Indicio can get you up and running on a private network in days, not weeks.
Crises drive evolution, and with COVID-19 we have been plunged into one of the greatest crises of our lifetimes. Business processes, consumer behavior, and social habits have all been knocked off course and forced to adapt.
All of this has opened the evolutionary door to decentralized identity. We need, whether working from home, or managing a return to something resembling normal life, new, efficient, and secure ways to manage identity. And we need them fast.
The gauntlet has been thrown down to the decentralized identity community. We’ve been saying for years how verifiable credentials and decentralized identity will solve a myriad problems and make the world a better place. Well, now we get to walk the talk. The world needs us to step up and deliver. COVID-19 is making our case every minute of the day. This is our moment.
But…
There’s always a but.
The network dilemma
The thing we hear again and again from our clients is urgency: We need to start delivering real solutions to people’s pain points now. Our focus at the start of each day needs to be “build, build, build.”
They’re right. The most powerful argument for decentralized identity is the use case we build for someone that solves their problem. We need to build lots of use cases. Technology doesn’t progress in theory but in practice. And we need these use cases to be interoperable. That’s our collective magic sauce. That’s how decentralized identity will develop organically and evolve into a cohesive system.
We need to stop overthinking what a fully decentralized world looks like and remember that the only way we’ll get there is by building it use case by use case.
We need to remember the importance of agility to all those customers that could and should be deploying decentralized identity solutions. But being agile means overcoming network paralysis.
One network does not fit all, but they should all work together
One of the deepest challenges for organizations wanting to take their use cases from slideware to a pilot and commercial deployment is what we call network paralysis. That’s when choosing a network to develop on has become so difficult that organizations end up pausing their project development rather than moving it forward.
Whether it’s because of concerns over the right form of governance, jurisdictional legal regulations, network node operations, professional technical support, or special industry requirements, network paralysis significantly stalls or stops an organization from moving forward with decentralized identity.
It doesn’t need to be this way.
If the end-state of decentralized identity technology is universal interoperability, your goal is to make a choice that will allow your decentralized identity projects to move forward now without inhibiting interoperability later. That choice could be a network currently in operation or a private network your organization or industry builds.
Network paralysis is inhibiting the deployment of pilot projects—successful solutions that would actually lead to faster adoption of decentralized identity. Only if you believe that a variety of networks will not interoperate is a “wait and see” approach the way to go. Or not go.
Decentralized identity is going to be a network of networks.
The reality is that true public decentralization, while being completely transparent, may not fit the needs of highly regulated industries. Private networks give like-minded stakeholders the ability to implement governance policies that satisfy regulators and produce a reliable, hardened product for mission critical operations.
A private network dedicated to the needs of a specific industry can mitigate the risk of other networks, such as changes in the management or governance, technical failures, lack of support, or network shutdown. And a private network would enable upgrades and new products to be quickly scaled across all private network members.
As long as interoperability is built in from the start, you will be in a position to take advantage of the “network of networks” effect. This is the organic, evolutionary process where interoperable networks multiply, and the credentials created release value through new applications. This is why we use and advocate for Hyperledger Indy for private networks. It’s the best and the most popular ledger for building decentralized identity networks.
Don’t let governance inertia stall your success.
For some, governance debates have created a preoccupation with theory over practice. We call this governance inertia, in which the search for perfect governance inhibits the creation of use cases—use cases that if built would actually lead more quickly to appropriate governance.
Simply put, the form of governance should follow the purpose of the technology. Yet we see many attempts at forcing the form of governance to dictate the purpose of the technology. While these efforts are well intentioned—protecting every entity’s interests—no overarching policy will meet the needs of every adopter.
Decentralized identity solutions apply to such a diverse range of problems that governance is always going to be a negotiation between different sectors, diverse companies and organizations, and individual tolerances for risk. Governance needs to be flexible.
So rather than stall your organization’s advancement of decentralized identity solutions, why not create a private network and a governance framework that meets the needs of your organization, industry or jurisdiction—and move your solution forward.
Build now, evolve tomorrow.
Don’t wait for the perfect alignment of need, governance, and complete network maturity to happen before you begin your investment in decentralized identity. Every incremental step, from demonstrator to pilot to production will bring value to the industry by shaping governance and interoperability. And you’ll be creating value for your customers and your company by actually solving the problems of today.
Building a private network is an investment of time, resources, and budget. To know whether it’s the right step for you, Indicio offers business and organizations a professionally staffed, cost-effective test network to practice on. Our TestNet gives your team the chance to learn by doing, which will enable you to make an informed decision as to whether a private network is the right path for you. It’s a low-risk move. And if you decide to move forward, Indicio can get your private network up and running in a matter of days.
And we’ll provide all the support and training you need to build those decentralized identity products and services. Practice today, go live tomorrow—with us.
Get in touch with us if you want to start exploring the world of private networks.
