Xebia Articles

The monitoring of compliance with the GDPR will start in just over a month. What does that mean for your work as a developer or data scientist? "You have to continuously ask yourself what data you really need, and how you can minimize the impact of its use."

The internet makes information available everywhere, but it also comes with a downside. If a user wants to gain access to specific pages and apps, they are often forced to hand over personal information to third parties, which can lead to undesirable consequences. This article examines the current situation online and describes how decentralized technologies could empower individuals to take back ownership of their data.

One of the defining aspects of a public blockchain is that anyone can add information to it. However, before it is added, the information must be verified. All cooperating nodes in the network must agree on the definitions of valid, and invalid, information. For example, in the case of Bitcoin, there must be a consensus on what defines a legitimate transaction. When the new information is deemed valid by all participating nodes in the network, then the consensus is reached. This article explores how a decentralized network could achieve consensus through two different algorithms: proof-of-work and proof-of-stake.

There’s a lot of blockchain-related development already in progress. Start-ups that focus on its various aspects are popping up everywhere. Companies in all sectors are looking at its thread to determine what it could do for their business. There’s even a new career role flying around on LinkedIn, the "blockchain consultant.” So, hype or not, clearly, this trend is gaining some traction.

But how “enterprise-ready” is blockchain technology? 

Interview with Thomas Laffree, innovation director, PGGM

PGGM and APG recently completed the first phase of a collaborative experiment that used blockchain technology to administer pensions. Based on the prototype they co-created, both pension fund service providers have extended their research.

According to Thomas Laffree, innovation director at PGGM and one of the project leaders, the potential impact of blockchain technology on the pension domain is massive. “By working together to develop proof of concepts and getting our heads around this exciting new technology, we’re investigating the true potential of blockchain”.

This three-part series explores how Wechat, the Chinese alternative to WhatsApp, is transforming the on- and offline lives of Chinese consumers and forcing companies to reconsider their marketing and sales strategies.

Part I compares WeChat to WhatsApp and explains why a presence on WeChat matters for any Chinese-facing business. Part II provides an overview of WeChat’s most essential features, describing how it’s typically used day-to-day. It also explains how companies can use WeChat to improve their business in the Chinese market.

These days, you can’t mention “blockchain” without someone else bringing up bitcoin. Of course, it’s an intriguing topic. A digital coin, with no value at all, suddenly skyrockets and makes people rich, out of thin air! It must be a bubble, scam, fraud - even criminal!

Or is it?

Or how to fight context switching throughout your organisation

Tokens and Smart Contracts Redesign Existing Supply Chains

The rise of the internet and big data unleashed public access to a torrent of information. Blockchain is the next wave of this technological revolution. It took some time for the market to embrace the possibilities of the internet and big data, during which, they evolved and matured. The same phenomenon is happening with blockchain.

This article interprets and compares blockchain to the rise of the internet and big data and explains the core elements of its application. It also looks at its potential impact on society.