Digital Transformation Seminar Series: Blockchain for Business: Foundations & Applications

Please note that this workshop will take place over two days: 

Tuesday, November 30, 2021: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
and
Thursday, December 2, 2021: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm.

Overview

Since its introduction as a digital ledger for Bitcoin in 2009, Blockchain technology has disrupted traditional trust models, empowering Fintech, NFTs, Tokenomics, Initial Coin Offerings by eliminating the need for Trusted Third Parties. This disintermediation aspect has a broad swath of industry eager to apply Blockchain in their organizations, yet the roadmap to do so has been far from clear.

This non-technical seminar introduces the audience to Blockchain and its potential. It discusses the origins of blockchain, defines it, outlines its value proposition, and presents frameworks for strategic assessment and application, as well as a model for analysis and mapping of business goals to blockchain capabilities. It takes a close look at the security features of blockchain to show its cybersecurity resiliency. The objective of this seminar is to provide a core understanding of blockchain technology, its potential and value, while discussing critical success factors in its adoption. Attendees will also have the opportunity to interact with simple blockchain applications.

Key Topics

What Blockchain is, and what it isn't

Blockchain's role in cryptocurrency

Blockchain and smart contracts

Strategies for enterprise application assessment of blockchain value

Analysis and mapping of business goals to blockchain's characteristics using various frameworks

Blockchain security, conventional attack surfaces and its resilience

Who Should Attend

This seminar is designed for business analysts, technology managers, and corporate executives who need to determine a value proposition for adopting blockchain at the organizational level, to identify strategies for business success through blockchain adoption, and to understand blockchain technology, how it disrupts, and its security role in an enterprise. No formal technical background is expected or required.

About the Speaker

Karim Sultan is a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa with a specialization in blockchain technology. He is a graduate of the Oxford Blockchain Strategy Program and has also been a recipient of a MITACS grant to investigate and develop blockchain applications for the real-estate sector. As a part-time professor, Karim has taught courses in Cybersecurity and Web Services Architecture. A serial tech entrepreneur, Karim has helped found various companies over the last several decades, including Fuseworks, NetPCS Networks, TrueContext (now ProntoForms), and Torochain Financial. Karim has a background in computer science and holds an MBA from the Telfer School of Management and a master's degree in E-Business Technologies from the University of Ottawa. Karim holds both the CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management) and PMP (Project Management Professional) professional certifications.

For more information or queries, you can contact Karim via email at karim.sultan@uOttawa.ca.