Scheduled for March 2017, Hyperledger Fabric v1.0 is supposed to eliminate the existing confidentiality constraints, introduce a pluggable data store, and boost scalability. The next-generation consensus protocol is under consideration, too.

Though in the limelight in 2016, blockchain is still a dark mystery. With private blockchain in particular, the question is whether it really can "change everything."

The year 2016 has been unusual in many respects. Lost in all the political drama may be some highly significant trends within the enterprise IT industry, worldwide.

Exploring the questions, a recent blockchain panel also contemplated what the technology has in store for 2017.

Makoto Takemiya from the Tokyo-based blockchain startup Soramitsu outlined how Iroha is different, and is the same, as the other Hyperledger incubations.

Involving big data and the Internet of Things, the projects focused on the Hyperledger technology range from startups to established organizations.

The momentum behind the Hyperledger Project signals the arrival of an enterprise-grade permissioned distributed ledger technologies. It will play a major role in redesign of century-old processes. As a corporate sponsor of the Hyperledger Project and the Linux Foundation, Altoros will continue contributing resources and code to help the Hyperledger Project fulfill its mission.

IBM's Arnaud Le Hors explores what Hyperledger Fabric v1.0 brings to the table, examines related project incubations, illustrating the particulars of how blockchain can work in the enterprise.

Blockchain is an efficient tool for streamlining processes. It seems it can also be used for developing and containing digital identity.