AT&T has introduced a suite of blockchain solutions to allow enterprises in various industries to track and manage information more efficiently, the telecom giant announced on its website. The solutions include technology from Microsoft and IBM and can benefit users in industries ranging from manufacturing to retail and healthcare.

The company noted it is combining its “edge to edge” capabilities with distributed ledger technology (DLT). AT&T’s Internet of Things (IoT) solutions provide monitoring and automation capabilities to various business processes.

Manufacturing, Retail And Healthcare

For manufacturing companies, AT&T’s blockchain solutions can track the movement of goods through factories and monitor product quality from its creation to its delivery to the end user.

For retailers, the firm’s DLT services can ensure product authenticity by tracking its movement from order to delivery, as well as by reducing waste and unneeded stock.

For healthcare organizations, AT&T’s new products can support secure sharing of up-to-date patient records and directories.

Tapping IBM And Microsoft

AT&T’s consulting team can design and manage solutions utilizing both IBM’s DLT platform and Microsoft Azure.

IBM Blockchain supports a wide range of industry use cases such as logistics, supply chain, and provenance. AT&T Solutions will integrate its AT&T Asset Management Operations Center with IBM’s Maximo Network on Blockchain and its Maximo Health Insights, providing reliable networks to manage infrastructure assets.

Microsoft Azure, built on an open, trusted cloud platform, supports a range of ledger protocols such as Corda, Chain, Quorum, HyperLedger Fabric and Ethereum. The platform also provides topologies for multi-member and single-member consortiums, as well as for testing and development.

“Blockchain is far more than just bitcoin or cryptocurrency. It’s transforming the way many companies conduct business,” Andy Daudelin, vice president of AT&T Business’s Alliances Business Development, said in the announcement. “Blockchain improves security and enables better management of transactions through complex processes. Utilizing our global network and IoT capabilities, AT&T enhances blockchain by providing edge-to-edge solutions that automate the tracking and that can even monitor the environmental conditions throughout the process.”