IBM Blockchain High Security Plan – General Availability

Several months ago, we announced a new, unique type of hosted Blockchain offering which we called the High Security Business Network (HSBN).  Like the Starter Developer plan in the Blockchain service, it utilizes the Hyperledger fabric as its runtime fabric.  It is focused on performance, data privacy and security. HSBN is intended for customers wanting to move beyond basic blockchain exploration towards corporate PoCs, first projects, pilots and production.

The response from the blockchain community has been fantastic and we were pleasantly surprised (and a little dismayed) to quickly subscribe our initial capacity.  Even better, we hosted a range of users from large enterprise to startups to research groups–all attracted to the attributes of the environment.  For example, check out why Everledger,  a startup revolutionizing the diamond industry by using blockchain technology to track diamonds from mine to store, chose HSBN as their blockchain platform.

What makes the High Security Business Network a different blockchain service

HSBN is a great fit for Enterprise use especially in regulated industries or for customers with sensitive data.  It compliments the Starter plan which provides tools and an atomically sized blockchain network for Developers.  Those same tools and dashboard are available for HSBN.  The HSBN plan runs the same configuration in a dedicated compute environment.  In addition to high performance compute, it provides a high speed network and local HSMs for keys with cryptographic acceleration.  But what really makes the HSBN service different is its focus on security.

Blockchain on Bluemix Plans

While the security capabilities really deserve a post in their own right, I’ll list a few here:

• Tamper resistance HSM with key safety up to FIPS 140-2 Level 4.

• Protection against privileged user credential misuse (“Snowden Attacks”) and no SSH access for anyone.

• A system with Evaluation Assurance Level up to 5+.

• Secure Service Container with malware protection.

• Data privacy in flight and at rest on isolated storage.

HSBN is Generally Available through engagement with IBM

Till today, we have been operating the service plan as a closed beta.  It is now generally available.  Somewhat unusual for Bluemix services, we are not currently making HSBN available for self-service use.  To get access, you must first contact us and have a free discussion with our Blockchain Garage team.  You can do this directly within the Blockchain service page in the Bluemix catalog.  Just select the HSBN plan and click on the “Request” button to fill in your contact information.

We are here to help you wherever you are on your blockchain journey–kicking the tires, building a proof of concept, rolling out a first-of-kind pilot or starting the next big disruption in stealth mode.

—IBM Blockchain Team

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References

• IBM tests secure cloud blockchain service (Computerworld)

• Hyperledger fabric (GitHub)

• Everledger uses Blockchain on IBM LinuxONE (video)

• Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Publication 140-2 (Wikipedia)

• Evaluation Assurance Level (Wikipedia)