The one end-goal that is the center of every conversation about verifiable credentials and user-controlled data solutions is adoption. The centralized way that data is currently stored, managed, and exchanged is so ingrained into every part of our lives, that it is sometimes difficult to imagine what it will look like once this 'adoption' of decentralized identity is finally here.
Currently, the big industry topic in adoption is government compliance, as indications are coming out constantly that governments will be picking and choosing how to move forward with digital identity and verifiable credentials. The market, however, also has a big role to play in the battle around adoption. After all, bringing a new technology into the market to replace parts of existing processes (and change the way) is not an easy sell to the general public.
Although verifiable credentials (VC's) can be used and implemented in any industry that exchanges and verifies data (read: every industry), this is not the case yet. Companies that use verifiable credentials often still do so in their own closed ecosystem, where solutions are more built around the showcasing of VCs, than VCs being a small part of the bigger picture. Enabling the use of VCs into larger, established solutions seems like a logical next step to get us out of this closed loop.
There have been steps made by verifiable credential companies before to tackle integrations. Like when Trinsic was added as an app to the long list of Zapier integrations in 2020, enabling users of the popular automation platform to add issuing and verifying credentials to their Zapier zaps. Or more recently, when Linkedin partnered with Microsoft Entra Verified ID in April 2023 to enable verification of Linkedin members' workplaces. Hopefully this indicates more known companies starting to publicly adopt and speak about verifiable credentials.
The purpose of verifiable credential flows is often to work in the background (to verify, to issue, to exchange). Therefore integrations with popular software packages (think Salesforce, Exact, Adobe, etc.) would form a very intuitive place for VCs lower in the stack of architecture layers. Integrations would also achieve the goal of having onboarding people through familiar services and exchanges. People are more likely to adopt new technologies when they seamlessly fit into their existing routines.
Paradym is already working on how to best leverage integrations to encourage adoption. As a workflow builder, Paradym is perfect for background executions, and setting up a specific process to then not think about it ever again. Therefore a perfect match for integrations. One way we're working on this is by expanding the set of actions, which users combine to make custom workflows, with new actions specifically geared towards integrations. In Q1, we aim to start with a small action marketplace, aimed at community members to reuse actions made for popular platforms or software products. If successful, the marketplace will be extended with the ability for community members to create and submit self-made actions.
In the journey towards adoption, integrations are an essential step for the market to take. What do you think would be the most impactful place for VCs to be integrated?
