Abstract

This IDC study presents a vendor assessment of worldwide blockchain services through the IDC MarketScape model. This assessment discusses both quantitative and qualitative characteristics that explain success in the ecosystem. The evaluation is based on a comprehensive and rigorous framework that assesses vendors relative to the criteria and to one another and highlights the factors expected to be the most influential for success in the market during both the short term and the long term.

"Success for blockchain services providers today will be building industry expertise in the sectors where they choose to go deep and a good mix of technical skills and bench to support engagements versus leading with blockchain as a technology 'answer,'" said Ali Close, research manager, Digital Business Operations and Analytics Services at IDC. "In the long term, as the blockchain services market matures, looking to blockchain as a new delivery model for enterprise software and applications and integrating blockchain with other 3rd Platform technologies will be the next dimension of showing how blockchain drives value."

"As blockchain and distributed ledgers have evolved, a market built around the technologies has slowly begun to emerge, one that includes software vendors, hardware, and services," said James Wester, research director, Worldwide Blockchain Strategies at IDC. "At this point, professional services providers are the most mature in delivering a true product to the market, one that allows their clients to use the technologies to recognize real value. Assessing that market and providing technology buyers with a tool to evaluate their potential partners in this new but very disruptive area is an important task for the development of blockchain and distributed ledger technologies."

Coverage