Located in the bowels of town hall, a stack of administrative ledgers towered five feet tall, and ten yards wide. It documented the transactions of the local government, so town officials knew that they had to keep these files safe and protected—the problem is that they didn’t know how.   I watched this precariously balanced tower of old papers, and my first thought was that it looked like the mounded kindling for a bonfire.

Blockchain is a technology that underpins the success of Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Wall Street is particularly interested in blockchain: The elimination of manual processes around reconciliation with customers, trading partners, and securities exchanges using blockchain is projected to save banks nearly $20 billion annually by 2022. Blockchain has uses beyond financial transactions to improve the security and efficiencies of a range of business activities such as applications requiring transparency on data and documents with a permanent time and date stamp. In insurance, for example, blockchain technology can be used for customer onboarding, smart contracts, and fraud detection. In manufacturing, blockchain is being used in supply chain applications and 3D printing. To better understand blockchain, let’s first look at why blockchain is so important and how it ensures the integrity and efficiency of the Bitcoin network. Then, we will look at how Acronis provides a solution that uses blockchain to record and protect the authenticity of your business assets.

Full of cyberattacks, concerns surrounding mobile phones, and questions about data protection, this past week was rife with tech news. What did you miss? Ransomware attack affects another hospital Recent ransomware attacks have caused a string of hospitals to cancel daily operations in the UK. The attack hit the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation trust, and spread along to all connected hospitals via a shared IT system.

For some, the beauty of Formula 1 is all about its sporting aspects. For others, it’s all about technology, the incredible innovation behind the world’s most technology-driven sport. But the reality is that you can’t separate the two. Formula 1 is at once about sport, technology and innovation. And what may seem like an expensive hobby for wealthy tinkerers and daring racers actually has a trickle-down effect on our everyday lives. Formula 1 is a massive research and development powerhouse. Technologies developed within the closed walls of F1 team factories find their way into other industries, making our lives simpler, safer and more efficient. Here are a few obvious (and some not-so-obvious) examples of Formula 1 technology that has made its way into our everyday lives: 1. Tyres. Pirelli, the sole tyre supplier for all Formula 1 teams, has conducted an enormous amount of R&D over the years. The tyre technology developed for Formula 1 — soft tyres with more grip or hard tyres that last longer — is also used for road cars. If you have a set of Pirellis on your car outside, the Formula 1 technology has followed you home.