Microsoft and KPN team with Dutch Startup Unchain.io to Create an Enterprise Blockchain Platform
Microsoft and KPN N.V., one of the biggest telecommunications and ICT service providers in The Netherlands, has teamed up with the Dutch blockchain startup, Unchain.io to create an enterprise blockchain platform.
With this partnership, KPN aims to utilise Unchain’s ‘Blockchain Gateway’ solution, which has proven to enable organisations to quickly build and deploy projects, such as test pilots and Proof-of-Concepts (PoC).
KPN is looking to grow the ‘Blockchain as a Service’ (BaaS) part of its Hybrid Cloud offering, which uses Azure Stack to run its hybrid applications on-premises, meeting performance or regulatory requirements.
Microsoft has a long-standing relationship with KPN. In a statement, Microsoft’s Director of Azure Stack, Natalia Mackevicius said:
“We’re proud that KPN looks to Microsoft Azure Stack as their trusted hybrid cloud foundation for their initiative with unchain.io, applying our cloud-based services.”
Originally a public telecommunications company, KPN provide key services to much of The Netherlands infrastructure, such as healthcare and many governmental departments, as well as for commercial industry.
In an interview a year ago, Director of Portfolio and Innovation at KPN, Joris Geertman explained that the company is well positioned to elevate the use of blockchain in The Netherlands region, he said:
“where data integrity and security and immutable ledgers can play a big role, if we could be able to support that out of our infrastructure, then we can accelerate the adoption of blockchain in The Netherlands”
Director of Ecosystem Development at Unchain, Berit Fuss explained that the partnership will service the need for organisations to “take defined use-cases into a proof-of-concept (PoC) in an easy, cost-effective manner”, he stated:
“The announced service makes this a reality, by offering a user-friendly, trusted environment and from there the ability to grow successful PoC initiatives into pilot and production environments.”
With just a small team, Unchain.io already count ABN Amro, the Netherlands government, Cognizant, and even IBM as clients, with a number of businesses running blockchain test pilots and enterprise-grade PoC’s on their BaaS stack.
Through this partnership, KPN aims to provide The Netherlands region with an easy, secure and open integration platform for enterprise-level clients to fast-track the integration of blockchain into their organisations.
This relationship marks Microsoft’s second announcement to partner with a ‘key’ regional based service provider, just last week it announced its partnership with Digital China, to launch an enterprise blockchain infrastructure in South East Asia.
