Agenda Day 1
8:00 am - 8:30 am Morning Coffee and Registration
8:30 am - 8:45 am Welcome and Opening Remarks
8:45 am - 9:30 am BLOCKCHAIN 101: UNDERSTANDING THE TECHNOLOGY THAT’S BEEN CALLED “THE BIGGEST THING SINCE THE INTERNET”
You’ve surely heard the buzz about blockchain, the “distributed ledger technology” that underpins Bitcoin but is much bigger than cryptocurrency – how it’s going to streamline business processes, overturn business models, and transform entire industries. But how confident are you that you understand this technology and what it can do? In this session, we’ll go beyond the hype and the technical jargon to tell you everything you need to get fully up to speed with blockchain. You will come away with a solid understanding of:
- What Blockchain is (and what it is not); how it works; the opportunities and challenges it brings
- The Blockchain ecosystem – platforms, software, and key players
- Real-world case studies and use cases
9:30 am - 10:10 am BLOCKCHAIN IN SHARED SERVICES: THE PROMISE
You’ve heard how blockchain is revolutionizing business processes across virtually every industry – or promising to. But what does this technology mean for Shared Services Organizations specifically? In this session, you’ll learn why some commentators have describe SSO’s role with blockchain is as “proof of concept” for the blockchain, the ideal place to start testing and piloting the technology within a company. Among the questions this session will address are:
- What are the most promising blockchain use cases for Shared Service Organizations?
- What are the potential benefits – and challenges -- of implementing a blockchain solution?
- How is it already being implemented by SSOs?
10:10 am - 11:10 am NETWORKING BREAK & DEMO DRIVE
11:10 am - 11:50 am BLOCKCHAIN STORIES FROM THE FIELD
IBM’s Blockchain practice is involved in several hundred engagements, providing solutions or services to businesses across a range of industries, including a large number of Shared Services Organizations. This session draws on the company’s experience, providing an in-depth look at blockchain’s capabilities in the Shared Services context through case studies of current implementations. You’ll learn about:
- How trailblazers in Shared Services have adopted blockchain solutions to improve their business processes
- Challenges faced and lessons learned
- Latest trends in the space
11:50 am - 12:30 pm PANEL: REGULATORY IMPLICATIONS OF USING BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY
Blockchain’s distributed ledger technology could complicate the legal and regulatory landscape. Exactly how is hard to say, given the technology’s nascent state and the wait-and-see approach taken by regulators to this point. What is clear is that the technology’s adoption raises a host of regulatory questions that businesses will need to reckon with – since blockchain is sure to feature prominently on the regulatory agenda in the near future. In this panel, we discuss the main regulatory issues that SSO’s adopting blockchain should consider, including:
- What major regulatory themes are emerging as blockchain is more widely adopted?
- What current regulatory issues could blockchain ease; what new issues does it introduce?
- How should blockchain-adopting organizations proceed given regulatory uncertainty?
12:30 pm - 1:35 pm NETWORKING LUNCH
1:35 pm - 2:25 pm PANEL: GETTING STARTED WITH BLOCKCHAIN: DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING A PROOF OF CONCEPT
Some Shared Services Organizations are actively partnering with their enterprise Innovation Labs to develop use cases for blockchain, leveraging their subject matter expertise and processing capability to promote learning and to build up a knowledge base around blockchain. In this session, you will learn:
- How to evaluate the most promising focus for your proof of concept , and why you shouldn’t go too big
- Who needs to by involved to avoid derailing the PoC down the line
- How to define success criteria and start thinking ahead to implementation
Alex-Paul Manders
Blockchain Services & Thought Leader, GlobalISG (Information Services Group)
2:25 pm - 3:15 pm PANEL: BLOCKCHAIN FOR PAYMENT CONTRACT, PAYMENT CLEARANCE, AND PROCUREMENT
Procure to Pay is one of the functions within Shared Services where blockchain has the most obvious potential. In this session, we’ll look at how the P2P process benefit from the technology, from ordering through to invoicing and payment, including:
- Why P2P is such an intuitive fit for a blockchain implementation
- The operational benefits blockchain can deliver benefits in terms of speed, security, accountability and transparency
- Key questions to ask before applying blockchain to a PTP business
3:15 pm - 3:45 pm NETWORKING BREAK
3:45 pm - 4:25 pm DISRUPTING BIG DATA WITH PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS AS A SHARED SERVICE ON BLOCKCHAIN
Building on Blockchain as an enabler of shared services inside the enterprise, this session presents how the micro-economics of Blockchain extends outreach to the shared services through an innovative business model championed by Endor. On one side, Blockchain is used to foster an ecosystem which enables the crowdsourcing of expertise ensuring continuous improvement of the shared service; on the other, new businesses are incentivized to adopt the shared service, expanding its usage. Use cases from the retail and the banking industries provide illustration.
4:25 pm - 5:00 pm CLOSING TOWN HALL
A series of open-forum Q&As addressing any remaining questions you may have.
5:00 pm - 5:45 pm BLOCKCHAIN CERTIFICATION TEST PREP
The nonprofit Government Blockchain Association, in partnership with IQPC, is offering you the chance to boost your blockchain credibility and knowledge by becoming certified as a blockchain expert. In this session, we'll get you ready for a one-hour online test that you can take right away or at your convenience, within one week. Combined with what you've learned throughout the day, the material covered here will set you up to pass with flying colors and become "Blockchain Foundation Certified" -- putting you head and shoulders above the multitude of self-described blockchain "experts" and "enthusiasts" out there!
5:45 pm - 6:45 pm MIX 'N MINGLE COCKTAIL RECEPTION
Meet fellow professionals -- including those attending the co-located Shared Services for Finance & Accounting conference -- and leading service providers in the Expo Hall for drinks!