IBM has announced a cloud service for organizations requiring a secure environment for blockchain networks. These new secure cloud services are currently in limited beta.

IBM’s secure blockchain cloud environment is ideal for organizations in regulated industries and allows clients to test and run blockchain projects that handle private data. IBM LinuxONE, the industry's most secure Linux-only system, powers the IBM Blockchain environment for business networks on Bluemix. With the secure infrastructure underpinning the new environment, companies can run blockchain tests in a secure, partitioned environment that not even network administrators can access.

IBM said that the blockchain cloud environment is best-suited for organizations such as Everledger, a company that tracks and protects diamonds and other valuables via the blockchain. Everledger is building a digital business network using IBM Blockchain to power its global certification system to track valuable items through the supply chain, helping to protect suppliers, buyers and shippers against theft, counterfeiting and other forms of corruption. The blockchain is used to demonstrate the origin of high-value goods such as diamonds, fine art and luxury goods.

"When you are in the business of provenance, secured records, access and transparency are everything. There is no compromise when it comes to security and one cannot underestimate the expertise required to enable this," said Leanne Kemp, CEO and Founder of Everledger. "Having the opportunity to build, test, scale and refine Everledger on IBM Blockchain, underpinned by a security-rich infrastructure, is a game changer. It has accelerated our ability to move fast and deliver the most innovative solutions to our partners internationally and confidentially."

As organizations begin to evaluate cloud-based production environments for their first blockchain projects, they are also exploring ways to maximize the security and compliance of the technology for business-critical applications. The business network on the IBM Blockchain cloud environment helps secure entry points and fight against insider threats. With advanced features that help protect data and ensure the integrity of the overall network, LinuxONE is designed to meet the stringent security requirements of the financial, health care and government sectors, helping to foster compliance.

"Blockchain will change the way we transfer high value goods, digital assets and financial instruments. To accelerate blockchain adoption, clients must trust the infrastructure and the system that blockchain is running on," said Donna Dillenberger, IBM Fellow, Enterprise Solutions. "With IBM Blockchain, we are expanding access to the emerging technology — not only by making it easy to get up and running on the IBM Cloud, but also by using the most secure infrastructure."