In this course participants learn to understand blockchain intuitively, allowing them to distinguish real use cases from hype.
Blockchain is one of the most disruptive yet least understood technologies to emerge over the previous decade. Interest from both technologists and non-technologists alike has driven huge investment by businesses ranging from startups to corporate giants such as IBM and Amazon.
Amid this excitement, remarkably few people are able to clearly explain what blockchain actually is and what applications it is suitable for. You will be able to explain developments within the cryptocurrency ecosystem and assess whether the technology is suitable for a particular use case.
The course begins with Bitcoin, the first blockchain and cryptocurrency. Necessary technical concepts including hashing and public-key cryptography are introduced in a manner fully accessible to those without a technical background. Participants are introduced to the economics and incentives of blockchain networks and the surrounding ecosystem, including cryptocurrency mining and network governance.
We conclude our coverage of public blockchains by exploring the public cryptocurrency ecosystem more broadly, covering topics such as exchanges, ICOs, STOs, stablecoins, regulatory issues, proof-of-stake, and privacy considerations.
Smart Contracts
The course then introduces smart contracts—knowledge of which is now sought by many management and legal experts whose work is being transformed and disrupted by this technology. Smart contracts are computer code that self-enforces agreements between participants who do not need to trust, or even know each other. We explore several motivating examples using the Ethereum blockchain, and introduce the key challenges: verifiable contract code, security, and operating costs.
Use Cases
The largest current use-case for blockchain is asset “tokenisation”. Hundreds of startups, corporates and governments are running projects to replace the asset registries of everything from real estate and online commodities such as gold to virtual “crypto kitties”. The current status of these projects is reviewed, along with key challenges including custodianship and legal recognition of ownership.
The final part of the course introduces permissioned blockchains: networks operated by a consortium that restricts access to its chain to members or specifically authorised participants.
We review case studies in industries including financial markets, trade finance, health, and supply chain. We discuss the trade-offs inherent in the various governance structures and permission models, along with the associated security, performance, privacy, legal, and regulatory challenges.
The course concludes with a brief survey of major permissioned blockchain platforms, including Hyperledger, Ethereum, and R3 Corda.
Additional topics to help understand blockchain
Depending on the pace and interest of the class, we may additionally cover topics including:
- smart contract programming languages
- advanced privacy technology
- analysis of specific blockchains or coins through the conceptual frameworks of the course
See what former trainees are saying about AlphaZetta courses.
Discounts
Face to face public courses: early bird pricing is available until 2 weeks prior. Group discounts: 5% for 2–4 people, 10% for 5–6 people, 15% for 7–8 people, and 20% for 9 or more people. Discounts are calculated during checkout.
Online public courses: available at a 25% off the face-to-face courses as a special introductory price. to groups or to individuals who want to follow a curriculum program and attend multiple courses:
- 2-4 courses/attendees 10% off
- 5+ courses/attendees 20% off
Hurry as bookings will close 1 week before each course. Group discounts are calculated during checkout on individual courses. Individuals can book multiple courses at a discount – please enquire.
Additional Information – Understand Blockchain, Smart Contracts and Cryptocurrency
| Audience | This course is suitable for anyone in leadership, strategy, entrepreneurial, technology, finance, consulting, operations or legal roles who need to understand blockchain, and recognise its use cases and value in a range of business or industry applications. |
| Pre-requisites | No prior knowledge of blockchain, cryptography, programming or mathematics is required to take this course. |
| Objective/ Outcomes | By the end of the course, attendees should understand blockchain so that they:
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| Format | Class |
| Duration | 2 days |
| Course Author & Trainer | Tristan Blakers |
| Delivery Method | In-person at AlphaZetta Academy locations or on-premise for corporate groups |
Private and Corporate Training
In addition to our public seminars, workshops and courses, AlphaZetta Academy can provide this training for your organisation in a private setting at your location or ours, or online. Please enquire to discuss your needs.
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Testimonials
Eugene’s courses are not your standard technical courses where you learn how to put data into a model and get a result. The real life experiences – warts and all – he brings to the instruction mean that attendees walk away with a better understanding of the real life challenges of analytics as well as the technical know-how. We routinely send our team members on these courses to help them get the capabilities that really help our clients get better insights from their data.
James Beresford, Director, Agile BIEugene’s introductory course to data science was outstanding. I found the subject matter and delivery fascinating, accessible and informative. Eugene is approachable, interesting to listen to and excellent at simplifying complex concepts. I highly recommend this course for anyone who wants to know what data science—and all the buzz surrounding it!—are all about.
C.T. Johnson, Director, Statecraft