welcome to the pre-competition era!

[ad_1]

Two industry rivals who together create a common platform for knowing their customers' preferences? Rather surprising. In the era of ubiquitous data, it seems indeed impossible for two companies competing on the same market to exchange information on their customers, as having this type of data constitutes a certain competitive advantage.

However, more and more competing companies are starting to think together about solutions to advance an innovation process, and bring value to the entire ecosystem. They often apply the principle of "confidential computing", which consists of sharing data in a confidential environment, through an inaccessible enclave.

This trend of "pre-competition" embodies the desire for players in the same sector to anticipate a change in regulations, a technological upheaval or the arrival of a new player on the market … for the benefit of their customers end!

THE PRE-COMPÉTITION AT THE SERVICE OF TRACEABILITYÉ

If there is an industry where this approach makes sense, it is luxury that wishes to benefit from common traceability, without breaking the confidentiality of a sector with elite know-how. Thus, on the occasion of the 2019 edition of VivaTech, a set of leading players in the sector presented a project of white label traceability platform dedicated to the luxury industry and based on the Ethereum blockchain.

This secure enclave will allow, once deployed, the companies involved to follow their products, from production to point of sale, and to provide proof of their authenticity and origin much more quickly and simply. A leading industry group, already convinced of the platform's potential, is trying to involve other big names in the industry in this project, to work together to combat counterfeiting, the number one scourge in the sector.

Food alliances

The traditional players in the food industry have also understood the value of uniting and have faced a new entrant that is profoundly changing their market: the Yuka mobile application. The latter, which informs consumers about the impact of food products on their health, is part of a perennial consumption trend: the requirement for transparency in food safety. Faced with this new player who breaks the codes of food marketing, distributors have decided to set up several joint projects in a logic of pre-competition.

In the way ofOpen Food Facts, a citizen and collaborative database that centralizes as much information as possible on commercial food products, these players have created their own platform called "Code Online Food". Fueled by a consortium of companies in the sector, it will enable them to guarantee the nutritional quality of their products and their traceability in an equitable manner, everyone then relying on the same information.

Another example in the food industry: two giants announced this year that they were going to apply blockchain technology to a famous mash: by scanning a QR code on the product with their smartphone, the consumer will be able to access reliable information on the supply and production chain – dates and places of manufacture, quality and variety of potatoes used, or storage locations.

It is easy to imagine similar collaborations in other industries such as the automotive industry. Manufacturers could take advantage of confidential computing to achieve strict control of the environmental footprint of their vehicles without possible challenge. A selling point to also reassure the consumer in his choices. More than ever, the blockchain constitutes a promising advance to ensure product traceability, in a logic of consortium.

DECENTRALIZED IDENTITY: TOWARDS A DÉMYÉTIZING THE DATAÉE?

Pre-competition opens the way to a more balanced and more innovative competitive environment, working from the same information base at the service of the growth of the whole ecosystem … for the benefit of users above all!

This is finally the case with the emergence of many collective initiatives around what is called decentralized identity. Blockchain-based systems allow a client to share all or part of their personal information with organizations of their choice, without anyone retaining ownership of it. Airlines or hotel operators could thus pool their data collection efforts and benefit from better knowledge of travelers. They would be able to create more personalized experiences: the Grail for their customers!

The public sector would also be well advised to take advantage of this trend, for example to generate and certify birth certificates or passports. A blockchain-based identification system would make it possible to obtain information about an individual almost instantaneously, giving the latter access to a right of identity worldwide, particularly in developing countries. With this approach, data, even if it is exchanged between competing actors, will not demonetize but on the contrary will gain in value.

 Laurent Curny, Director of Enterprise Services Entity at Microsoft France

 Expert opinions are published under the sole responsibility of their authors and do not engage the editorial staff of L'Usine Digitale.

[ad_2]