Integration
HLB is a global network of independent advisory and accounting firms. They have a history of innovation, collaboration and helping clients grow across borders.
HLB is a global network of independent advisory and accounting firms. They have a history of innovation, collaboration and helping clients grow across borders.
Currently they have independent branches across 157 countries with combined staff of 38 732 professionals – combining local expertise and global capabilities.
Each HLB branch is a separate organisation. As all solutions it has its pros and cons. It is easier to manage smaller organizations and follow local compliance and audit rules for branches.
On the other hand organizing cross-country projects and infrastructure requires synchronization in many aspects and it is close to impossible to make each branch equally engaged and responsible.
Creating decentralized system treating each organization being a part of the network makes cooperating with new members easier. As everyone plays with the same rules enforced by the system and the trust is build into the solution.
HLB already had a working system – one global SharePoint instance for referrals.
However HLB needed a transparency of referrals to be increased thanks to the more standardized referral handling and tracking processes. There was a need to make possible adding new referrals using the “old” Sharepoint interface, but being able to track deals’ statuses based on data points collected from various sources (project orders, invoices, payments etc.).
In blockchain users operate in the transparent and secure environment, where activities are tracked and transparent. It guarantees HLB that every branch in the world will have a full copy of the data.
The main purpose was not to touch the fronted but focus solely on backend. The reason for it was an already existing Microsoft SharePoint based app that has been in use for some time. The role of Espeo Blockchain was to integrate it smoothly with the new blockchain technology into existing process.
We have started with creating a proof of concept to make process transparent and structured, semi-automatization.
As a result the data now is being stored in HLF blockchain network which serves as the one source of truth with immutable data history. We have also automated status change following chaincode executing tasks.
It’s also worth noting that not all data should be accessible to all. Only the member firms that already have referral relationships will be able to access data on their mutual clients.
Smart contracts are of course one the factors that introduce trust and automation to the referral handling process.
When the system will evolve, smart contracts will help in governance of the referral process between HLB branches, but may be also used to automate the govern the agreements with HLB end clients.
Hyperledger Fabric
Java
Docker
Java – mature and well-established technology best used for REST API and core backend development.
Docker – Docker containers give us the possibility to setup the environment on the local machine which is equal to the production env. This helps avoiding problems that appear only after production deployment.
Hyperledger Fabric – blockchain permissioned network composed from peers, orderers and CA servers. Each of the components has its role. Peers store and synchronize the data.
The ordering service implements the consensus protocol to maintain one version of true. CA service stands for Certificate Authority, which provides features such as: issuance of certificates (ECerts) certificate renewal and revocation.
New blockchain backend is a game changer in terms of transparency. It’s because only the verified, approved and standardized data points will be added to the blockchain ledger. At the same time users still use the same UI they are used to.
The system provides all members of the blockchain network with an instant access to the data, however without being able to modify it. Having a high quality master data repository (the single source of truth) enables member firms to access and verify referral and project data in real-time. It eliminates the need for a siloed process of reconciliation, which makes settlements far simpler and more reliable. Application automatically sets statuses for example depending on timeline.
It’s also worth noting that not all data should be accessible to all. Only the member firms that already have referral relationships will be able to access data on their mutual clients.
Smart contracts are of course one the factors that introduce trust and automation to the referral handling process.
When the system will evolve, smart contracts will help in governance of the referral process between HLB branches, but may be also used to automate the govern the agreements with your end clients.
Project summary
Connecting Microsoft Sharepoint technology that users are used to with transparent and immutable layer of Hyperledger Fabric.
Hire a team of experienced project managers, designers, developers and testers.
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