IBM announced on Thursday it is partnering with data storage solutions company Seagate Technology to help reduce product counterfeiting using blockchain and security technologies. IBM reported that the project is designed to help manufacturers, integrators, and business partners to figure counterfeit hard drives. The project will be using the IBM Blockchain Platform to authenticate the provenance of disk drive products, as well as bring a new level of multi-layer security protection to the data management industry.
IBM also revealed that through the partnership Seagate will update its Blockchain Platform on the IBM Cloud with product authentication data based on the Seagate Secure Electronic ID(eID) at the point of manufacture.
“Each unique identifier (serving as an electronic fingerprint) can be used to verify the identity of a hard drive at any time during its product life cycle. Seagate’s Certified Erase employs cryptographic erasure technology to produce a digital certificate of data purge, which is electronically signed by the device under the Seagate Secure public key infrastructure (PKI) and stored on the blockchain for compliance management with emerging global data privacy laws.”
While sharing more details about the partnership, Bruce Anderson, Global Managing Director of Electronics Industry at IBM, stated:
“Blockchain technology can be extremely effective in confirming provenance and authenticity of assets. The ability to work with Seagate to combine blockchain with advanced cryptographic product identification technology is what sets this work apart, and signals blockchain’s potential to reimagine the electronics product life cycle management processes. Counterfeit electronic components are a global issue that requires an ecosystem-wide effort to address.”
Mark Re, Senior Vice President and CTO at Seagate, went on to add:
“IBM has a proven history of technology innovation as evidenced by its market leadership in blockchain technology for product provenance in various industries. By combining Seagate’s innovations in product security with IBM’s blockchain expertise, we want to prove that we can help reduce the incidence of product counterfeiting in the future.”