Polygon PoS Validator Spotlight: BCW Technologies

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Polygon Labs

September 6, 2024

The next installment of Season Two of Spotlight Quest: Polygon PoS Validators features Polygon PoS validator BCW Technologies. In this series of posts, you’ll learn what it takes to be a validator, explore decentralized coordination, and better get to know Polygon PoS validators.

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Validators are part of the essential infrastructure of any blockchain network, but what does that really mean? What does it mean to be essential, not only in the narrow sense of “necessary,” but also in the sense of being part of the essence of something?

BCW Technologies provides a particularly interesting set of answers. Not only does BCW participate in validation for the Polygon network; they’re validating over 35 EVM and non-EVM networks, making them an integral part of the Ethereum universe in which the AggLayer will soon play an indispensable role.

And their mission goes well beyond that. BCW is in fact a full-suite infrastructure-as-a-service platform. We’ll let them present the details of what that means in their own words, but the upshot is that it’s all about figuring out what’s essential to all aspects of blockchain tech, from what makes it hum to who needs to use it and why, and honing the critical (if sometimes hidden) details.

The exciting thing about having a team like BCW validating the Polygon network is that it speaks to all the ways in which Polygon is enmeshed in the broader crypto and Web3 realms. In an important sense, wide-ranging validators such as BCW embody the principle of aggregation that is now the north star of the entire Polygon community. It’s an honor to have them on board.

On their vision and mission

BCW Technologies (BCWT) provides a versatile set of critical solutions geared towards expanding the capabilities of its Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform. BCWT operates a wide range of Web3 network nodes spanning validators, ZK provers, RPCs, bridges, relayers, and oracles to provide on-chain data sources for financial institutions, academic institutions, and Web3 products and services.

On how they got into validating blockchains and when they started validating for the Polygon PoS network

Since inception, we have had an experienced and dedicated team analyzing various networks. Based on its robust technology, we saw Polygon as a clear option on which to run nodes. We started validating in Phase 1 of the network and continued to be an integral part of the ecosystem ever since.

In the search for networks to validate, we look for networks that have clear use cases. With the growth of on-chain activity, we strongly believe in Polygon. In getting acquainted with the Polygon Labs team, we sensed that they were fully capable of contributing to the technical vision laid out for the network. As a result, we determined that dedicating time and resources to running a validator node, which would include introducing our clients to Polygon PoS for some of their on-chain transactions, would be mutually beneficial for all parties involved.

On their validating infrastructure

Our validating infrastructure primarily consists of cloud and some bare metal. We are an official Build, Service & Premier Sell partner of Google Cloud (GCP) with an Infrastructure specialization. We provide clients with a range of services, including node migrations, performance testing, ZK IaaS, and real-time on-chain data pipelines.

Our BCW Node-as-a-Service Program provides our enterprise clients with managed end-to-end network infrastructure & node services on a host of private & public networks for use case development, network participation and revenue generation.

We remove the need for specialized technical knowledge, infrastructure and network security, allowing our clients to focus on what matters the most - providing value to the DLT ecosystem. We operate 100+ nodes across DLT ecosystems with ~99% average uptime.

Our validation stack seamlessly integrates Terraform scripts with CI/CD pipelines to deliver unparalleled performance and reliability. By leveraging Terraform, we automate infrastructure provisioning and management, ensuring consistency and scalability across environments. Our CI/CD process streamlines deployment cycles–this combination, paired with our advanced security techniques, ensures that our infrastructure is not only deployed swiftly and safely but also maintains resilient performance as needs evolve. Without compromise, security is our number one priority. Our team has decades of experience in systems architecture infrastructure security.

On their upcoming and existing projects

In July 2024, we were part of the ZK Summit at the Google Cloud offices in San Francisco where we presented alongside Google Cloud on the work we do around performance testing of Type-1 Zero-Knowledge Provers on the Polygon zkEVM.

We are working on multiple use cases within the Polygon ecosystem, including payments, gaming, and other verticals, which are slated to go live in the near future.

Additionally, we played a role in bringing enterprises onto the Polygon validator network.

As part of our venture studio we have launched 6+ ventures and invested in 20+ projects in the Web3 ecosystem. Some of our notable ventures include Hashport, an interoperability solution that supports Polygon, Hedera, and 10 other networks. Blockpour, a data analytics platform that provides real time trading data for 10+ networks including a wallet reconciliation tool for enterprises. Arkhia, an RPC provider and developer tooling platform that enables developers to build reliable and scalable applications. And HNS, the largest naming service in the Hedera ecosystem with over 22,000 names sold.

Our Web3 infrastructure team runs over 100 nodes across validation, bridging, RPCs, Oracles, relayers, and others. We are also one of the largest DVNs on LayerZero, enabling interoperability between 60+ networks, including Polygon.

Congratulations! You’ve found the secret password: interoperability.

On their experience validating Polygon PoS

Since the early days, we've witnessed tremendous growth in the network, and the transformation into Polygon has only accelerated that momentum. The team has been exceptionally supportive throughout our journey as a validator, and this collaboration has been key to our success.

We've focused on onboarding some of the key enterprise validators on the Polygon network and have supported the running of these validators, contributing to the network's stability and security. Our involvement in the governance process has allowed us to help shape the direction of the ecosystem, ensuring it continues to thrive and meet the needs of its diverse community. Looking ahead, we are eager to deepen our engagement, explore new ways to contribute, and continue to support the evolving needs of the Polygon community

On their other validation work

We validate 35+ EVM & Non-EVM networks and believe that quality infrastructure in critical areas such as interoperability, real-time data pipelines, and cloud-based solutions will bring forth the multi-chain, interoperable on-demand digital universe.

Some networks we are validating on are:

Polygon PoS
Ethereum
Cronos
Hedera
NEAR
Multiple Cosmos ecosystem networks

We build and leverage an array of interoperability tools and solutions to increase access to liquidity and opportunities. BCW operates one of the largest distributed verifier networks on the LayerZero protocol. Networks and their applications can securely integrate the BCW DVN to start leveraging the interoperability benefits of LayerZero.

BCW is also a validator on hashport, the only interoperability solution on Hedera connecting to Polygon and 10 other networks and has verified and facilitated bridging across 11 networks.

On looking forward to a future working with Polygon CDK and AggLayer

As an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) company, our role in the evolving landscape of blockchain technology, particularly with Polygon CDK + AggLayer, is one we're incredibly excited about. We see ourselves not just as a service provider but as a key infrastructure partner for the Polygon ecosystem.

With the introduction of Polygon CDK + AggLayer, we anticipate our role evolving to support and enhance the scalability, interoperability, and modularity that these innovations bring. We're particularly excited about the possibilities this presents for creating more efficient and flexible infrastructure solutions that can adapt to the needs of diverse applications and projects within the Polygon ecosystem. Our focus will be on continuously evolving our infrastructure offerings to align with the cutting-edge advancements that Polygon CDK + AggLayer represents, ensuring that our clients can leverage these tools to their fullest potential.