To blockchain, or not to blockchain, that is the question. At least that’s the one posed by businesses and service providers every day trying to determine the best database technology for a specific environment.
Finding the right answer can be an expensive, complicated process. There are numerous decisions to make, and variables to consider. But help is now available.
CompTIA’s Blockchain Advisory Council has created a Blockchain Decision Tree infographic and a complementary guide “When Is Blockchain or Another Database the Right Choice?” to help guide solution providers toward the right choice.
“Blockchain can be very valuable depending on the business case, but it’s not right for every use,” said Adam Lesh, vice president of technology at Breaker.io, a New York-based entertainment industry rights management company, and member of CompTIA’s Blockchain Advisory Council.
Lesh cautions that the decision tree is meant to provide guidance, not a definitive answer. “Every use case is different, and you need to evaluate each one on its own merits,” he said. “But what this will do is give you some other potential database solutions if you fall off the blockchain track, so to speak. If you go through and come out with blockchain as the option, then you can ask yourself ‘OK, now how do I approach this.’”
The Blockchain Advisory Council was careful not to make the decision tree and the comprehensive companion article a sales pitch for blockchain. Getting the right solution for a particular opportunity is the most important objective, Lesh said.
“We wanted to give the CompTIA audience a proper tool to help determineo whether the new, buzzy technology will work. Blockchain adoption will be slow if it’s not implemented appropriately. We want to help make sure it is,” Lesh said.
A Starting Point for Beginners too
The decision tree can also help solution providers that have no experience in blockchain determine if it’s a technology they should consider going forward.
“There are tons of articles on the internet about ‘should I use blockchain,’ some contradicting each other,” Lesh said. “The easiest way to get started is to find a blockchain expert, someone you trust through your industry connections and maybe start a relationship.”
The companion article to the decision tree offers a detailed explanation of each question and potential outcome, along with advice for blockchain novices.
“The point is to get blockchain viable but there are several other questions to ask yourself also, such as to determine if it’s a public or permissioned blockchain. Our goal is to make sure we develop as comprehensive a guide as possible and help make CompTIA a resource for that information,” Lesh said.
To learn more about blockchain and other emerging technologies, join CompTIA’s Emerging Technology Community.
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