A practical guide to requirement modeling and assurance for blockchain applications

System engineering tasks are playing an increasingly important role in the planning and implementation of blockchain-based applications. Solutions must now increasingly meet requirements beyond the integrity provided by the blockchain platform – such as performance, reliability, maintainability, privacy, and data confidentiality. In addition, in an increasing number of cases, it is necessary to perform actual architecture planning – with cross-chain and off-chain integration, external data sources, and “Layer 2” solutions.

The “Blockchain Systems Engineering for SMEs” course aims to give a focused overview of the main challenges and the current state-of-the-art solutions, enabling system-engineering-oriented design and further in-depth exploration of the introduced techniques as needed, showcasing practical approaches and patterns.

The course equally covers both inter-organizational platforms (like Hyperledger Fabric and consortium Ethereum) and public (Ethereum-based) networks, adjusting the content to fit the participants’ needs based on a preliminary assessment of their requirements via survey.

Due to its nature, the course is primarily recommended for IT professionals with a basic understanding of blockchain but is also open to engineers just getting acquainted with this technology and also accessible to a broader audience with an IT background.

Dr. Imre Kocsis, blockchain lab lead, associate professor

Critical Systems Research Group, Department of Measurement and Information Systems, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME)

Imre Kocsis is a lecturer and researcher in the Critical Systems Research Group at BME and the professional leader of the group’s blockchain lab. He has been teaching and researching blockchain-based solutions and their applications since 2016, focusing on inter-organizational blockchain solutions, especially the Hyperledger platforms. He is an expert in the system design of inter-organizational blockchains, requirement-driven design, and critical and digital central bank currency applications. He leads the university’s involvement in the Hyperledger Foundation and BME’s participation in the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) network. He is in charge of the Hungarian Blockchain Coalition’s Education Workgroup.

Dr. Attila Klenik

Attila Klenik obtained his doctorate from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, specializing in blockchain and distributed ledger technology. His research domains encompass performance modeling and systems design for dependability. In addition to academic expertise, he has several years of practical experience in the design and implementation of industrial projects within this domain.

Bertalan Zoltán Péter

Bertalan Zoltán Péter is currently pursuing his doctoral studies in computer engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. His primary research areas are distributed ledger systems and blockchains and their design for dependability.