This Week at Supply Chain Now: April 27th – May 1st

In July, what is being called the “largest IT outage in history” grounded air cargo and travel and caused “substantial disruptions” to the networks of such supply chain giants as FedEx and UPS. While cybersecurity company CrowdStrike blamed the worldwide outage on a “software update” and not a cyberattack, the event illustrates the importance of taking measures to safeguard the supply chain systems we all rely on for the movement of goods and people. Cybersecurity is Paramount in Digital Supply Chain A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report published in October 2023 said that “bad actors are using more sophisticated tools and techniques to exploit vulnerabilities in digital networks, and weak points can be difficult to detect. Companies with established cybersecurity capabilities are being compromised through less sophisticated third parties that are connected to their network.” Today’s Supply Chain Remains Vulnerable to Cyberattacks According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the number of organizations targeted by supply chain cyberattacks skyrocketed by 2,600% between 2018 and 2023. Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report said there was a 68% year-over-year leap in the amount of “supply chain interconnection” involved in cyber breaches. Among high-profile cyberattacks affecting the supply chain: In December 2020, Forward…

Today, podcasts rival streaming television programming in terms of the number and variety of offerings. Perhaps that’s because podcasts are the ideal vehicle for businesses to deliver thought leadership and expand brand visibility. Professionally produced and informative supply chain podcasts provide companies and industry experts a way to engage with targeted audiences and build credibility and trust with customers and business stakeholders. Podcasts Represent a Growing Trend in a Dynamic Media Landscape “Podcasting is no longer a niche medium,” according to Statista, which said nearly 70 million people in the United States listened to podcasts in 2023. The audience for podcasts is expected to continue to grow and is forecast to reach 110 million listeners by 2029. And there’s room for more supply chain-focused businesses to invest in supply chain podcasts to share their messaging and build brand authority. Three Reasons Businesses Invest in Supply Chain Podcasts “Podcasts are often viewed as a relatively easy way for anyone to tell a story. But actually getting an audience for that storytelling is more difficult, and podcast producers use several means to grow and connect with their audiences. Most of the top-ranked podcasts studied are available on four major listing sites –…