On the 23rd October, academic credentialing firm Digitary announced it had joined Evernym’s Early Access Plan. The plan gives participating firms the opportunity to develop decentralized identity solutions with Evernym technology and its partners.
The self-sovereign identity (SSI) firm launched the Sovrin Network and its underlying technology, now known as Hyperledger Indy. It utilizes blockchain by storing verifiable credentials on the public ledger.
Now, Ireland-founded Digitary will gain access to the tools and resources behind Sovrin to work on its own SSI solutions. Evernym’s program fast-tracks innovation with workshops, expert-led training, and the SSI platform. Its partners include IBM, Barclaycard, and the Red Cross. Irish Life is a fellow Early Access Plan participant, and Barclays and Overstock are investors.
“We’re delighted to be participating in the Early Access Plan and working collaboratively with Evernym on both Self-Sovereign Identity and portable, verifiable digital credentials,” said Digitary CEO Andy Dowling.
“We are acutely aware of the incredible challenges and opportunities in the future of SSI and digital credentialing, which will have global impact, and we are continuing to evolve the Digitary technology platform as appropriate,” he continued.
Digitary mainly works with universities to provide digital academic credentials. It claims that its solution, now used in 135 countries, can reduce admin time by 83% and give students reliable and instantly verifiable certificates.
“Andy Dowling and his team have shown a true passion for putting students at the center of their data and digital relationships, and self-sovereign identity enables just that,” stated Andy Tobin, VP of Delivery at Evernym.
He added: “As Digitary already counts many of the world’s universities among its growing list of customers, the potential to help thousands of students in their digital lives is tangible and real.”
When Overstock led the $8m investment round last month, Evernym revealed that it had worked with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ATB Financial, and Deutsche Telekom. Though it looks like the final DHS contract went to Danube Tech, which is a Sovrin steward with IBM and Cisco.
While Sovrin is a leader in the SSI and decentralized identity space, recently boasting R3 as a network member, there is plenty of competition. Korea is particularly active, with a platform by LG and SK Telecom to launch this year. A separate project, to use SSI for financial services, has over 30 Korean firms signed up. PwC, uPort, and Workday have also announced identity initiatives.
