Microsoft Unveils New Azure Blockchain Workbench Tools for Developers

09. May 2018 Posted by Akolkar B on News

As more and more industry players are looking forward to adopting and deploy the blockchain technology, tech giants like Google, Microsoft and Amazon are developing new tools which make it easy for developers and other small and medium scale industries to deploy blockchain solutions at their end.

While kickstarting the Microsoft build conference this Monday on May 7, tech giant Microsoft Corp announced the Azure Blockchain Workbench tools providing a simplified platform to developers working in the blockchain space.

Microsoft aims to capitalize early on this opportunity by providing developers a ready-to-use infrastructure which allows for quick implementation of the blockchain solutions.

As per the announcement, the Workbench offers "the scaffolding for an end-to-end blockchain application,” and can be set up in just a few simple clicks. Microsoft is also said to be working on ways for allowing developers and companies to build their own decentralized application on the top of Azure-based blockchains.

In an official blog post, Matthew Kerner, general manager, Microsoft Azure, said: "Today, we're excited to announce the public preview release of Azure Blockchain Workbench, a new offering that can reduce application development time from months to days.”

He further added: "Workbench gets customers started quickly by automating infrastructure setup, so developers can focus on application logic, and business owners can focus on defining and validating their use cases."

Microsoft said that some of its existing partners are already taking the benefits of Workbench. This includes big giants like global food giant Nestle who is using the workbench tools to track the supply chain of its Bacio Perugina chocolate in Italy. Similarly, Israel’s Bank Hapoalim is using workbench for a blockchain solution that allows the bank to quickly and easily process bank guarantees for large purchases. Also, "quote-to-cash" software producer Apttus is using the workbench tools to build and deploy smart contracts to secure, track and adjust any changes in loans offerings.

 

With the launch of this new Azure Blockchain Workbench tools, Microsoft has joined the club of other big players like Hyperledger, Cornell University's Blockchain Research Group that deliver solutions in the form of “Blockchain-as-a-Service” (BaaS).