Seagate launches blockchain system for tracking of deliveries of hard drives

2019: Seagate started a blockchain system for tracking of deliveries of hard drives

At the beginning of August, 2019 announced Seagate that the blockchain system for tracking of deliveries of hard drives passes to pilot testing to estimate scalability of the platform and potential of technology for fight against fraud. Earlier the technology began to be applied to fight against a counterfeit, and now — to control of the equipment when it comes from the distributor to shop and to the consumer and when it returns the buyer because of defects.

The producer of hard drives the Seagate company expands work with blockchain technology

The head of the Seagate research group on data security Manuel Offenberg noted that the company approved implementation of this project.

The blockchain system traces the hard drives sent to the customer in several stages. Within a pilot project the IBM company as the primary client of Seagate acted as such customer. Any returns of products are also monitored in a blockchain system. At implementation in practice tracking would allow to guarantee that the company will not receive after return counterfeit disks instead of original devices.

Besides, if the company can prove that the returned disk cryptographic was cleaned, and on the device there is no information any more, then in terms of deliveries such device will be classified already differently.

Clients will get a set of advantages when using new a blockchain system too: first of all, they will be able to be sure of authenticity of products (the guarantee is provided by Hyperledger Fabric, the large company specializing in creation a solutions blockchain, and IBM) and also that the hard drive sent for repair will not be changed for another.

Though products of firm are already supplied with marking of protection of a brand on the basis of the QR code, this system does not use a blockchain. If pilot testing a blockchain system is successfully complete taking into account other factors, the technology can be implemented on all production sites of the company.^[1]

2018: Seagate begins to use a blockchain of IBM for fight against counterfeit HDD

In November, 2018 the Seagate Technology company announced that it together with IBM works on the project on fight against counterfeit hard drives on the basis of blockchain technology. Thanks to a new solution producers and the partner companies will be able to use a blockchain platform of IBM for more exact establishment of origin of HDD.

Cooperation of IBM and Seagate assumes updating of a blockchain platform of IBM authentication data from a security system of Seagate Secure Electronic ID (eID) through IBM Cloud cloud. This technology consists in assignment by the producer to a disk of a unique identifier thanks to which each HDD can be checked at any stage of its lifecycle.

Seagate begins to use a blockchain of IBM for fight against counterfeit HDD

In addition to eID the Seagate company will also provide the solution Certified Erase: using technology of cryptographic erasing, the digital certificate about removal of data which is signed by the electronic signature according to infrastructure of public key (PKI) of Seagate Secure is created. The generated certificate is stored in a blockchain for control of compliance to new laws on personal data protection.

In combination with two solutions of Seagate stated above, the blockchain platform of IBM functioning within the Hyperledger project will allow the different parties to add or edit data according to the appointed access level.

All users of the platform (suppliers, providers of services, etc.) will have access to unchangeable records about the events concerning origin and a vital disk of a product.

Such initiative will help to avoid data loss and to guarantee to consumers product quality and also to lower the losses connected with counterfeit goods.

Bruce Anderson, the managing director of IBM, noted that an opportunity to combine a blockchain with advanced technology of cryptographic identification of products "demonstrates that process of management of lifecycle of electronic products can be rethought". According to him, "counterfeit parts of electronic devices is a global problem" for which solution efforts of all parties are required.^[2]

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