algorithms.

Given the amount of hardware required to support a blockchain database, most of the early interest in blockchain is in the financial services sector. But Thales CTO for e-Security Jon Geater says that, in time, both Accenture and Thales expect to see blockchain software being applied across a range of vertical industries.

The issue, says Geater, is that blockchain-based systems typically rely on “cyberwallets” to store digital keys for blockchains. Those keys, however, usually reside on software servers that can be more easily hacked than a piece of dedicated hardware.

“It’s about protecting the integrity of the blockchain,” says Geater.

As the core technology that enables Bitcoin to be used as digital currency, interest in blockchain software continues to rise. However, despite all the interest, there are still many technical and cultural issues that will need be addressed before IT organizations can expect to see blockchain databases being routinely employed across the enterprise.