supply chain

A hot job: Business continuity manager

Judi Hasson — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:32:51 -0400

There is a job description you may never have heard of, but if you are a savvy IT executive, it may be a job you need to fill in your organization. Roberta J. Witty, a Gartner Inc. research vice president, recommends that firms consider retaining a business continuity manager--someone who creates plans to keep a company functioning after disruptive events such as natural disasters, terrorism, crime, and computer and human error.

According to Witty, such an employee would do a company-wide business impact analysis and risk assessment that includes IT systems, building facilities, personnel and supply chain. She and other experts say that some organizations must, under federal regulations, conduct a comprehensive business impact analysis, and draft detailed business continuity plans. In addition, they note, being unprepared for a major disruption is bad for business.

For more:
- see this Computerworld.com article

Security researcher develops rootkit for Cisco routers

Dan Bowman — Fri, 16 May 2008 09:59:03 -0400

A security researcher claimed to have developed a rootkit for Cisco routers. The concern is that this could open the door for routers to be intercepted and tempered with at the supply-chain level. Article

RFID still on a roll

Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:59:58 -0500

RFID is not dead. In fact, it's very much alive. The technology is being used in many commercial sectors and many private companies are now trying it on for size. It may be that RFID got some bad publicity over the issues of privacy and security. But at the end of the day, this is a really neat technology that can help companies track their goods, create a streamlined supply chain and cut the cost of transferring goods from one place to another. We're interested in your stories, too. Let us know how you are using RFID, whether you have had good luck or bad or if it has saved you money.

For more on RFID
- Check out this New York Times article

Stock advice: Sell Dell

Mon, 03 Dec 2007 06:59:59 -0500

Dell missed Wall Street's earnings expectations last week, according to the latest column in InfoWorld. And that's just the start of the warning signals. The report says the company that used to be known for its perfection is having trouble putting one foot in front of the other. While Dell has been making adjustments to jumpstart its earnings, the latest report shows a gross margin miss. Dell reported an 18.5 percent margin miss vs. the expected 19.1 percent, according to ATR analyst Shaw Wu. "We find this odd as (Apple) and HP experienced the opposite and our own supply chain checks indicate otherwise. Moreover, Dell's (average selling prices) were flat to up, indicating pricing pressure wasn't a big issue," he wrote in a note to his clients. So what's the reason? "Poor procurement execution." "It is interesting to note that Dell's costs may actually now be higher than HP and Apple, something that was unthinkable not that long ago," Wu said.

That's not Dell's only problem. The company had a huge battery recall not too long ago. There was evidence of deterioration in quality control and customer service. These are big headaches for a company that had been on top a few short years ago. Last Friday, the day after the results were announced, shares of Dell were off nearly 13 percent. And it's a lesson for every tech company. Customers have no tolerance for inadequacies. They will simply go somewhere else.

For more on Dell's stock roller coaster:
- See this Infoworld article

Will Wal-Mart get its tech groove back?

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:59:59 -0400

Wal-Mart is largely credited with pioneering the role of IT as a means for streamlining global retail industry supply chains. Not too long ago, the company was garnering headlines in all of the business and technology publications for these efforts. But in more recent years, IT has played less than a starring role in the firm's operations. The company's once vaulted international expansion plans have not yielded the expected results, and have prompted the company to close facilities in Korea and Germany (The German withdrawal resulted in a $1 billion loss). The reason: an inability to adapt to the local cultures and unseat established players. Analysts also point to poor customer service systems in the U.S., merchandising missteps and setbacks in the company's online initiative. Investments in the deployment of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags throughout its supply chain have also failed to pan out.

For all the details:
- read the hard-hitting article in CIO

It's not easy being green

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:01:39 -0500

After years of earth-friendly talk, Corporate America is finally jumping on the bandwagon, trying to buy and use technology in a more environmentally friendly manner. But it's not just out of the goodness of their hearts; a slew of environmental regulations and customers' demands for "green" products are fueling the fire. To cope with the changes, companies are doing what they can to find alternative supplies and are creating more environmentally sound business processes throughout the supply chain. And this issue isn't going away, so stay abreast of environmental legislation, understand how it can impact your business, learn about new materials and technologies that fit the bill and look for ways to increase use of recycled content or alternative materials.

Learn more about going green:
- read the article at Line56
- and this article at Business 2.0

Case Study: One path taken toward SOA

Sun, 07 Jan 2007 19:01:36 -0500

There's been more than one prediction about Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and why its bound to take off in the next year or so. Yet there aren't very many real-life examples to learn from and that's why the U.S. Department of Defense's SOA effort is such a valuable project to keep tabs on. The DOD's U.S. Transportation Command, which handles worldwide sea, air and land transportation for the nation's armed services, distributes goods to every corner of the defense enterprise, from fuel to food to personnel. Such a supply chain requires efficiency for every step and that's why its moving to a SOA enterprise environment. Officials say that the command's current 600 IT systems require a massive upgrade despite that hurdle, the agency is very optimistic for a successful architecture revamp.

For more on the massive SOA effort:
- read the case study at BPM Today

A major refresh for US agency supply chain

Tue, 03 Oct 2006 20:01:35 -0400

Think your supply chain headaches are huge? Consider the formidable supply chain at the U.S. Transportation Command. A division of the Department of Defense, USTransCom oversees global operations of air, land and sea transportation for the armed services. The agency distributes materials that range from durable goods and fuel to consumable supplies and even staff. Right now its full distribution functions are tied to over 600 IT systems which are sagging at the seams and in dire need of revamping. The good news, say USTransCom officials, is the fact that there are a few technology choices to pull in, and there's a great deal of expertise it expects to tap within the private sector.

For more on refreshing the supply chain architecture:
- check out the case study at CIO Today

Backup plans for supply-chain processes

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:01:36 -0400

Everyone has supply chains in place--whether it's for moving and distributing products or services or pushing out new business operations. But, it's unlikely everyone has a backup plan of action in place if supply chains break down. As some companies are learning, conducting training exercises for "what if" scenarios can prove valuable to making sure customers are kept satisfied and revenue streams keep flowing.

For more on supply-chain backup plans:
- read this article at BPM Today

Dow mixes tech to boost supply chain processes

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 20:01:35 -0400

Dow Chemical is moving full-speed ahead with new technology to gain efficiency and cost savings within its supply chain with plans to rollout sensor technology, global positioning systems and auto-ID software within the next 10 years. The ambitious effort, according to company leaders, should also boost security and inventory tracking capabilities. Dow's supply chain supports shipping more than 2 million products each year using various transport approaches from trucks to boats.

For more on the company's tech efforts:
- read this article at TechWeb