SAP: number of active blockchain apps limited, but interest is high

In a survey of 250 customers, SAP noticed that blockchain is still being actively monitored. 92 percent of respondents see opportunities in technology, while 84 percent today are actively engaged in blockchain-related activities.

The SAP survey of our own customers shows that only 3 percent of our customers today actively use blockchain. On closer inspection, these are all projects that are still in their infancy. These are often so-called pilots when we ask questions, says Gil Perez, Senior VP at SAP at IoT World Today.

Gartner counterpart

The figures are more positive than a recent study by Gartner. This showed that barely 1% has already invested in blockchain and actively used it within the company. A more important figure in the Gartner study is the 8 percent who want to introduce blockchain applications in the short term or are already actively experimenting with them. 34 percent of CIOs have absolutely no interest in working with it.

As SAP digs deeper into their own research, 63 percent of respondents actively look at blockchain for supply chain and IoT. Laws and regulations are still very popular with 19 percent.

Applications

According to 96% of those questioned, the future of technology depends on legislation and a legal framework. This has the highest impact on success in the short and medium term. SAP also likes to beat itself to the punch: 91 percent of those questioned think it’s positive that SAP has committed itself to blockchain technology.

When I ask 10 customers today what their production use case for blockchain is, I get 7 different answers, says Michael Flannagan, Senior VP SAP Leonardo & Analytics. Where are the blockchain applications most mature? According to SAP, compliance and regulatory applications lead the dance, followed by food and pharmaceutical blockchain applications.